Director, Communications & Engagement

Growing Chefs is hiring!

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Do you want to support sustainable and just food practices? Build connections between kids and their food? Make local, sustainable food accessible? Engage communities through food? If yes, then this might be the place for you!

We are looking for our new Director, Communications & Engagement.

We’re looking for a passionate, creative, organized leader with a strong background in communications & philanthropy. The perfect candidate loves to collaborate, can work to a deadline, excels at managing a team, has fantastic and highly professional interpersonal skills, and strong writing facility.

Salary: $75,457.20 Annually (based on 35 hours/week)

Benefits: Health and dental plan (after 3 months employed); three weeks paid vacation + paid one-week summer shutdown per year + paid two-week winter shutdown per year; 12 paid personal wellness days per year (aka sick days); annual professional development funding; paid volunteer days.

Reports to: Growing Chefs Executive Director

Location: Lower Mainland; hybrid work environment with the expectation to frequent the office but freedom to also work from home. Will require regular travel to various locations throughout the Metro Vancouver region.

Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible (flexible for the right candidate)

Position Summary:

Director, Communications & Engagement

Working closely with the Executive Director, the Director, Communications & Engagement directs the organization's communications strategy and engagement initiatives, leads the Communications & Engagement team, and advocates for food justice by cultivating a culture of philanthropy within the organization.

The position reports directly to the Executive Director. The Director, Communications & Engagement is responsible for:

• Implementing the strategic plan alongside the Executive Director and Director, Programs & Operations
• Overseeing People & Culture for the Communications & Engagement team
• Donor prospecting, cultivation, and engagement
• Grant prospecting, cultivation, and engagement
• Communications and community engagement
• Fundraising campaigns
• Overseeing the development, delivery, and operations of Growing Chefs’ Communications & Engagement department

1. Fundraising

The Director of Communications & Engagement must be comfortable making ‘the ask’, and will work with the Engagement Team and Fundraising Committee to:

• Foster an understanding of philanthropy within the organization

• Develop operational fundraising goals, plans, and timelines

• Ensure that critical fundraising processes, activities, and documentation are carried out in an effective, timely, and ethical manner

• Strategize to meet fundraising goals

• Diversify revenue sources to ensure long-term organizational sustainability with an emphasis on new, multi-year, and unrestricted funding

• Improve existing fundraising cycle while coaching Communications & Engagement team to increase fundraising revenue from, but not limited to: corporate, foundation, community, third party, in-kind, and individual donations

• Oversee the research, management, and submission of grant proposals and timely reporting

• Monitor trends in fundraising strategies and tactics, and identify and cultivate new fundraising prospects and opportunities

• Confirm gift acceptance in alignment with Growing Chefs values, mission, vision

• Coach staff and board in donor cultivation and stewardship and guide the Fundraising Committee

• Direct fundraising events and activities, and when necessary, oversee the involvement of third parties to ensure professional delivery of events

1. Donor Relations

• Cultivate and steward relationships with individuals interested in planned giving, including bequests, charitable gift annuities, and other deferred giving options to ensure a robust pipeline of future support for the organization's mission
• Serve as the organization’s relationship manager and main point of contact for donors and prospects; develop a coordinated strategy for specific donors/prospects and obtain internal buy-in, ensuring coordinated communication and engagement with that particular donor/prospect for a high level of service

1. Fundraising Administration

• Direct administration and maintenance of the donor database (Salesforce) while ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of donor information

• Prepare regular reports on fundraising progress, fundraising budgets, receipts and expenditures related to fundraising, and the management of the fund development activities
• Oversee and manage donation processing, deposit of cash and batch reports, gift receipting, and preparation of acknowledgement and stewardship letters

• Monitor and ensure procedural compliance and regulatory compliance (with CRA), and ethical principles (according to the Association of Fundraising Professionals)

1. Communications

• Develop and implement a communications plan with clear goals, targets, and strategies in alignment with Growing Chefs’ strategic plan

• Lead the design and direction of effective and compelling story-telling of Growing Chefs’ mission and impact

• Manage communications activities, project plans, and timelines to ensure that critical strategic communications activities are carried out in a timely manner

• Direct and guide the writing and design of all fundraising campaigns and promotional materials

• Lead the design, development, maintenance, and implementation of Growing Chefs branding guidelines

1. Finances

• Develop annual Communications & Engagement expense budgets, twice annual re-forecasting, and regular reporting on budget to actuals

• Manage accurate and up-to date deferred revenue to support organization-wide fiscal management

• Develop organization-wide annual revenue budget with year-to-year comparison based on confirmed funding and accurate data-based projections in collaboration with the Executive Director and Director, Programs & Operations

1. People and Culture

• Determine Communications & Engagement staffing requirements

• Along with the ED, hire, recruit, and supervise Communications & Engagement programs staff and consultants, and discipline or terminate when necessary using appropriate and legally defensible procedures

• Provide stewardship and team building opportunities to the Communications & Engagement team to support relationship building and meaningful collaboration
• Coach and guide Communications & Engagement staff to achieve operational goals, respond to emerging issues, and ensure excellence

• Mentor, support, and guide Communications & Engagement staff in weekly one-on-one meetings

• Facilitate weekly Communications & Engagement meetings as a way to strengthen collaboration and ensure team accountability to communications, development, and operational goals

Prioritizing Indigenous Applicants:

As we continue to grow our team to reflect the kids and youth in the school communities we serve, we are looking to prioritize applications from people who identify as Indigenous. We encourage you to self-identify in your application.

Growing Chefs operates on the land of the Coast Salish peoples, including the

Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm

(Musqueam), W̱SÁNEĆ, Lək̓ʷəŋən, and Xwsepsum (Songhees and Esquimalt) Nations. As we work towards a world with healthy, just, sustainable food practices, we continue to learn and explore how to uplift Indigenous food and cultural values within our local food systems.

Growing Chefs is an equal opportunity employer and employs personnel without regard to racialization, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status, physical and/or mental access needs, or financial ability.

To Apply:

Please apply here. Review of applications and interviews will begin on a rolling basis January 24, 2024. We anticipate that phase one of interviews will begin the week of January 27th.

1. Tell us about your connection to local food systems and food justice.
2. What was the most recent event you attended and enjoyed. What made it great? How would you plan it to be better?
3. What draws you to Growing Chefs?

Honorarium:

In recognition of the labour that goes into preparing for an interview, applicants selected for an interview will receive a $25 honorarium for their time.