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The Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR) is an international organization of young people (ages 18-29 years) committed to promoting adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights at the national, regional and international levels. The organization is made up of volunteers from all over the world, with a small team of staff based in Ottawa to support us in this mandate. We are students, researchers, lawyers, health care professionals, educators, development workers, and most importantly, we are all dedicated activists.
Together, we work to ensure that the sexual and reproductive rights of all young people are respected, guaranteed and promoted, and strive to secure the meaningful participation of young people in decision-making that affects the lives of young people and adolescents. We do this through advocating, generating knowledge, sharing information, building partnerships, and training young activists.
Job Description
(One-year contract with the possibility of renewal)
YCSRR’s Executive Coordinator (EC) is responsible for the financial, administrative and operational integrity of the organization. The position is comprised largely of administrative work (40%), operational work including financial work (40%), and programmatic and partnership work (20%). While the EC may engage in some advocacy, this is not a programs or advocacy role, and is best suited to an individual with interest in or experience with organizational management, funding management and funder relations, staff supervision, and administration.
The EC sits on the Board of Directors (BD) and is responsible for keeping the BD informed about what is happening with the organization and implementing the BD’s decisions related to finance, administration and staff. The EC should have strong organizational skills, as well as an understanding of the requirements for organizations registered in Canada (an understanding of reporting requirements to Industry Canada, the Canadian Revenue Agency, the Canadian Not-For-Profit Act etc. is considered an asset). The EC also acts as an advisor to the Board of Directors and should therefore have a strong understanding of the organization’s Principles and Values, youth organizations, social justice, and principles of sexual and reproductive rights. Familiarity with feminism, anti-oppression, and gender justice is also highly valuable. The YCSRR works using consensus-based decision making and experience with this is an asset.
The EC acts as a supervisor to the YCSRR’s staff and is responsible for overseeing the administration of the staff and contractors. The EC writes contracts and terms of reference, provides direction and coaching, assists staff members in setting priorities and goals, conducts annual staff evaluations and leads in the hiring of staff members. The EC would also lead in conflict resolution and employee termination if necessary. As such it is important for the EC to have strong leadership and conflict management skills and be able to work effectively and fairly in a small team environment.
The EC works with the Logistics, Administration and Finance Officer, the bookkeepers, and the auditors to ensure the financial integrity of the organization. The EC takes the lead on grant proposals and reporting, and is the main point of contact for all funders, for which continuous and collaborative work with the Treasurer is expected. The EC should have strong written communication skills and interpersonal skills. The EC is also responsible for drafting the annual budget and communicating with members, funders and other stakeholders regarding the organization’s finances. It is imperative that the EC is financially literate and have experience in financial management at a small organization.
YCSRR is an international membership organization and the bulk of the work happens online using email and an online workplace platform, Podio. Because members work across multiple time zones, the hours of work can vary widely, and the EC must be able to be flexible and occasionally work outside normal working hours and weekends in order to schedule meetings with volunteers across time zones. The EC is also expected to be available for international travel at least twice per year (for a minimum of approximately three weeks per year).
As an employee of a small not-for-profit the EC will be expected to be able to manage their time well, prioritize tasks and manage multiple priorities. The EC should have exceptional organization skills, be flexible and be willing to learn. Working well independently and in a team is important. The ideal EC will also have passion for effective and ethical non-profit management, and be dedicated to creating safer, fair work environments that prioritize the professional and personal development of staff and volunteers.
Professional Qualifications
Required
- At least two years of work experience
- Experience with financial management and budgeting
- Proven grant writing, grant management, and fundraising experience
- Experience managing staff/employees
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Demonstrated capacity to work both in a self-directed manner and collaboratively with other staff and stakeholders
- Demonstrated ability working in multicultural work environments
- Detail-oriented with strong time management and organizational skills
- Willingness and ability to travel internationally and work outside regular business hours when necessary
- Demonstrated leaderships skills; adaptability, resourcefulness, self-motivation
- Ability to prioritize and manage competing priorities; ability to work efficiently under pressure
- An undergraduate degree in a relevant field (e.g. Global Health, Development Studies, Human Rights, Gender Studies) or equivalent work experience.
- Experience and/or knowledge of one or more of the following areas: sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender, public health, adolescents, youth, human rights and/or community development
- Strong commitment to the principles of anti-oppression practices and demonstrated commitment to YCSRR Principles and Values
Desirable
- Oral and written French fluency a strong asset
- Experience sitting as a member of/ working with a Board of Directors
- Familiarity or experience with the United Nations system or international Non Governmental Organizations
- Experience with consensus-based decision making
- Experience with volunteer coordination
- Involvement in a youth led and/or social change initiative, organization, or network
- Understanding of the policies, practices and requirements of a range of institutional funders, especially Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
- Experience with monitoring and evaluation
Note: YCSRR is an organization of young people under 30 years old. Applicants must be 29 years old or younger in order to be considered for this role. All members and staff age out of the organization at 30 years old.
Location: The position is based in Ottawa, Canada. YCSRR is not in a position to sponsor candidates for a work permit. As such, applicants must be legally able to work in Canada. The expected start date is April 2018.
Remuneration: 42,000-50,000 CAD annually. The YCSRR provides staff members with an excellent benefits package.
YCSRR Benefits:
- Opportunity to work in an entirely youth-led, innovative, and social justice driven international organization.
- Small but mighty team that offers flexible working hours and work culture.
- Opportunities to travel internationally and take on diverse and challenging responsibilities as a youth SRHR advocate nationally, regionally, and internationally.
How To Apply
- Please submit a cover letter (maximum one page) explaining why you want to be involved with YCSRR. Tell us about yourself and why you are passionate about reproductive justice. Why are you applying for the EC position?
- Resumé or curriculum vitae (maximum two pages). Include information regarding current and past formal and non-formal education, cross-cultural experiences, volunteer and work experience, ability to work in the English language and any other languages you may speak, and experience related to the stated professional competencies.
- Please complete and send in the APPLICATION FORM.
Complete applications should be emailed to applications@youthcoalition.org by 11:59 pm EST on March 6th, 2018. If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact us by email and we will respond promptly. No late or incomplete applications will be considered. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications received only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. We will not be able to provide individual feedback on applications.
Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights recognizes the contributions and critical perspectives that individuals from marginalized communities bring to our team. People including, but not limited to, those from the following groups are strongly encouraged to apply: First Nations people, Inuit and Métis people; women; mothers; single parents; immigrants; people of colour; lesbian, bisexual, gay, two spirit, transgender, gender non-conforming, queer, and questioning people; intersex people; people with disabilities; and those marginalized on the basis of class or caste.
If you are unable to download the application form please copy and paste the following into a word document and answer:
Section 1: Personal Information
- Preferred name:
- Nationality:
- Are you eligible to work in Canada?:
- Date of Birth:
- Gender:
- Email:
- Phone number:
- Skype ID:
- Languages (please include level of proficiency):
- Please provide the name and phone number of two references and briefly describe their relationship to you:
Section 2: Principles and Values
Our Principles and Values are ten core concepts that guide all of the YCSRR’s work. We welcome members and staff members who believe in and promote these principles and values. Please refer to them on our website and respond to the following questions.
(Please answer all questions in 250 words or less)
- What do sexual and reproductive rights mean to you?
- In your opinion, why is it important for young people to be active and engaged in decision-making processes?
- The issue of abortion is contested and debated. Do you feel there should be limits to a pregnant person’s access to abortion? (i.e. age, class, ethnicity, point in pregnancy, etc.)?
- What is your personal view regarding sex work and the sexual and reproductive rights of sex workers?
- “Comprehensive sexuality education” (CSE) is all too often not comprehensive enough to cover topics of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE). Why is this important and how would you include SOGIE in a sex education curriculum tailored towards younger adolescents (10-14 years old)?
- What does inclusion look like to you and how do you integrate it into your work approach?
Section 3: Application Questions
1. The current funding climate is undergoing significant changes, presenting challenges for a small youth-led organization such as Youth Coalition. Please write a short letter of interest to a potential funder explaining the importance of providing general support to Youth Coalition. Please limit your answer to one-page (single spaced).
2. Your funder has given you US $200,000 to use on the following:
- A four-day training in Mexico City for 15 youth activists (some local and some from within Central America) with two YCSRR facilitators and one staff member.
- A five-day in-person meeting of the Board of Directors of the Youth Coalition, which has seven directors from all different regions, and one staff person, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Partial Salary of three YCSRR staff members.
- The Annual General Meeting of the Youth Coalition, 6 days of meetings for 25 people from all different regions, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya.
Using an excel spreadsheet, please prepare a budget showing how you would distribute the funds for each activity, indicating the breakdown of costs for each activity and any deficit that will need to be raised. Please also provide a brief rationale for why you chose to allocate the funds in the way you did.