Sr Program Officer-Reaching Home

About this position

Description

The Role: Reaching Home Senior Program Officer, Vancity Community Foundation (VCF)

As a Senior Reaching Home Program Officer, you will support the delivery, administration, and reporting of the Reaching Home Funding program that supports organizations and projects that aim to reduce and prevent homelessness.  This position reports directly to the Program Manager, Reaching Home Manager, Reaching Home Program, Vancity Community Foundation and is located at 312 Main in Vancouver. (currently remote with the option for partial remote work on an ongoing basis).

You will:

• Support the planning and implementation of the Reaching Home Funding Call for Proposals Application and Approval Process.
• Develop and/or refine systems, tools, and processes, including communication materials, application and review platform, and evaluation/assessment framework and criteria.
• Help facilitate the community-based funding application review and approval process to ensure investment decisions are aligned with RH Program outcomes, community needs and program requirements.
• Carryout due diligence, risk assessments, contract, and budget negotiation, and prepare final agreements for a portfolio of assigned projects and provide guidance and assist junior Program Officers with this work.
• Administer and monitor assigned RH funded projects, including processing monthly claims and activity outcomes reports, and identify challenges and opportunities for improvement to mitigate risk and support projects to achieve their desired outcomes. Review and offer support to junior Program Officers on their portfolio.
• Compile and analyze data to prepare required quarterly and annual financial and narrative reports of the investment portfolio for the Community Entity, Community Advisory Board and/or ESDC.
• Develop, lead and/or participate in homelessness serving sector and organizational capacity development initiatives.
• Stay abreast of housing and homelessness issues and approaches and provide insight and provide subject matter expertise to key stakeholders.

You are:

• Very Analytical - with advanced analytical skills, you review information, detect anomalies, and investigate and resolve discrepancies.
• Compassionate:  You understand the challenges faced by homeless individuals and the service providers serving them. You have knowledge or experience related to poverty, homelessness, mental health, addictions, and related risk factors for homelessness.
• Knowledgeable- You have advanced foundational knowledge about operations in the non-profit sector.
• An Effective Communicator – You have advanced written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, and you can utilize those skills to provide exceptional advice, guidance, explanations, and related support. You will also participate in the development of program content.
• A Problem Solver & Decision Maker - Advanced problem solving and decision-making skills allow you to apply specific standards and guidelines to the work, escalating unresolved issues to senior staff.
• A Coach – you have had some exposure to coaching others.

You have:

• Post Secondary Education/Diploma in Sociology, Psychology, Social Work, Project Management, Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in granting, foundations, non-profits, housing management or related area. 
• Non-Profit, project management or government work experience is an asset.
• Knowledge and experience with Indigenous organizations and communities, as well as issues facing indigenous and racialized communities
• Lived experience and/or knowledge and understanding of homelessness, housing, addictions, mental health, poverty and related issues, government policies and programs and non-profit programs and service models
• Strong to advanced MS Office skills (especially excel and word) and/or other information management or reporting software (e.g., access, SPSS, etc.).
• Experience and/or strong aptitude for working with budgets and financial reports
• Experience with funding/granting proposal processes and software (e.g., Calls for Proposals), ideally from a funder perspective.
• Familiarity with data analysis and report writing for policymakers, Boards, and funders.
• Knowledge of homelessness and housing, addictions, mental health and related issues, government policies and programs. and non-profit programs and service models.
• Knowledge of the building development process for affordable and supportive housing for homeless/at risk individuals is an asset.
• An aptitude for working in fast-paced, dynamic environments with diverse multi-stakeholder committees, can prioritize and meet tight deadlines.
• Experience coaching others.
• Able to speak and write in French is an asset in this role.

Please note:  We have two positions available for this role:  One position will be assigned to the Greater Vancouver Region in partnership with Lu’ma Native Housing Society as the Community Entity for that region, and the second position will be assigned to the City of Abbotsford Community Entity/Reaching Home program. Note that a strong internal candidate has been identified for the Abbotsford assignment.

Salary Range: $60,000-$70,000 annually

About Reaching Home:

Reaching Home supports community-led efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada.  Funded by the Government of Canada, it supports the goals of the National Housing Strategy, including the reduction of chronic homelessness nationally by 50% by 2027–2028 Locally, it is overseen by a Community Advisory Board made up of community representatives from various sectors and is administered by a Community Entity.  

VCF is engaged with supporting two local programs each with their own Community Entity and Community Advisory Board. In the Greater Vancouver region, we work in partnership with and support Lu’ma Native BCH Housing Society who is the Community Entity for that region. In the Abbotsford region we work in partnership with and support the City of Abbotsford as the Community Entity for that region.

For more information on Reaching Home please go to https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/homelessness.html.

For more information on the Greater Vancouver Community Entity, Lu’ma Native BCH Housing Society please go to http://lnhs.ca/community-entity.

For more information on our Abbotsford partner, the City of Abbotsford go to https://www.abbotsford.ca/community-events/housing-homelessness/homelessness-program

About Vancity Community Foundation:

Established by Vancity credit union in 1989, Vancity Community Foundation builds on the credit union’s values and guiding principles to create social, economic, and environmental well-being. We believe that if all our assets are invested in building healthy, just communities, where cooperative principles and practices flourish and social justice and environmental sustainability thrive, our communities will prosper.

To learn more about Vancity Community Foundation, please visit: https://www.vancitycommunityfoundation.ca/

About Vancity: 

• When you join Vancity as an employee and a member, you join a movement that believes that when we use money for what’s right, we truly are a financial force for change.  
• Our vision is to redefine wealth—and we are doing so by using the tools of finance to prioritize the wellbeing of our members and our communities by tackling the climate crisis and we are proving every day that sustainable is profitable.  
• We are the largest private-sector Living Wage Employer in Canada and have been consistently recognized as one of the Top Employers in Canada. Come join our team of 2,600 diverse individuals and access competitive rewards & benefits, all while knowing you are apart of a greater movement.  
• Start your Vancity career journey with us even if you’re new to financial services! We provide in-house paid training to gain general financial knowledge, and to learn about our products & services. We encourage opportunities to learn & develop to prepare you for career success, which in turn continuously impresses how we serve our membership.  
• Vancity is committed to a diverse workplace and values Integrity, Innovation, Responsibility and Reconciliation. While we review all applicants, we will be prioritizing applicants who self-identify as Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit, and Metis), Members of visible minorities, and Persons with disabilities. 
• To learn more about Vancity, please visit www.vancity.com/AboutVancity. 

Posting Deadline: Please apply by 4:00 PM PT, July 05, 2021.