COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

at  City of Toronto

Job ID: 46336
Job Category: Community & Social Services
Division & Section: Toronto Emergency Management, TEM Strategic Policy & Planning
Work Location: 703 Don Mills
Job Type & Duration: 2 Temporary, Full-time Vacancies (12 months)
Salary: $86,716.00 - $112,255.00, TM0346, Wage Grade 6.0
Shift Information: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week
Affiliation: Non-Union
Number of Positions Open: 2
Posting Period: 05-Jun-2024 to 19-Jun-2024

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Manager of Community Resiliency and Engagement, the Community Development Officer will establish community resilience networks throughout the City in support of Toronto Emergency Management. The successful candidate will work with individuals, community support agencies, and City of Toronto Divisions, Agencies, and Corporations to coordinate services in order to facilitate effective and integrated community responses to disasters and emergencies. The job will facilitate workshops in the community with the goal of empowering communities to have the tools, knowledge, and confidence to respond and recover from emergencies.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS:

• Post-Secondary education in Sociology, Social Work, Community Health Promotion, or related a field or approved equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Experience in a large organization leading multiple projects, supporting project development and monitoring, developing communication materials, and tracking and evaluating programs from inception to completion.
• Considerable experience in community development, community advocacy, infrastructure and capacity building and in fostering coalitions and inter-sectoral linkages with individuals and/or organizations to address community resilience and build social capital.
• Experience in research, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data.
• Experience in the design, facilitation and delivery of stakeholder engagement initiatives (such as events, workshops and webinars) and in leading community engagement and consultation processes utilizing a place based (local level) approach with various stakeholders.
• Experience designing, developing and delivering a variety of culturally appropriate training tools and outreach material to support community resilience.
• Experience in the writing of grant proposals, including the development of budgets and submitting to a variety of funding bodies.
• Excellent negotiating, project and issues management skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in an environment with high expectations and competing deadlines.
• Knowledge of current community resilience models and best practices.
• Highly developed interpersonal, public and human relation skills to build and maintain effective relationships and partnerships with all stakeholders (such as residents, government representatives, elected officials and others).
• Strong conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills and the ability to develop consensus and recommend effective, strategic solutions at the community level.
• Ability to effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, at the management level to a variety of audiences.
• General knowledge of government legislation in the areas of employment, occupational health and safety, labour and human rights.
• Ability to support the Toronto Public Service values to ensure a culture that champions equity, diversity and respectful workplaces.
• Ability to travel to various locations in a timely and efficient manner.
• Ability to work flexible hours which may include; overtime, shift work, and occasional evenings and weekends.

• Conducts research into community resilience networks ensuring such research takes into account developments within the field, corporate policies and practices, legislation, and initiatives by other levels of government.
• Implements detailed plans and recommends policies/procedures regarding program specific requirements.
• Develops, recommends, and administers program and project budgets, ensuring that expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations.
• Creates and utilizes community relationships and channels of all types, on the basis of identifying and communicating on disaster risk and emergency preparedness, with a focus on strengthening community empowerment and community capital.
• Provides community development services within and for the community-based sector to elected officials; volunteers, managers, and staff of incorporated and unincorporated groups; and community coalitions.
• Co-ordinates and/or provides management advice, project management and policy development support to Community Development Program-initiated, corporately determined and community-based initiatives. Leverages support from this community of practice when required.
• Contributes -through management, consultation, co-ordination, and policy development - to the implementation of Council’s Strategic Plan and Social Development Strategy in order to achieve outcomes that promote a high quality of life, a sustainable community and the achievement of operational excellence (effectiveness and efficiency) at corporate, divisional, and divisional levels and in the community.
• Ensures the development and implementation of effective strategies that address future functions, processes and policies required for an accessible community-based infrastructure. Co-creates a vision of community emergency preparedness with communities and community agencies, managing resources appropriately through data-driven decision making.
• Develops enriched capability and leadership in the field of community development by designing, delivering and administering board, executive and management, and community training and development programs (skill-building, knowledge enhancement and leadership development) within the community based sector (workshops on governance, membership, Board staff roles and responsibilities, effective meeting and evaluation); and with City divisional representatives
• Creates, executes, and delivers projects from conception to close-out, and manages a portfolio of various projects. For these projects develops key deliverables and guides team members and stakeholders accordingly
• Administers Community Development Program: developing and implementing a Community Resources Unit multi-year priority setting, work effectiveness and improvement planning process, and performance measurement framework.