Type: 18 month contract (possibility of moving to full-time permanent) 

Overview   
Experiences Canada is a national registered charity that helps young Canadians explore their country in ways they never may have imagined through youth exchanges, forums, conferences, and other opportunities to connect with one another. The Events and Development Specialist works with the Senior Director, Programs and Development in the planning, design and successful delivery of events and activities that support the mission of Experiences Canada including youth forums, professional development conferences and other public-facing programs or events. Fundraising to support events is a key part of this position and will involve working with the senior management team on strategies and plans. This position works with a small team based in our Ottawa office. This is a role that requires attention to detail, a high degree of organization, an ability to work regularly in a CRM (Salesforce), excellent communication skills, and collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders.   

Responsibilities and Duties 

The Events and Development Specialist performs a wide range of duties including, but not limited to, the following:  

Coordination and Administration  

• Assist in the planning, logistics and delivery of EC’s annual events working with a team to define workplans, locations and venues, content development or acquisition in both official languages, and experts/speakers.   
• Work with the senior management team to support applications for funding and sponsorship targets, including outreach to potential sponsors and donors.  
• Define which event marketing and outreach materials are needed and collaborate with the MarComm team and outreach coordinator to develop and deliver event outreach plans and produce the final event outreach / marketing materials.   
• Assume the lead role in recruiting and managing youth leaders for an event, ensure they have proper onboarding and training for any roles they are to assume, and supervise them in their scripting for webinars and forums and ensure their preparation prior to each event.   
• Ensure qualified experts or expert-driven organizations are secured to act as subject matter experts aligned to the theme(s) of an event or project.  
• Liaise with all speakers and facilitators to ensure their roles are clearly defined, their materials are received in advance and translated, and they are supported as needed to meet deadlines.  
• Support the design and delivery of supporting event or program resources including guidebooks, learning modules and lesson plans, in both official languages.  
• Oversee the participant selection and registration process from intake platforms (i.e. Eventbrite) and coordinating communication with selected participants.  
• Address all project inquiries and communications from public on our events 
• Ensure promotional materials including program, gift bags, name tags etc. are ordered and readied in advance of an event.  
• Assume lead role in managing the event/program budget and ensure that spending is in line with pre-defined budgets and work plans. This is supported by the Director of Finance.  
• Work closely with the MarComm to track analytics on any events and projects and integrate those analytics in any event/project KPI reporting.   
• Be part of strategic planning to drive future, successful events and projects working closely with the team to define realistic and achievable targets. 
• Act as coordinator for Experiences Canada on tracking and selecting the best events and conferences for staff to attend to support a department’s annual goals and objectives.   

Communications & Collaboration  
 

• Participate in regular cross-department meetings based on the areas of defined activity such as with Finance for budget or MarComm for promotion  
• Collaborate on workplans that involve other staff or departments using the Asana project management tool as the main tracking tool  
• Ensure projects or events that involve volunteers, Board members and staff have a clearly defined roles and responsibilities plan that is communicated in advance so all are clear on their respective tasks  
• Support the recruitment and management of volunteers who help with events or projects ensuring all forms (liability waivers etc.) are completed and filed  

Evaluation and Reporting:  
 

• Ensure that event deliverables are on time, within budget and at the expected level of excellence, and that meet funder obligations   
• Provide regular updates to your supervisor and senior management as requested  
• Support the administration of a formal evaluation process that is based on a set of data needs and clearly defined objectives (with input from senior management and/or a consultant)  
• Ensure all funders’ key performance indicators (KPI) are integrated into the evaluation process as well as those from relevant Experiences Canada’s senior staff. Be prepared to report on the progress of these KPIs at any time of an event’s or project’s lifecycle  
• Draft interim and final event reports for funders, senior management and the Board of Directors as needed   
• Provide recommendations for ways to improve processes or advance programming  

Required Qualifications and Experience 

• Significant/relevant experience in event management and execution  
• Highly organized and detail oriented with proven experience in managing multiple projects simultaneously, from conception to execution, prioritizing effectively to meet deadlines.  
• Proficiency in software, including but not limited to MS Office 365 Suite, CRM (Salesforce; Blackbaud), social media platforms, project management (Asana)  
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills  
• Excellent time management and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with colleagues when changes are needed, and able to adapt to shifting priorities  

Desired ​Skills ​​     ​ 

• ​​​Understanding of the not-for-profit sector particularly related to youth programming  
• Demonstrated achievements in project management   
• Experience managing others as part of team   
• Bilingualism (French/English) is an asset  

Work Environment  

• Hybrid work requiring weekly in-person days in Ottawa office 
• Entrepreneurial, fast-paced, collegial team-based approach 
• Some travel may be required within Canada 
• Successful candidates will be required to provide a clear police and vulnerable sector check 

Compensation: Compensation commensurate with experience.  

Cover & Résumé: Please send both a cover letter and a résumé to hr@experiencescanada.ca​     ​ 

Note:  

We thank all candidates for interest in this position however, we regret that we will only be contacting shortlisted candidates.  

Type: Full Time

Overview  

Reporting to the Manager, the Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day administration of Experiences Canada’s Youth Exchanges program. They will work as part of a small, dedicated team and communicate directly with teachers, youth group leaders, exchange participants and their parents regarding all steps including registration, travel, paperwork and preparation, general inquiries and troubleshooting with our online learning platforms. This bilingual position requires strong administrative, organizational, and interpersonal skills along with experience with data entry. Experience with CRM (Salesforce) is an asset.  

The Youth Exchanges program is Experiences Canada’s keystone program. It offers reciprocal exchanges within Canada for groups of youth, between the ages of 12 and 18 from any region of the country. The groups are paired according to their ages and interests and each pair hosts their “twin” in their hometown. Participants play an active role in planning the exchange by communicating regularly with their twin, doing research on the community that they will visit, and participating in the planning, themes and activities, and fundraising.  

Experiences Canada’s Mission  

We offer transformational practical and learning opportunities to Canadian youth creating safe, fun, memorable experiences that deepen their connection to their peers, community, and their country. Our exchanges and youth-centered educational and career resources enrich personal relationships and build confidence and skills.  

Main Responsibilities  

The main duties and responsibilities of the Youth Exchange Program Coordinator include:  

Online & Data  

• Responsible for reviewing and entering exchange applications into Salesforce, and ensuring all fields and forms involved with the exchange application process are working efficiently  
• Responsible for the overall data entry of exchange projects  
• Enters all budget related costs, collects invoices, and reconciles program files  
• Twins eligible exchange groups, and manages all their communications pre, during and post travel  
• Connects group organizers to the e-learning platform modules and information, and assists with connection queries when required  
• Supports the maintenance, customization and updating of exchange guides, forms and modules  

 Administration  

• Ensures all documents are finalized and saved appropriately in Salesforce and the shared drive  
• Assists with the preparation of exchange documents (pre, during and post) using Microsoft Suite software e.g. Word, PowerPoint, DropBox, and Adobe Pro Acrobat  
• Updates and edits documents in English and French to reflect program changes  

 Communication  

• Collaborates with group organizers and other stakeholders such as parents to review program objectives and schedules  
• Liaises with travel agency to discuss budget and plan travel arrangements  
• Acts as primary contact with group organizers and parents during entire exchange, ensures follow-up where necessary  
• Assist group organizers, parents and youth in submitting exchange projects  
• Participates in conferences as a representative of Experiences Canada, and presents information sessions and workshops about the program as required  
• Staffs the emergency cell phone (to support groups in transit) according to a shared timetable  
• Responds to general inquiries and prepares regular written correspondence on a range of topics  
• Drives and supports a comprehensive outreach strategy to recruit new groups  
• Collaborates with team members from other departments as needed such as Communications and Finance, and joins in all staff weekly meetings  
• Provides regular (weekly) Exchanges target updates and intermittent progress reports to the Manager  

Required Skills  

• Bilingual (French and English) mandatory  
• Strong communication and diplomatic social skills  
• Proficient in Salesforce CRM  
• Experience in working in a team  
• Self-motivated and takes initiative  

• Detailed oriented  
• Goal, deadline, and timeline oriented  
• Ability to multitask and transition efficiently to multiple projects  
• Ability to be strategic, plan, and adapt to the unexpected (primarily related to travel situations with the groups) 

 Additional Assets  

• Leads and participates in customized Salesforce development  
• Strong public speaking and presentation skills  
• Able to travel within Canada  
• Previous work experience with educators and/or school boards  
• Research and analytical skills  

Compensation 

Will be commensurate with experience and will be in the range of $48k to $60k with competitive benefits package, RRSP contribution, and summer hours.  

To Apply   

Please send both a cover letter and résumé to dprashad@experiencescanada.ca  

Put ‘Youth Exchange Program Coordinator’ in Subject header  

Note:  

We thank all candidates for the responses to this advertisement. However, we regret that we will only be contacting short listed candidates.