Manager, Community Engagement - Toronto, Canada - CreateTO

CreateTO

Verified Company

Toronto, Canada

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

beBee Recruiter

Description

Manager, Community Engagement

CreateTO, launched on January 1, 2018, is a municipal government agency established to manage the City of Toronto's real estate portfolio. CreateTOworks collaboratively with City stakeholders, external partners and community members to create more livable, sustainable and inclusive communities. The agency will enable the City, for the first time, to adopt a strategic city-wide approach towards the delivery of real estate solutions to promote a balance of community and economic benefits.

The Opportunity

The Manager, Community Engagement focuses on developing, coordinating and leading the agency's public consultation and community engagement activities related to CreateTO's vast portfolio of work, including consultation on development projects included within the Housing Now Initiative, ModernTO program and various city-building initiatives.

This role will also be responsible for leading the development of an agency-wide approach to Indigenous engagement and helping to build stronger relationships with Indigenous and First Nations communities.

Develops and implements detailed communications and engagement plans based on the unique requirements of each project and community;
Participates as a member of project teams comprised of professional staff, external planning and design consultants, technical consultants and senior management to provide advice and expertise on issues related to public consultation (with a specific focus on Indigenous and First Nations engagement);
Plans, designs and delivers public, rights holder and stakeholder events (such as meetings, workshops, open houses, pop ups, focus groups etc.) to encourage public participation, support project objectives, and create an informed public;
Works proactively to assist stakeholders, residents, and councillors through challenging public processes;
Ensures communities are engaged meaningfully to inspire public confidence in, and build support for, the work CreateTO is leading including engagement on the Housing Now Initiative;
Evaluates and incorporates resident, stakeholder, and rights holder inputs into processes to ensure they are reflected in project outcomes, thereby improving division/corporate performance and building community trust;
Works with external community facilitation partners to write and design audienceappropriate communications materials (e.g., newsletters, flyers, letters, etc.) for distribution to the public to notify residents, stakeholders, and rights holders of upcoming public consultation activities and to support project objectives.
Anticipates and tracks the emergence of issues throughout the length of a project and liaises with the Communications and Marketing team on the development and implementation of media relations strategies;
Builds relationships with project team members to stay informed and up to date on project progress;
Monitors and tracks expenditures for the public consultation portion of project budgets.

To be successful in this role, you will have the following skills and qualifications:

Minimum five to seven years in a related position, including previous experience in leading community engagement activities and supporting a large diverse team. Public sector environment is preferred.
Postsecondary degree in urban planning or a related discipline an asset, or a combination of education, training and experience deemed equivalent;
Demonstrated working knowledge of the land use planning regulatory framework and municipal approvals processes and the ability to clearly communicate the intricacies of this process to the general public;
Knowledge of the theory and practice of public consultation and consensus building techniques and practices;
Experience working with Indigenous communities and First Nations, preferably in an engagement role.
High degree of political acuity with proven capacity to operate in a manner that promotes public confidence within complex social, high pressure and highly visible political environments;
Excellent verbal and written skills and the ability to interpret technical information into a written form that is understandable by the general public;
Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization, including all management levels, vendors and the public, exercising good judgment and discretion in dealing with confidential or sensitive matters;
Experience in liaising with, supervising and approving the work of suppliers or external agencies;
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to prioritize and manage assignments and workload under tight timelines which may be conflicting;
Independent thinking and the ability to work autonomously to undertake engagement activities in support of major projects.
Ability to work evenings and weekends, as required.

**Please note that this is a hybrid working environm