Are you an experienced advocate? Have you worked in government relations? Are you passionate about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)? If so, this might be the job for you!
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights is seeking a full-time Director of Government Relations based in or within 2 hours of Ottawa, Canada.
Role Overview
The Director of Government Relations is responsible for the organization’s relationships with government bodies and officials (both elected and unelected) and co-leads a multi-disciplinary team that develops advocacy and campaign strategies to advance sexual and reproductive rights in Canada’s global and domestic laws, programs, and policies.
As part of the management team, the Director of Government Relations joins five other Directors and the Executive Director in supervising the staff team and providing strategic leadership and direction for the organization. This position reports to the Executive Director.
Who You Are
You are a seasoned advocate with experience in the not-for-profit/NGO/social justice sector. You actively apply anti-racist and anti-oppression principles and practices to your work, including to the development of advocacy and campaign strategies. You possess a deep understanding of how government works to strategically advance advocacy goals. You have successfully supervised policy and campaign staff in previous roles.
Who We Are
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights is a progressive, pro-choice charitable organization committed to advancing and upholding sexual and reproductive rights in Canada and globally. To achieve our mission, Action Canada engages in health promotion, legal and policy advocacy, campaigns, and movement-building.
We believe in a world where every person controls their sexuality, reproduction, gender expression, and health. In our fight for sexual and reproductive rights for all, Action Canada challenges the systems that create unequal access to information, health care, and rights.
For more information, visit actioncanadashr.org.
Position Overview
Job responsibilities include:
- Engage in direct advocacy with decision-makers towards advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada’s laws and policies, as well as Canada’s development assistance and foreign policy;
- Manage team of policy and campaigns specialists working towards the advancement of advocacy goals;
- Oversee grants for multiple institutional funders, and identify new funding opportunities;
- Develop and lead advocacy strategies to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights;
- Advance anti-racism and anti-oppression principles and practices in Action Canada’s internal and external work;
- Represent Action Canada among external audiences, partners, funders, the media, and civil society coalitions;
- Participate in meetings and decision-making as a member of the management team;
- Other duties as required.
Qualifications
- Degree or equivalent experience in a related field, such as Political Science, Law, Human Rights, Public Administration, Communications, Gender Studies, Social Justice, or Health Policy;
- Minimum 5 years' experience in government relations, policy, advocacy or similar area of work, preferably in the not-for-profit sector;
- Management experience;
- Knowledge of and commitment to Action Canada’s mission and values;
- Demonstrated commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression principles and practices;
- Knowledge of global and domestic sexual and reproductive health and rights political context in Canada;
- Demonstrated knowledge of Canadian parliamentary processes, and the administrative and executive structures of government;
- Experience engaging with government officials, both elected and unelected;
- Demonstrated experience engaging in reactionary and responsive as well as proactive advocacy;
- Experience working with allies and other representatives from the NGO and social justice sector, including working to advance advocacy priorities within networks and coalitions;
- Excellent research, writing, analytical, and lobbying skills;
- Flexible and adaptive, able to respond quickly and effectively to changing circumstances;
- Priority management, strong multi-tasking skills and ability to meet deadlines;
- Commitment to and demonstrated effectiveness working as part of a diverse and participatory team;
- Ability to work with minimal supervision while exhibiting strong initiative and judgment;
- Willingness to travel and work outside of normal business hours, when necessary and when safe to do so;
- Comfortable using digital tools to manage work and collaborate with team members (e.g., Asana, Zoom, Dropbox etc.);
- Ability to engage in lobbying activities with the Government of Canada;
- Eligible to work in Canada;
- Media experience considered an asset;
- Bilingual (English/French) considered a strong asset.
Location:
This position is based out of Action Canada’s Ottawa office, at 240 Bank Street. If the successful candidate resides outside of Ottawa, they must be live in Ontario, within a 2-hour commute to Ottawa (air or ground) and be able to attend occasional and sometimes last minute in-person meetings or events as required.
To apply:
Send your cover letter and CV to:
SUBJECT: Director of Government Relations
Recognizing that we are in the midst of an unprecedented and unusual time, we have made adjustments to our hiring processes. At this time, all staff at Action Canada are working from home, and the interviewing and on-boarding process will occur remotely. We acknowledge that COVID-19 has caused disruptions to many lives and people may require additional accommodations.
Action Canada is committed to working within an anti-racism and anti-oppression framework and dismantling the white supremacy inherent to the SRHR movement. We are explicitly inviting women and gender diverse members of Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities to apply and self-identify in your cover letter. We welcome applications from people living with disabilities; please let us know if you require accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process.
We thank all applicants in advance; however, only those invited for an interview will be contacted.