Ethnocultural Capacity Building Specialist

Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations; Edmonton; Hybrid; CAD 66,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-based organization in Edmonton seeks an Ethnocultural Capacity Building Specialist to lead projects enhancing engagement and collaboration across the voluntary sector. The role focuses on coordinating capacity building initiatives, developing training programs, and building relationships with stakeholders. Candidates should possess strong facilitation, communication, and organizational skills, with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience. This full-time position offers a salary of $66,300 – $71,397 annually and benefits including unlimited paid vacation and a hybrid work model.

Benefits

Health and Dental Benefit Package

12 Wellness Days per year

Unlimited paid vacation

Hybrid working arrangements

Flexible hours

RSP Matching Program

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a related role.
• Experience working within ethnocultural communities.
• Ability to facilitate diverse groups effectively.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and support the Ethnocultural Capacity Building Collaborative Project.
• Develop and deliver training for member organisations.
• Facilitate community engagement and collaboration.

Skills

Facilitation skills

Communication

Organisational skills

Time-management

Community engagement

Education

Post-secondary education in social sciences or related field

Job description

ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION

The Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) is a member-based non‑profit organization serving voluntary sector organizations in Metro Edmonton by supporting the growth and development of their volunteer programs and services through resources, networking and skill development opportunities. Members of ECVO represent a wide array of subsectors, missions and mandates each working to improve the quality of life in our communities.

Additional information about our organization can be found by visiting our website: www.ecvo.ca

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Ethnocultural Capacity Building (ECB) Specialist will support multiple ECVO program areas that enhance engagement and collaboration. Primarily, the ECB Specialist will act as the backbone for a sector‑level project entitled the Ethnocultural Capacity Building Collaborative Project and will work closely with the stakeholders from the ethnocultural capacity building ecosystem: grassroots ethnocultural community organizations and leaders, capacity building non‑profits, umbrella organizations and funders.

As a secondary function, the ECB Specialist will coordinate and facilitate training and development opportunities for member organisations with a focus on governance programming and other capacity building programming that supports organisational capacity building within the non‑profit sector.

Reporting to the Director of Learning and Development, the ECB Specialist will be an integral member of the Learning and Development team responsible for sustaining and growing ECVO’s reputation, maintaining and building relationships and advancing key initiatives aimed at sector level change. This includes responding to the diverse needs of members, stakeholders and the Metro Edmonton voluntary sector.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Coordination & Backbone Support – 55%

The aim of the ECB Collaborative Project is to articulate, make accessible, and coordinate the organisational and programme capacity building supports* available for grassroots ethnocultural organisations in Edmonton. Within this project, the ECB Specialist will be guided by project partners to carry out the main activities required to establish a cohesive organisational capacity building ecosystem. While some work has been started on this already, the Specialist’s main activities will fall within the following three goals of the collaborative and to grow the project to include new communities not yet served:

• A better articulated ecosystem: Gathering and codifying the organisational capacity building supports that are most relevant to grassroots ethnocultural organisations; and establishing a process to build awareness of the types of support being offered (e.g., an online map/inventory, regular interagency meetings, etc.) to ensure that grassroots ethnocultural organisations know what is available to them.
• A more accessible ecosystem: Based on partner input and past research recommendations, co‑designing different approaches to organisational capacity building (e.g., mentorship, peer support, etc.) that address financial, cultural and contextual barriers that smaller or grassroots ethnocultural organisations experience; and
• A coordinated ecosystem: Uncovering the gaps and unnecessary overlaps in ethnocultural organisational capacity building supports in Edmonton and establishing awareness among support providers such that they know what each other is doing.

ECVO will also support the administration of funds to capacity builders in this ecosystem, thus the ECB Specialist will be required to co‑lead the development of a monitoring and reporting process for disbursed funds and oversee the fiscal agent role for the City of Edmonton grants to ethnocultural organisations.

*Organisational capacity building supports refers to training on topics such as: organisational strategy and planning, fundraising, communications, marketing, financial management and monitoring, governance, evaluation and learning, proposal writing, understanding non‑profit systems and time‑limited activities such as booking space or reviewing rental agreements.

Capacity Building and Engagement – 25%

The ECB Specialist will work closely with the Learning and Development team to enhance ECVO’s presence as a primary resource in supporting growth, resilience and transformation within Edmonton’s non‑profit sector.

The ECB Specialist will:

• Support the development and delivery of learning opportunities for ECVO member organisations and the sector. Learning areas may include, but are not limited to:
• Governance
• Bylaws
• Other organisational capacity building programmes
• Support the development and delivery of events and networking opportunities;
• Support effective communication with ECVO members and stakeholders to ensure offered training opportunities are timely, relevant and responsive;
• Foster and maintain relations and partnerships with key partners and stakeholders for the purpose of programme development and delivery;
• Provide planning, logistical and leadership support for ECVO‑led special initiatives.

Edmonton Local Immigration Partnership (ELIP) – 10%

Edmonton Local Immigration Partnership (ELIP) is a community‑based initiative that coordinates and facilitates opportunities to address the needs of newcomers. It involves government, immigrant‑serving organisations and various mainstream organisations and community groups. Its mission is to unite communities, organisations and individuals to understand and support newcomers, celebrate the cultural wealth and resilience of diverse communities and create community‑based solutions with newcomers to ensure they feel a sense of belonging and are able to achieve their aspirations.

Core Principles:

• Collaboration: Strength through collective effort.
• People‑Centered: Actions driven by the needs and strengths of individuals and communities.
• Equity: Pursuing fairness by understanding intersectionality and power dynamics.

The ECB Specialist will:

• Support the work of the shared secretariat by providing leadership, insight and oversight of key activities;
• Support the identification of main deliverables for the ELIP Secretariat;
• Maintain regional and national LIP networks and distill information shared between the secretariat and the ELIP Community;
• Facilitate and provide leadership to key initiatives with the ELIP community;
• Monitor the external environment for research, trends and issues related to the newcomer community and actively guide the ECVO's strategic influence through a broad, well‑informed perspective in the areas of leadership development, strategic adaptation and collective action;
• Support collaborative work with other voluntary sector organisations on issues of shared interests relating to the newcomer community, research and issues of sector importance;
• Support the design of an effective engagement process for ELIP and convene key stakeholders to discuss emerging issues.

Organisational Supports – 10%

• Actively engage in programme development and improvement and contribute to the ECVO team.
• Support the ECVO in writing funding applications and reporting to key funders.
• Participate in activities that support the growth and development of the ECVO.

Other activities as assigned.

IS THIS ROLE FOR YOU?

Are you ready to make a meaningful impact while working with a dynamic, forward‑thinking team? ECVO is looking for a driven, adaptable, and innovative individual to support the Ethnocultural Capacity Building Collaborative Project. If you thrive in fast‑paced environments, love tackling new challenges and bring a collaborative spirit to everything you do – we want to hear from you!

We’re seeking someone who’s not only a self‑starter with a positive attitude, but also a community builder who thrives on building relationships and has a strong commitment to learning about non‑profit governance. Strong communication and organisational skills are essential, along with solid facilitation and time‑management skills. Professionalism, flexibility and accountability are key within our organisation – and if you bring a sense of fun and curiosity to your work, even better!

What you’ll bring

• Post‑secondary education or an equivalent combination of education and community experience in social sciences, community based participatory research, or other related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in a related role.
• Experience working within ethnocultural communities.
• Strong facilitation skills and experience facilitating diverse groups.

WHY WORK WITH US?

Our organisation supports our team’s work‑life balance through continually evolving and exploring health and wellness initiatives.

Salary

Salary: $66,300 – $71,397 annually, commensurate with experience

Hours of Work

Full‑Time, Monday through Friday, 37.5 hours per week

Benefits

• Health and Dental Benefit Package
• 12 Wellness Days per calendar year
• Unlimited paid vacation
• Hybrid working arrangements
• Flexible hours
• RSP Matching Program

EQUITY STATEMENT

The ECVO greatly values diversity of thought and experience and believes this is essential to a thriving organisation and sector. We are sincere in our approach to an equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace where individuals feel valued and respected for their differences. We continually strive to identify, remove and reduce barriers in the recruitment and selection process and promote fairness, equity and inclusion in all areas of our employment practices. The ECVO welcomes all applicants regardless of race, religion, gender identity, disability or status.

TO APPLY

Please submit a cover letter and resume to: [e-mail]

We want to thank all applicants for their submission but only those who are selected for an interview will be contacted.

The successful candidate must be lawfully eligible to work in Canada.

Deadline to apply: December 18, 2025