Participant Experience Specialist (SC) Waterloo, ON, Canada

House of Friendship of Kitchener; Waterloo; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A community support organization in Waterloo is seeking a Participant Experience Specialist to enhance the wellbeing of individuals facing homelessness. This full-time role involves developing life skills programs, building partnerships, and ensuring participants receive the support they need to thrive. The ideal candidate will have a degree related to social work or recreation, experience in program design, and strong communication skills. A commitment to serving diverse and vulnerable populations is essential.

Benefits

4 weeks vacation

Group health benefits

Defined contribution pension plan

Qualifications

• Experience in program design and evaluation within a social services or healthcare environment.
• Ability to develop participant-centered programming.
• Knowledge of local community agencies and resources.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with partners to enhance participant well-being.
• Design and implement life skill programming with participants.
• Document participant progress and program effectiveness.

Skills

Relationship building

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Empathy

Data analysis

Education

Degree in Recreation, Social Work, Health Sciences

Postgraduate certificate in Recreation Therapy

Job description

At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It is!

ShelterCare creates opportunities where individuals experiencing homelessness have access to on-site, integrated housing and health supports so they can become healthier and housed - exiting the cycle of homelessness for good. The Participant Experience Specialist is an important part of the ShelterCare model; it’s what will take ShelterCare from a place to stay, to a place to thrive. This role focuses on participant wellbeing, ensuring they experience success in this program. The Participant Experience Specialist will develop the programming required to ensure men who are part of this program have the opportunity to develop life skills that will be necessary when they move into a permanent home. They will lead students and volunteers to implement programming, as well as connecting participants to community partners, both within and outside of the ShelterCare program. The ideal candidate is a strong collaborator, builds relationships successfully, is able to execute on a variety of priorities and cares deeply about participant wellbeing.

• This is a permanent, salaried, full-time (37.5 hours per week) position with paid sick time, personal days, vacation time; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan.

Schedule Monday to Friday, generally daytime hours (8 : 30am to 4 : 30pm). Some flexibility required, including occasional weekend rotation shifts.

Successful completion of a Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector)

required pre-employment.

Key Responsibilities :

Identify and collaborate with partners to ensure their presence at ShelterCare aligns with our shared goals and priorities

Lead expert for the ShelterCare team with respect to onsite service navigation; create tools and templates to ensure partners are well utilized and participants are effectively supported

Build and maintain strong relationships with partners by establishing open and ongoing communication channels

Gather feedback and data from community partners, monitor progress towards shared goals, and assess the impact

Collaborate with partners to coordinate support and promote overall well-being for participants

Support the case management process when participants move into housing with referrals to community resources and ongoing support

Assess the needs of the participants (life skill mapping); research, interviews, use data to inform decisions

In collaboration with participants and the interprofessional team, design and implement life skill programming; create plans, identify resources, collaborate with community partners

Collect and analyze data to evaluate the program effectiveness; ensure that the programming is meeting the needs of the participants and achieving its goals

Build partnerships and collaborate with staff, students, community organizations and volunteers to increase opportunities for innovation and positively impact outcomes

Coordinate with other service providers to provide additional support to participants and collaborate with local businesses to provide job training or other services

Advocate for participants, working to ensure that their needs are being met and that they have access to the resources and support they need to succeed

Assess the needs and abilities of participants to determine appropriate activities and interventions

Plan and implement activities and interventions that promote the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning of participants

This may include developing individualized action plans, choosing appropriate activities, and leading groups in recreational activities such as games, sports, arts and crafts, music, and more

Document participant progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions

Communicate effectively with participants, staff, students, volunteers and other members of the ShelterCare team.

Responsible for developing and implementing initiatives to enhance student participation (paid and unpaid) in ShelterCare.

In collaboration with HR, develop a comprehensive student and volunteer engagement strategy for ShelterCare

In collaboration with HR, responsible for screening, training, onboarding, scheduling, providing support to volunteers within ShelterCare.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the student and volunteer strategy, through feedback and data collection methods.

Provide resources and support to students and volunteers to ensure they are positively engaged in ShelterCare

Develop partnerships and collaborations with other institutions and organizations, with the goal of enhancing student engagement

In collaboration with the ShelterCare Supervisors, coach student supervisors in order to build their capacity around student mentorship

Job Specific Knowledge / Skills :

Demonstrated ability to work productively with partners / stakeholders to develop programming that is participant centered

Excellent written and verbal communication skills including demonstrated presentation skills to enable presenting to internal and external audiences

Skilled in developing programming and documenting approaches

Experience developing evidence informed programming based on best practice

Skilled in data collection, analysis and applying learning to continuous improvements

Empathetic, non- judgmental and able to maintain strong professional boundaries

Experience working with students and volunteers considered an asset

Knowledge of local community agencies and resources is an asset

Passion for providing exceptional services to people experiencing trauma, mental health, addiction, poor health, poverty and / or homelessness

Highly organized, with ability to develop, implement and streamline programming and processes

Maintaining a positive approach to the work and each challenge that is presented

Education / Experience :

Degree or diploma in a related field such as Recreation, Recreation Therapy, Social Work, Health Sciences etc. or a post graduate certificate in Recreation Therapy and good working knowledge of therapeutic recreation principles and practices

An equivalent combination of work and educational experience would be considered in place of a formal diploma or degree (as an example : 3-5 years of experience working in recreational therapy plus a certificate from an accredited program would be an equivalent)

At least one (1) year related experience in program design and evaluation, ideally within a social services or healthcare environment

Strong organizational and computer skills, ability to work under pressure and manage multiple tasks and deadlines are required

Demonstrated skill in building and maintaining productive relationships (staff, community partners, students, volunteers and donors)

Critical Skills :

Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected

Maintain connection to your personal reasons for doing this work and how your purpose connects to the mission, vision and values of the organization and program

Experience or strong interest in working with diverse and vulnerable populations including people from various cultural backgrounds, income levels, and sensitivity to their needs

Commitment to consistently upholding the policies and procedures for the program and organization, even when circumstances make it difficult to do so

Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem- solving skills required

Ability to foster relationships with key partners, effectively build formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization to increase opportunities for innovation and positively impact outcomes

Strong intercultural competency, with the ability to recognize and respect cultural diversity, able to be diplomatic and sensitive to the dynamics of a culturally diverse workplace

Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach in consultation, program design, evaluation processes and service delivery

Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and / or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges

Excellent organizational and time management skills – attention to detail including skills in logistics, planning and objective note keeping

Able to model effective problem solving by recognizing the human, interpersonal and technical sides of a problem, seeking additional information, developing and weighing alternatives, and choosing the more appropriate course of action given the circumstances

Must be dependable, professional, flexible, a team player, and have a positive attitude

Compensation :

At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network . We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits :

Time off includes four (4) weeks of vacation, 5 personal days (3 for 2025) and sick credits totaling approximately 12 days per year

Full-time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Long Term Disability (LTD), Flexible Spending Account and Employee & Family Assistance Program

We believe strongly in supporting the mental health of our team members, including providing access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, $2,000 for counselling services and our workplace Wellness and Psychological Health and Safety programs

We help you save for the future by providing a retirement plan that includes a matched Group Pension Plan as well as a Group RRSP and a Group Tax Free Savings Account

Rate of Pay :

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity.When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade : 5 (Supervisor I)

Min : $27.31

Mid : $31.34

Max : $35.37

Working Conditions :

37.5 hours per week

Encountering participants at program sites who may be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and / or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and / or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, let’s talk.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here :

https : / / house-of-friendship.hirehive.com / participant-experience-specialist-sc-waterloo-on-UGY15X

By end of day August 11, 2025.

J-18808-Ljbffr