We are seeking a Vice President to join the Public Engagement Department. This position is responsible for the development and implementation of the public engagement and awareness strategy for the Foundation. Key goals of this strategy are to increase public awareness of the Foundation as the charity of choice for gender equality and the critical issues affecting women, girls, and gender-diverse people in Canada; to position the Canadian Women’s Foundation as a thought-leader and go-to media source on gender equity; to amplify the voices of women, girls, and gender-diverse people; to communicate our strategic priorities and the impact of our work; and to develop effective public engagement opportunities that inspire people to take action and become donors. This position reports to the President and CEO and leads the Public Engagement department.

Strategic Planning:

• Oversees the development of the Foundation’s public engagement strategies for giving campaigns, marketing, visual identity management, public relations, public education, corporate partnerships, and multi-channel digital engagement
• Provides strategic support on donor relations and communications (acquisition and retention), advocacy and government relations, community initiatives, and sector capacity-building
• Plays a key role in developing and implementing strategic and operational plans and provides direction on goal setting and work planning
• Provides strategic advice and recommendations to the President and CEO and other members of the senior leadership team on public engagement priorities, approaches, risk management, and positioning
• Oversees departmental planning, monitoring and evaluation, and budgeting

Project Development

• Collaborates for and pursues resource development opportunities for public engagement projects to build visibility and thought leadership and empower strong acquisition, conversion, and retention
• Develops and leads project plans, including staffing development, objective mapping, research activities, partnerships, evaluation, budgeting, and reportage

Public and Media Relations

• Oversees PR and media relations activities, both reactive and proactive (e.g. press releases, polling, comments, pitches)
• Leads messaging development and collaborates across departments to build a coherent public voice on mandate-aligned areas for varied audiences
• Acts as a Foundation spokesperson, in addition to identifying and preparing Foundation spokespeople for media interviews and other public engagement opportunities
• Supports identification and growth of relationships that boost the organization’s charity of choice status (e.g. influencers and champions)
• Oversees strategic award projects/features for organizational visibility and credibility (e.g. Feminist Creator Prize, Landsberg Award, key organizational and staff awards)

Practice Development:

• Oversees communication support for donor relationship management and works collaboratively and synergistically with colleagues to create and maintain practices, activities, and assets for impact reportage and storytelling (e.g. donor newsletters, annual reports)
• Oversees development and update of organizational visual identity, including graphics, preferred lexicon, and theory of change/unique value proposition framing
• Oversees development and update of communications-related guidelines for the organization

Staffing/Human Resource Management: 

• Provides leadership to direct reports
• Oversees Public Engagement department, ensuring effective training, performance management, mentoring/coaching, approvals, and professional development

Qualifications and Experience

• University degree in related field (Marketing, Communications, Public Relations) or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience working in marketing and communications, with at least five years in a senior leadership role.
• Experience working nationally is preferred.
• Experience in the philanthropic sector is a strong asset.

Skills

• Strategic communication skills with the ability to create persuasive messaging across various platforms and audiences to amplify the Foundation’s mission
• Strong people management skills with the ability to coach and motivate others
• Self-motivated with strong project and budget management skills
• Excellent organizational skills to seamlessly handle and deliver on multiple deadline-driven tasks
• Proven ability to respond to evolving organizational needs, manage risks, and address public relations challenges effectively
• Strong communications skills; both written and verbal
• Bilingualism and written/spoken fluency in French and English is a strong asset
• Knowledge of key critical issues affecting diverse women and girls and trans, Two Spirit, and nonbinary people in Canada and the domestic feminist movement

The Canadian Women’s Foundation is Canada’s public foundation for gender justice and equality. We advance this by growing support for grassroots feminist action, partnering with communities and organizations to improve conditions, and building diverse leadership and knowledge for sustainable change.

Since 1991, thanks to our generous supporters and donors, the Foundation has raised more than $260 million to fund over 3,300 life transforming programs across the country. As a leading voice for women, girls and gender-diverse people in Canada, the Canadian Women’s Foundation is committed to getting gender equality issues front and centre in the hearts and minds of people in Canada.

We strongly encourage applications from women, Two Spirit, trans, and nonbinary people who identify as Black and/or racialized, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, living with disabilities, and/or members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.