Project Manager, Community Engagement - Family Navigation Project - Temporary full-time 2024-8944

Classification: Temporary full-time - Until Approx. December 2025 (opportunity for possible extension)

Location: 365 Bloor Street East and hybrid

Summary of Duties:

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Project Manager, Community Engagement to join our team at the Family Navigation Project (FNP). If you thrive in a collaborative environment, are skilled in project management and are passionate about building and nurturing communities to support youth mental health, we invite you to apply for this rewarding position.

This new position will focus on addressing the gaps in access for mental health and addictions care for youth in Northern Ontario, specifically in the Sudbury-Manitoulin region. This Project Manager will be an integral part of the creation of a new community-based service navigation program, connected to, and based on, the FNP model that operates in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This new navigation program will partner with local providers, including Compass, Noojmowin Teg and Health Sciences North, as well as local youth and family advocacy organizations, to enhance access to and transition through the mental health and addictions service system for youth and their family in the region. To be effective, the navigation program will need to establish relationships with service providers and organizations in the region and beyond and to develop meaningful pathways for people with lived experience – both youth and adults - to co-design and guide program development.

The Family Navigation Project (FNP) at Sunnybrook is a non-profit program designed to provide expert navigation of the mental health and addiction service system for youth and their families residing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Funded entirely by philanthropy, FNP is a free service through phone and email which uses a combination of clinical and lived experience to support youth and their families on their pathway to accessing and transitioning through care. FNP is strongly committed to equitable hiring practices and building a team that reflects the full spectrum of diverse communities we partner with. We welcome and encourage applications from Black, Indigenous and people of colour, 2SLGBTQI+ persons, people with disabilities, and those who live at the intersection of equity-deserving communities.

As the Project Manager, Community Engagement you will report directly to the Executive Director. You will play a crucial role in overseeing and implementing projects that lead to the successful implementation of a navigation service in Sudbury-Manitoulin. You will be responsible for managing various aspects of this project, including fostering engagement, and for ensuring the successful delivery of project milestones. The ideal candidate is a highly organized and proactive individual with a strong background in project management and community building.

Note: Regular travel to the Sudbury-Manitoulin area will be required to meet the needs of the project. This position is eligible to participate in our Pension, Extended Health and Dental Plans.

Some examples of responsibilities that the Project Manager, Community Engagement will have include:

Responsibilities:

Project Planning and Execution

• Develop and execute project plans, ensuring timelines and deliverables are met within budget, and aligned with the concurrent research project (in collaboration with research team)
• Collaborate with various teams in Northern Ontario and at FNP GTA and across community agencies to define project scope, goals, and deliverables.
• Communicate project updates, milestones, and relevant information to project team members as well as other internal and external stakeholders, including research team members
• Support project stakeholders in development and implementation of new equity-focused policies and procedures
• Support regional leaders in the launch and implementation of the program implementation as required (agreement development , model assessments, hiring and training of staff, establishment of lived experience advisory councils, connections between GTA and Sudbury-Manitoulin sites, etc.)

Community Engagement & Outreach

• Serve as a relationship lead to actively engage, build and maintain relationships between FNP and various groups, programs, agencies, and organizations in the Sudbury-Manitoulin region
• Collaborate with community leaders and groups, organizations and healthcare professionals to explore and create partnerships
• Facilitate discussions, events, and initiatives that encourage community participation and ideas to build trust, knowledge and relationships between groups
• Demonstrate cultural humility in all interactions and communications with diverse populations
• Create outreach and educational materials and tailor them to be culturally relevant and accessible
• Regular travel will be  required to support the needs of the project

Problem Solving

• Identify potential challenges and proactively implement solutions to ensure the success of project
• Address and resolve issues raised by project team members or project stakeholders in a timely and effective manner.
• Document all stages of the implementation process, including project plans and execution, engagement approaches, challenges and issues encountered, solutions applied, and lessons learned

Qualifications/Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• Minimum 5 years work experience, with at least 3 years in project management, preferably with a focus on health-, equity-, or community-oriented initiatives.
• Previous experience in partnering with equity-deserving communities e.g., Black, Indigenous and people of colour, 2SLGBTQI+, communities living in poverty, people with disabilities etc., and those living at various intersections across these and other groups, are essential to this role.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the barriers and challenges faced by youth from remote-rural, Indigenous and/or Francophone communities (asset)
• Cultural responsiveness and the ability to connect with diverse populations
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills.
• French language skills (asset)
• Strong organizational and time-management abilities.
• Ability to work independently with a high level of initiative and self-direction, yet collaboratively with multiple stakeholders
• Proven ability to establish credibility and work within a multi-disciplinary team and build effective and collaborative working relationships with stakeholders across a broad range of organizational levels and settings (hospital, community organizations, youth and families)
• Comfort in situations where the goal or process to achieve those goals needs a collaborative effort to clarify
• Ability to identify, mitigate, and appropriately escalate project risks to ensure project success