Communication and Engagement Supervisor

at  McGill University

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The Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, located at Macdonald Campus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, is seeking an experienced Communications administrator to promote new initiatives in the area of community engagement, outreach and experiential learning. [This is a one-year contract, with possibility of renewal]
Position Summary:
Under the direction of the Associate Dean Academic (AES), the incumbent engages in the development, implementation and delivery of the Faculty’s community engagement and communication mission by optimizing existing and by creating new partnerships for the Morgan Arboretum, the Farm Dairy Unit, and Farm Horticulture Centre. Directly supervises AMUSE casuals (Event Assistants, Office Assistant, IT Assistant).
Primary Responsibilities:
Oversees the day-to-day general functioning of the Arboretum, and manages the Experiential Learning and Outreach program delivery taking place at the Arboretum facility.
Networking: Interacts with agricultural stakeholders, organizations, producers, professional associations, general public, etc. Promotes awareness of role and services offered by the Faculty in the areas of outreach and experiential learning. Makes in person presentations.
Seeks, develops and maintains working relationships with similar food and agriculture outreach facilities and initiatives outside of the university. Identifies new opportunities for collaborating with stakeholders and partners.
Maintains effective working relationships and communication within the Office of Student Academic Services (OSAS), as well as with the Arboretum business office, with the staff managing the partner facilities (Hort Centre, Farm Dairy and Farm main office, etc.), and a variety of other faculty partners involved with Outreach initiatives and related projects. Organizes meetings, follows up on action items and decisions.
Community Engagement and Experiential learning: Creates and maintains experiential learning components for all academic programs offered by the Faculty. Promotes educational program offerings/activities through social media to a broad range of stakeholders (e.g. school boards, elementary schools, CPEs, day camps, underrepresented communities, neighboring municipal jurisdictions, and general public). Responsible for expanding the outreach network, through collecting and analyzing data on local demographics.
Plans workshops and educational materials in conjunction with teaching units and researchers in the Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, as well as other stakeholders. Involves school teaching staff and leaders from other organizations in order to design and customize workshops contents to adapt to their specific learning and educational enhancement objectives. Ensures that research activities are featured and that programming themes address the farm to fork to health continuum. Focus is on ensuring a memorable and unique learning experience for participants through “hands-on” and interactive learning modules.
Organizes, oversees, and administers all aspects of the experiential learning programs (coordination/scheduling with participating faculty facilities, visual displays, reservations, assignment of staff, participation of guest speakers, etc.). Plans and develops a range of administrative processes to support program offerings (e.g. fee structure, registration, contracts, etc.) Acts as knowledgeable resource person with regards to main topics covered, such as natural resources, farm animal practices, horticulture, general agriculture and sound environmental practices.
Communications: Maintains the unit’s web site to ensure optimal visibility. As needed, seeks technical input from the Faculty’s web communications team. Keeps contents and programming details up-to-date. Promotes the Office’s core mission of educating diverse audiences and participants of all ages in agriculture, local food provenance, food security, and environmental practices.
Addresses inquiries by phone, e-mail and in person. Arranges for production of promotional photos, brochures, posters when needed. Writes promotional material. Promotes the unit to internal and external users.
Staff Supervision: Recruits, selects, trains and evaluates volunteers and casual staff hired as guides, animators and as activity leaders. Allocates work shifts; evaluates work and workflow; supervises work and approves electronic timesheets in WD; monitors attendance. Manages job performance and conflict issues. Keeps abreast of applicable collective agreement. Collects feedback from volunteers; implements a volunteer recognition program.
Keeps track of and reports on attendance at the various activities, revenues and expenses. Makes recommendations for items to be purchased and facility improvements. Regularly reviews operational and financial status, as well as budget preparation, with Associate Dean.
Contacts suppliers and sponsors to solicit in-kind contributions to the educational programs and at special events.

Other Qualifying Skills and/or Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to promote active engagement and knowledge transfer within the community at large, and between scientists and the public.
• Demonstrated ability to transpose scientific concepts and data into accessible, audience-specific materials, in a variety of formats (written material, audiovisual, etc.) and adapted to the styles required for different platforms (website, social media, etc.)
• Proven ability to work with computer applications, platforms, and tools for communications (website platforms, Microsoft Office (including Powerpoint), Adobe Suite, social media, etc.);
• Exceptional attention to detail required to prepare documents that are consistently of the highest quality in terms of content, format, and design;
• Ability to effectively work with and provide counsel to peers and to senior management;
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team in a fast-paced, changing, deadline-oriented environment. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational skills and be able to handle and prioritize multiple projects;
• Interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build network and relationships;
• Experience in successfully implementing communications plans is an asset;
• Experience with supervising, leading, mentoring/training support staff such as Events Assistants and volunteers.
• Knowledge of French and English: McGill University is an English-language university where day to day duties may require English communication both verbally and in writing. The level of English required for this position has been assessed at a level # 4 (fluent) on a scale of 0-4.
• Knowledge of French: Must be fluent in both verbal and written French.

Minimum Education and Experience:
DEC III 3 Years Related Experience /
Annual Salary:
(MPEX Grade 02) $55,020.00 - $64,730.00 - $74,440.00
Job Profile:
MPEX-COM1A - Internal External Relations - Professional 1 (Excluded)
Hours per Week:
33.75 (Full time)
Supervisor:
Senior Faculty Lecturer
Position End Date (If applicable):
2025-11-30
Deadline to Apply:
2024-09-26
McGill University hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We welcome applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated groups to self-identify. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence,
accessibilityrequest.hr@mcgill.ca.

Please refer the Job description for details