ENGAGEMENT LEAD

CLOSING DATE: October 9, 2021
START DATE: Immediate / Flexible
REMUNERATION: $97,098 – $143,161 target salary (15-20% is performance based), plus benefits. Target salary dependent on qualifications and experience.
HOURS: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week. Flexible working hours offered. Additional hours and/or work outside of regular working hours may be required.
LOCATION: Downtown Vancouver, BC. Travel outside of Vancouver may be required. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, all staff are currently being supported to work from home.
APPLICATIONS: Submit a cover letter & resume via email to careers@thinkmodus.ca, stating “Application: Engagement Lead” in the subject line.

THE OPPORTUNITY
MODUS is looking for an intermediate or senior engagement practitioner to help shape and deliver engagement services with our growing team.

A successful candidate will be a creative and caring individual with passion for engaging communities, leading teams, and facilitating positive change. Please apply if you are:

• Passionate about community engagement and civic dialogue;
• Excited to develop and apply creative, innovative engagement tools and techniques to community planning, and public and stakeholder engagement projects; and
• Driven by values of fairness, equity, justice, and sustainability.

ABOUT MODUS
MODUS is a mission-driven consulting firm based in Vancouver, BC known for our effective, creative and genuine approach to engagement. Our small and powerful team is working on some of Western Canada’s most challenging and exciting projects.

We primarily work with government and non-profit clients to deliver urban design, neighbourhood to regional scale community planning, and public and stakeholder engagement consulting services. Organizational development, equity, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability strategies and services round out our offerings.

We believe in:

• Innovating to provide effective solutions to global and local challenges and issues.
• Building capacity with clients and communities through genuine, meaningful collaboration.
• Having fun while we’re at it!

We’re passionate about having a collective impact on the world, making it a better place to live today and in the future.

We recently completed a comprehensive Strategic Planning process which resulted in a renewed vision and mission:

Vision: co-creating deep-green, just, healthy communities

Mission: we convene rigorous, experiential processes and create transformative plans to address complex, collective challenges.

The Engagement Lead will play a key leadership role in the implementation of the Strategic Plan, bringing new insight and expertise and building on MODUS’ established leadership in the field of public and stakeholder engagement.

LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY
This position requires the ability to act independently and to make decisions using discretion. The role includes managing project budgets, managing staff, and contributing to the senior leadership of the firm.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
This role is responsible for leading our Engagement practice, in collaboration with our Planning and Urban Design teams. The position will involve:

PRACTICE LEAD & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

• Representing MODUS effectively to clients, acting as a good ambassador and demonstrating thought leadership and successful practice in the engagement field.
• Contributing to transformative thinking on engagement process, policy, practice and training.
• Directing and conducting research, developing policies, analyzing data, senior-level review and content creation for reports.

PRODUCT DELIVERY & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Preparing and implementing engagement strategies for a range of sectors (i.e., private sector, non-profit, government, First Nations, etc.) and at a variety of scales (i.e., single events, workshops or phases, to complex, multi-year engagement processes).
• Managing projects to ensure high-quality project work is delivered on time and within budget.
• Designing and facilitating engagement events and activities, of various size and complexity, including delivering training to staff and clients.
• Managing and implementing other routine engagement work, including public and stakeholder outreach and project communications (e.g., engagement materials, facilitation aids, agendas, questionnaires, and presentations).
• Developing content and providing senior-level review of engagement materials and project reports.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP & STAFF MENTORSHIP

• Contributing to senior leadership at MODUS, working closely with other senior staff and principals.
• Directing, guiding, instructing, mentoring and providing a variety of high-quality work opportunities and experiences for team members.
• Supporting staff to grow in their skills and interests.

TEAM MANAGEMENT (internal)

• Supervising staff and managing performance; the Lead will work with the overseeing principal and HR manager where necessary to improve team member’s performance where warranted.
• Conducting monthly check-ins and annual performance reviews for staff that report directly to the Lead.
• Overseeing workload planning and ongoing coordination with other team leads and project managers to map capacity.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Cultivating business opportunities that align with MODUS’ vision, mission and values.
• Developing proposals with support from junior and intermediate team members.
• Building and promoting MODUS with specific emphasis on our Engagement Practice.

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
The ideal candidate will possess excellent outreach and communication skills and will have a strong attention to detail. They will be a self-starter who brings ideas and solutions to the team, while also building on the “strong engagement” models, principles, practices and tools MODUS is known for. Experience in conducting successful and meaningful engagement projects that reach seldom heard communities, plus a commitment to justice, diversity, inclusion and equity, is required.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in an applicable field (i.e.: urban planning, geography, social work, community development, communications, etc.)
• 8 – 12+ years’ professional experience in engagement, including experience in a consulting environment, experience working in a range of fields/sectors/topics, at least 2 years’ experience leading a team, and at least 5 years’ experience with managing and delivering engagement projects.
• Creative, curious, problem-solving, and collaborative attitude and working style.
• Well-organized with strong ability to prioritize assignments and manage workload proactively for/with yourself and others.
• Must be able to independently problem-solve and learn, have careful attention to detail and exercise sound judgement at all times.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. English fluency. Writing skills should include an attention to copyediting and grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The ability to check written communications for accuracy is critical, as is the ability to take and transcribe accurate meeting minutes.
• Sophisticated interpersonal skills, including extensive facilitation training and/or experience.
• Deep experience in public/stakeholder engagement and facilitation, including managing rooms with high emotion and diverse perspectives on challenging topics.
• Strong emotional intelligence, an effective communication style and active listening skills.
• Qualitative and quantitative data analysis skills.
• Ability/willingness to work using Apple devices and products.
• Advanced skill with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite.

DESIRABLE SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• Project management experience and/or training.
• Experience and keen interest in social planning.
• Diversity, youth, and inclusion-based engagement experience and/or training.
• IAP2 Training and/or Certification.
• Non-violent communications experience and/or training.
• Experience and/or training in working with emotion and outrage; conflict resolution and de-escalation skills.
• Online engagement and online communications skills.
• Registered membership with a relevant professional organization.
• Diverse life experience including working with diverse groups and cultures.

MODUS knows that diverse teams are strong teams. We welcome people from all identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Our team includes women, men, mothers, fathers, the self-taught, the college-educated, and people of a variety of backgrounds, ages, and identities.  All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, although Canadians and Permanent Residents will be given priority.