About

About Head & Hands 

Head & Hands envisions a society where all youth are participants and are inspired by the endless possibilities available to them. Our mission is to work with youth to promote their physical and mental well being. Our approach is preventative, non-judgmental, and holistic with a commitment to providing an environment that welcomes people without discrimination. We facilitate social change and the empowerment of youth based on their current needs within our community and society at large.

We strongly encourage BIPOC, disabled folks, Two-Spirit and queer people, trans people, and other candidates who experience marginalization to apply to this position and to self-identify when you apply. We are committed to creating a workplace as diverse as the communities we serve, and to supporting our staff with ongoing career development opportunities. 

About the Young Parents Program 

The Young Parents Program (YPP) is for young parents, 25 or younger, and their children ages 0-5. YPP aims to empower parents by breaking isolation, offering holistic support, and providing respite childcare while parents gain new skills in programming.

YPP is a drop-in program and runs Wednesdays and Fridays from 12pm-3pm, September through June. The Cooks Program, a pre-employability initiative of the YPP, runs 9:30am-12:30pm on program days. YPP runs summer programming for the whole family during the summer – either family camp or day trips to the zoo, the beach, etc.

In future, with more funding, YPP may return to running on Mondays as well, for a total of three programs per week.

About the position

The YPP Director is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of YPP, through logistics, visioning, budget and daily functions of the program. They supervise the 2-4 program staff.

Their responsibilities include 50% administration and 50% client work. They are responsible for holding a strategic vision of the program, planning and facilitating programming for parents, supervising the childcare educator(s), and supervising any other staff (ie. Cooks Program animator, program animator, and providing individual support to clients as needed.

Head & Hands is a collaborative work environment and this position includes collective responsibilities such as weekly staff meetings, front desk coverage, committee work, and policy work.

The Director collaborates with the Admin team team to secure and maintain program funding.

The Director is responsible for ensuring that the YPP is a safer, nonjudgemental, anti-oppressive space for staff and clients alike. They should have knowledge of and competencies in harm reduction and trauma-informed care in order to embody the philosophies of the YPP.

Requirements & Assets

Requirements:

• Bilingual in French & English
• Experience and interest in working with families, parents and children
• Experience working with youth
• A commitment to harm reduction and anti-oppression
• Excellent time management skills, personal organization, and attention to detail
• Experience and competency budgeting and managing finances
• Great facilitation skills
• Active listening skills
• Experience working in a collaborative team setting

Assets:

• Is a parent, or has extensive personal/professional experience with people in the perinatal period
• Connections to NDG and its communities
• Has a vehicle / access to a vehicle / driver’s license
• Experience working in supervisory/managerial roles
• Experience working in non-profit sector, community organizations, and/or in a collective structures
• Special knowledge of or experience with the following areas: parenting, psychosocial education, navigating healthcare/social services, trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming practice
• Comfort/fluency in Spanish or another third language

Application Process

Please apply by submitting your CV and cover letter to Cat, the Interim Director of the Young Parents Program at ypp_pjp@headandhands.ca, and including “Attn: Young Parents Program Director” in the subject line. Applications can also be submitted in person at 3465 Benny Ave. Guidelines for preparing your CV and cover letter are available on our website. No incomplete applications will be accepted.

Applications are due at 5pm on Thursday August 22, 2024. All candidates will be sent a confirmation that their application was received, but only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted further. We are aiming to hold interviews for this position in early September. The candidate is ideally available to begin working shortly after, during the week of September 9.