Neighbourhood Design Lead

Welcome to Every One Every Day Kjipuktuk/Halifax!

Every One Every Day (EOED) Kjipuktuk-Halifax is an exciting initiative that is working to build a new system of neighborhood participation in the heart of Halifax’s North End. EOED is led by the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre and is inspired by the work of Participatory City (PC) in East London, UK, which demonstrates how participation in practical, everyday activity can transform people’s lives and the neighbourhoods in which they live.
You will be joining us at an exciting time, one year into a three-year development phase, as the project works to grow a set of infrastructures that can connect ideas and resources across the neighbouhood through a growing network of practical participation projects. The projects are all about building opportunities for neighbours to connect and learn over shared interests and work together to shape civic and social spaces in ways that draw on the many gifts and talents of people living nearby.
Central to our work in Halifax is the development of new models of citizen-led life and learning that help to foster Truth and Reconciliation at the neighbourhood level. This means working closely with Indigenous people and communities in the urban context to foster a sense of belonging, influence the creation of projects that invite learning around Indigenous culture, and weave Reconciliation principles and practices into the growing participation ecosystem.

Currently we are looking for a Neighbourhood Design Lead to oversee the development of a growing network of neighbourhood projects and provide leadership to a small, dynamic team who collaborate with each other, and diverse community members, to bring these projects to life.
The Neighbourhood Design Lead will bring creative insight and technical design skills while also being laser focused on what it takes to build inclusive community spaces through participatory practices and approaches.

Position: Neighbourhood Design Lead
Every One Every Day (EOED) Kjipuktuk/Halifax
Statement of Intention: We encourage applications from individuals who self-identify as Indigenous, African Nova Scotian or Nova Scotian of African ancestry. We are particularly interested in recruiting people with connections to Halifax’s North End.
Reports to: EOED Program Director
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Starting date: Mid-Late May (or as soon as possible)
Position Type: Full time (35hrs/week), fixed term (one-year) contract with possibility for extension.
Salary: $58,000-$68,000 annually, depending on experience. Group benefits plan included.
About the Role:

The Neighbourhood Design Lead provides leadership & support for EOEDs Neighbourhood Team who work together daily to activate key elements of the EOED platform (ie. Neighbourhood Shop and Community Build Trailer). They also support the design and development of seasonal programs using participatory processes.

The purpose of these programs is to illuminate a vision for a new kind of neighborhood; One where many different people can meet and work together on the creation of neighborhood projects that invite the ideas and creativity of everyone.

About You:
You are a design thinker and practitioner, skilled at developing and delivering creative and participatory design processes in support of inclusive community and city-building.
You are a seasoned facilitator, with a toolbox of methods and activities for creating safe and inclusive spaces that invite dialogue, curiosity, and a sense of possibility.
You are someone who enjoys trying your hand at making new things and working with others to move ideas into action in support of diverse forms of civic and social activation.
You are a great problem solver and community animator— helping the team to find spaces, identify opportunities and partnerships in support of developing a growing network of spaces and projects that support community-driven action.
You are resourceful, self-directed, and highly organized. You enjoy leading and working within focused and driven teams.
You are passionate about working to build more inclusive and socially connected communities that prioritize principles of equity as well as learning and practice around decolonization.
You are someone who will make it happen, even if it isn’t perfect or it is difficult.

KEY REPONSIBILITIES

Co-Design Platform Development:
Develop and facilitate participatory design processes with the broader team, residents, and partners to support ongoing development of the EOED programs, and projects.
Provide leadership and support in the development of a range of tools & interactive displays that can help visualize new possibilities for the neighbourhood and how we might work together to activate public spaces in inclusive and creative ways.
Build & strengthen partnerships with local organizations & businesses through the design & implementation of collaborative projects that help to connect and leverage community & social infrastructure (indoor/outdoor spaces, equipment & tools, knowledge & relationships, etc.) across the neighbourhood.
Support the expansion and activation of platform infrastructures to expand opportunities and entry points for participation.
Support the creation of safe and inclusive spaces for all community members and work with team to apply trauma-informed and culturally sensitive approaches.

Team Leadership & Development:
Lead regular check-ins and creative sessions for the Neighbourhood Team in support of meaningful collaboration and aligning efforts to help build participation culture at the neighboruhood level.
Provide mentorship and coaching for Neighbourhood Project Designers, particularly in relation to design-thinking and practice.
Participate in and provide support for processes related to staff development (ie. review processes) and opportunities for capacity building on the Neighbourhood Team.
Engage in team learning & development opportunities related to participatory design, EOEDs Truth & Reconciliation Framework, and other opportunities that help to build and share critical knowledge across the team.
Facilitate co-design sessions as part of team development/training camps and regular team meetings.
Contribute to processes of knowledge sharing and the development of learning materials.

Program & Project Management:
Engage with a range of tools that support collaborative design and enable inclusive participation across different phases of the design process (ie. ideation, mapping & theming, prototyping, and activating).
Maintain on-going tracking and organization of complex program logistics using existing or new platforms & tools.
Work with the Neighbourhood Team to create weekly and monthly schedules for supporting connection and flow across spaces and within the team.
Oversee general administrative tasks required for on-going development of the work.
Manage assigned budgets for project materials and expenses and help to coordinate bulk purchasing of equipment and supplies.

Evaluation & Story-Sharing
Participate in on-going tracking and data collection in relation to impact measurement and on-going development of approach, particularly in relation to project and program design.
Engage in structured reflection practice to capture emerging insights and stories.
Support the collection of resident impact stories for sharing across diverse communications materials (ie. newspapers & reports).
Contribute to insight gathering, analysis, and content development for annual reports or specialized communications products.
Contribute to the coordination and development of updates, news, and story-sharing across key social media channels.

Adhere to EOED Team Values and all Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre policies and practices.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
For this role, we are looking for a relationship builder, a design-thinker, a tinkerer, and someone with TONS of enthusiasm for connecting people to explore, design and activate creative projects for the neighbourhood.

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Competencies:
Design Thinking & Activation – Demonstrated experience implementing principles and practice of design-thinking with the ability to engage others in participatory design processes.
Facilitation – Demonstrated experience developing and facilitating workshops & ideation sessions and supporting others to do so.
Collaboration – Comfort and confidence working with diverse team and community members to harness & connect different knowledge and skill sets in support of community-led action.
Communication – Excellent written and verbal communication skills to support the communication of ideas across contexts and support creative and productive workflow within the team and with partners.
Program & Project Planning – Excellent organizational skills with experience developing and implementing a range of tools/processes to support project and task management in collaborative environments.
Relationship builder – Excellent people person with the ability to work effectively with diverse groups and individuals to support inclusion, particularly in relation to Urban Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities.
Proficiency with a range of technology to support design and project management (Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Monday, HubSpot, and/or others).
Must provide a Vulnerable Sector Check and Child Abuse Registrar prior to hiring.

Personal Qualities
Energetic – great at face-to-face communication- able to convey ideas, generate excitement, motivate and encourage people to get involved.
Highly organized – with a strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks, set goals and establish priorities in a timely manner.
Persistent – strong follow-up ensuring continuity and excitement is generated.
Reliable – both process and outcome focused: you do what you say you will, ask for help where you need it, and continuously seek opportunities to strengthen both our approach.
Action orientated – with a sense and capability to get started and move things along in emergent environments.
Curious with a learner’s mindset.
Committed to achieving social change – where everyone is able to participate, and no one is left behind.

APPLICATION DETAILS

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume as a single PDF document, in addition to a portfolio. We define a portfolio broadly, as a document that tells a short story of your work experience, design or otherwise.
Please submit your application to: halifaxiseveryone@gmail.com
Applications will be accepted until Friday April 21st 5pm AST Only those applicants who are screened for an interview will be contacted.
Within your application, please indicate clearly if you identify as Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, or Nova Scotian with African Ancestry.  We’d also love to hear if you have existing community relationships in Halifax’s North End.
We look forward to hearing from you!