Job Description

Manager, Youth Engagement

Type of Position:                  Full Time, Manager (overtime exempt)

Place of Work:                      Office/Hybrid/Remote

Reports to:                            Director of Programs

Coordinates:                          Yes, Youth Engagement and Gathering our Voices (GOV) Team

Supervises:                             Yes, Youth Engagement and GOV Team

Travel Required:                 Occasionally (site visits within B.C. as required)

Purpose

Located within the territory of WSÁNEĆ (Saanich), Lkwungen (Songhees) and Wyomilth (Esquimalt) peoples, the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) is the umbrella association for the 25 Friendship Centres throughout the Province of British Columbia. The BCAAFC collaboratively works to promote and deliver accessible programs and services that target urban Indigenous peoples and that support their vision of health and wellness.

The Manager, Youth Engagement leads BCAAFC’s year-round approach to meaningful engagement with Indigenous youth, with primary responsibility for the planning and delivery of Gathering Our Voices (GOV): Indigenous Youth Leadership Training. GOV is BCAAFC’s flagship youth event and brings together up to 2,000 delegates from across British Columbia and Canada for plenary sessions, workshops, a career and education fair, cultural activities, and opportunities for connection and leadership development. Beyond GOV, the Manager works with Friendship Centres, youth, Elders, partners, and funders to strengthen youth engagement throughout the year, mobilize resources, and develop responsive initiatives that support Indigenous youth leadership, connection, wellness, and participation.

Duties Include

Youth Strategy & Engagement

·         Leads the development and implementation of a year-round Indigenous youth engagement approach aligned with BCAAFC’s mandate, strategic priorities, and Friendship Centre values.

·         Builds and maintains relationships with Friendship Centres to understand local youth priorities, strengthen regional and year-round engagement, and support meaningful opportunities for Indigenous youth participation and leadership.

·         Develops accessible and culturally grounded ways for urban, rural, and remote Indigenous youth to inform BCAAFC initiatives, programs, policy positions, and events.

·         Works with youth, the Provincial Indigenous Youth Council, Elders, Cultural Support staff, Friendship Centres, and the GOV Core Planning Team to establish the vision, purpose, priorities, and cultural protocols that guide youth engagement activities, including GOV.

·         Leads youth engagement communications, including website and social media content, newsletters, outreach materials, event materials, press releases, and other public-facing communications.

·         Identifies and advances opportunities for year-round youth programming, leadership development, mentorship, networking, training, and knowledge sharing in collaboration with Friendship Centres and partners.

Gathering Our Voices (GOV)

·         Leads the overall planning, delivery, evaluation, and continuous improvement of GOV, providing guidance and support to the core planning team.

·         Develops and oversees the human resource and volunteer plans for GOV including staffing requirements, role descriptions, orientation, scheduling, team support, and follow-up.

·         Manages the procurement process, guiding the logistics team in sourcing and negotiating terms with venues, accommodations, and external vendors, and prepares major contracts for leadership approval.

·         Oversees the process through which Friendship Centres apply to host GOV and works closely with selected host Friendship Centres to support meaningful local involvement in planning and delivery.

·         Manages issue resolution and risk assessment regarding venues, vendors, delegates, and partners, escalating significant risks as appropriate.

·         Leads post-event and post-initiative follow-up, including acknowledgements, debriefs, reporting, evaluation, and documentation of key learnings and recommendations.

Operations & Leadership

·         Supervises, mentors, and supports the Youth Engagement and GOV staff team, including conducting performance evaluations and fostering a collaborative work environment.

·         Creates and manages annual workplans, business plans, project timelines, risk plans, communications strategies, and evaluation frameworks for GOV and other approved youth initiatives.

·         Mobilizes resources to support GOV and broader youth engagement work, including fund development, proposal writing, sponsorships, partnerships, grants, and donations.

·         Maintains positive relationships with youth, Friendship Centres, funders, sponsors, host communities, venues, vendors, facilitators, and other partners.

·         Provides regular updates to the Director of Programs, Executive Director, Provincial Indigenous Youth Council, BCAAFC team, and Board as required.

·         Manages assigned budgets, monitors expenditures and revenues, and ensures appropriate financial controls and reporting requirements are met.

·         Oversees reporting, evaluation, data gathering, and knowledge sharing for GOV and other youth engagement initiatives, including reports to BCAAFC, funders, sponsors, and partners.

·         Ensures appropriate cultural, accessibility, safeguarding, emergency response, and safety planning is in place for youth events and engagement activities.

·         Undertakes other related youth engagement and program management responsibilities as assigned.

Skills and Abilities

·         Demonstrated knowledge of Indigenous communities, cultures, and perspectives, and a strong understanding of how to work respectfully within cultural protocols.

·         Demonstrated ability to build respectful, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous youth, Elders, Friendship Centres, communities, and partner organizations.

·         Knowledge of culturally grounded, youth-centred, trauma-informed, and accessible engagement practices.

·         Excellent organizational, planning, project management, and time management skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.

·         Strong understanding of large-scale event management, year-round engagement planning, financial management, and risk management.

·         Ability to lead collaboratively, work independently with minimal supervision, and support a team through periods of high activity.

·         Strong verbal and written communication skills, including proposal development, funder reporting, presentations, correspondence, facilitation, and digital engagement.

·         Ability to identify funding opportunities, develop partnerships, and mobilize financial and in-kind resources.

·         Ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment and respond constructively to changing circumstances.

·         Sound judgment and skill in addressing challenging situations, resolving issues, and escalating risks appropriately.

Qualifications

·       Completed education in youth engagement, event planning, community development, business administration, project management, or a related field, and a minimum of 5 years of related experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

·         Significant experience working with Indigenous communities and Indigenous service organizations.

·       Demonstrated experience engaging Indigenous youth and coordinating large-scale, multi-day, multi-venue events or comparable complex initiatives.

·         Proven project management experience

·         Strong PC software skills including experience with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams and Excel).

·         Working knowledge of WordPress, MailChimp and graphic design skills are an asset.

·         Strong accounting/budgeting background is an asset.

·         Must be able to provide clear, current criminal record check including vulnerable sector check.

·         Valid driver’s license a strong asset.

·         Ability to do work flexible hours on occasion (such as during GOV youth conference), and travel (within BC) as required.

·         Preference will be given to qualified Indigenous applicants. Ensure your cover letter self-identifies ancestry and your experience meeting required skills and abilities.

Compensation package includes

·         Three weeks’ paid vacation (prorated for partial years of service), with additional paid time off during office closure at the end of the year

·         Employee health benefits plan starting on first day of employment

·         Starting salary from $80,000 per year, based on experience

·         RRSP matching of up to 8% of annual salary to a maximum of $8,000 per year

·         Monthly employee wellness fund

·         Up to 10 employee wellness days per year to support employee quality of life

In accordance with Section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code, preference will be given to qualified candidates of Indigenous ancestry. 

Please visit our careers page to see more job opportunities.