Senior Partnerships & Social Impact Consultant - 17 months

Company: CGL
Department: Sustainability/Citizenship
Employment Type: Temporary Regular Full-Time (17 - months)
Work Model: Hybrid
Language: This role operates in English.
Referral Award: No
Additional Information: This/these role(s) is/are currently vacant.

 

The Opportunity:

We are a leading Canadian financial services co-operative committed to being a catalyst for a sustainable and resilient society and our team is essential to deliver on this strategy. That’s why we prioritize our people, to ensure we provide a strong culture and development opportunities which enables our team to thrive and to live our purpose. The best part is that you will work with people that care passionately about you, our clients, and our communities.

The Sustainability and Citizenship team envisions a sustainable society where businesses, communities and the economy thrive in alignment with nature’s cycles. We act as a catalyst for Co-operators by delivering innovative and impactful programs that create value and drive change in our communities and are committed to making a difference by acting as a strategic, collaborative and passionate leader in the Financial Services industry.

Reporting to the AVP, Citizenship, and with dotted-line accountability to the AVP, Sustainability,  the Sr Partnerships & Social Impact Consultant is responsible for leading the development and growth of social impact programming at Co-operators through strategic and innovative partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. This role stewards the ongoing development and refinement of the social impact framework that guides decision-making and prioritization in Citizenship. It also manages key partnerships with community organizations and advises on risks and opportunities to achieve business priorities while meeting unmet needs in accordance with our Social Impact Framework. This role also leads staff education around sustainability, impact evaluation to drive transparent decision-making and effective story-telling, and communication around achieving impact in our communities. The role involves liaising with senior leaders throughout Co-operators’ enterprise and representing the company externally with politicians, community leaders, and industry leaders.

 

How you will create impact:

• Identify opportunities to drive shared value through business and citizenship practices.
• Identify emerging unmet needs in communities, and innovative ideas and practices that could positively impact Co-operators in its pursuit of its strategic objectives and develop action plans to meet or employ them.
• Engage with community partners to develop and grow solutions with the purpose of deepening their impact by leveraging Co-operators resources and capabilities, ultimately driving more productive collaboration and enhanced value to all parties.
• Lead development and maintenance of a diversified portfolio of community partnerships in support of our Social Impact Framework to meet the needs of our communities and achieve business objectives.
• Forge meaningful and trusting relationships with external partners to build and manage stakeholder engagement, deepen social impact, and strengthen Co-operators reputation.
• Manage all aspects of program and partnership evaluation to ensure partnerships are on track and delivering our intended impact in communities
• Oversee partnership operations, including identifying opportunities, managing relationships with community and co-operative partners, engaging with funding organizations, and conducting analysis on success metrics to ensure program efficacy.
• Work collaboratively to develop innovative and strategic solutions across diverse functional teams that reflect our unique organization and culture.
• Identify opportunities then build programming (supported by appropriate capacity building) to engage Co-operators staff/advisors with partner organizations to further increase their capacity and impact, and drive staff/advisor engagement.
• Lead new, innovative approaches to communications and telling the stories of the organization’s impacts to build the profile and brand of Co-operators as a Canadian leader in sustainability and community investment.

How you will succeed:

• You have an innovative mindset to improve operational efficiencies and ability to influence change, with a primary focus on client needs.  
• You use critical thinking skills to recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, draw conclusions and proactively propose solutions.
• You have strong communication skills to clearly convey messages and explore diverse points of view. 
• You build trusting relationships and provide guidance to support the development of programming.

 

To join our team:

• You have an undergraduate degree in Business, Sustainability, Social Impact, Finance/Economics, Co-operative Studies or related fields. Post-graduate degree or certificate in a related field is a strong asset.
• You have10 years of experience in corporate citizenship/partnerships, combined with previous relevant experience in philanthropy, non-profit management, managing partnerships and evaluating and communicating social impact.
• You have a solid partnership-building skills and ability to build strong working relationships, trust and confidence with internal and external partners.
• You have strong organizational and management skills including planning, scheduling, budgeting, decision making and problem solving.
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• You have proved experience and knowledge of the social impact sector in Canada (non-profits, charities).
• You have a solid knowledge of co-operative philosophy, values and sector.
• You have demonstrated personal commitment to the community and active volunteerism.
• You have demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.

 

What you need to know:

• You will travel occasionally.
• You will be subject to a Background check as a condition of employment, in the event you are the successful candidate.

 

What’s in it for you?

• Training and development opportunities to grow your career.
• Flexible work options and paid time off to support your personal and family needs.
• A holistic approach to your well-being, with physical and mental health programs and a supportive workplace culture.
• Paid volunteer days to give back to your community.