At Sustainability CoLab, we’re scaling a ground-breaking, community-led social innovation that engages businesses in reducing their environmental impact, increasing their profitability and growing the low-carbon economy.
Having expanded support to 7 community organizations (‘Network Members’) across Ontario since launching in 2014, we’re now at a critical time: we’re looking for a superstar to work alongside our Network Members to create and strengthen program services so that more businesses can be engaged in making credible progress towards sustainability.
Position Description:
The Program Innovation Manager (PIM) is responsible for identifying, creating and sharing new program innovations (resources, processes) that strengthen Network Member programs. The PIM works directly alongside CoLab’s Network Members to develop innovations that address gaps in existing program services and barriers to program participation. Of particular importance, the PIM will prioritize supports that help Network Members transition to more holistic sustainability programs, and spearhead the creation of network-level resources (Master Resources) that strengthen all programs.
Term: Full-time, 20 month contract
Salary: $52,500/year + $1,500 health allowance
Start Date: February 2016
Location: Flexible across Ontario & Quebec with preference for any one of Ottawa, Toronto or Waterloo Region
Reports to: Managing Director
What’s it like working at CoLab?
At CoLab we seek to blend the nimbleness and autonomy of a small team with the influence and opportunities afforded to a national network.
Here’s a bit about us:
We are bold, ambitious and optimistic. Our vision is for an economy that makes environmental sustainability, human well-being, and business success synonymous.
We care about what we each accomplish, not where we work from or how many hours we put in.
We want working together to feel effortless and the ways we work together to be intuitive.
We embrace innovation: we’re willing to take risks, we know we’ll make mistakes along the way, and we push ourselves to apply what we learn each time. At CoLab, it’s okay to fail.
We have fun, enjoy working together, and laugh often.
We’re not satisfied with the status quo: we don’t think “because that’s how it’s always been done” justifies a course of action. We challenge each other, think critically, and strive for objective decision-making.
What does the Program Innovation Manager Do?
Duties and Responsibilities
CoLab refers to primary ownership/accountability for a particular piece of work as being led by the ‘Quarterback’, whereas providing support on tasks being led by others is termed ‘Contributor’.
Definition of Terms: The word “innovation” is used here to refer to both new resources (samples, templates, guides, case studies, tools etc.) as well as different approaches that address a problem or opportunity faced by Network Member programs in engaging businesses to take action on sustainability.
Innovation Development (Quarterback)
Through discussions with CoLab’s Members and CoLab’s Member Experience Manager, identify key gaps in program services and barriers to program participation.
Work alongside Network Members to create and test new innovations that address program challenges in a timely manner.
Proactively ensure that newly created innovations are shared and adapted across the Network.
Identify and develop key supports that Members need from CoLab in the midst of a major evolution to launch and grow holistic target-based sustainability programs.
Envision, create, and maintain ‘network-level’ resources that can strengthen all program service offerings (e.g. Provincial directory of sustainability initiatives).
Learning Culture (Contributor)
Support the Member Experience Manager in creating a Network learning culture through activities such as identifying topics for peer learning sessions and contributing to the development of a broader resource sharing strategy.
Key Skills and Characteristics Required to Succeed in this Role:
Critical-thinking skills: Ability to analyze problems systematically, asking good questions to identify underlying causes, and recommending potential solutions for discussion with strong justification
Collaborative: Ability to work alongside Network Members and listen well to co-create value-add solutions that can be scaled across the network.
Conscientiousness: Ability to juggle multiple priorities, effectively balancing short-term needs of particular Network Members with larger longer-term projects that benefit the entire network.
Project management skills: Demonstrated success managing significant projects from conceptualization through to implementation; the applicant is organized, manages time well, and can “pull-up” to achieve the desired outcomes.
Customer-focused: Driven to ensure Network Member satisfaction by providing timely, high quality support to CoLab’s Network Members
Initiative: Identifies necessary improvements, new directions and priorities for CoLab supports, and is proactive in bringing those forward with rationale and recommendations for implementation
Preference for applicants that have experience with at least 5 years of related experience. Experience working on corporate sustainability initiatives is a major asset.
Anything else I should know?
To Apply:
Please send a resume and cover letter to Priyanka Lloyd, Managing Director, at:
hr@sustainabilitycolab.org
by January 8thth, 2016. Please mention in your email where you heard about this opportunity.
We sincerely thank all applicants, however, we will only be able to personally contact those applicants selected for an interview.
About Sustainability CoLab
Sustainability CoLab is a national non-profit that provides direct support and a proven approach for member organizations to launch and grow a target-based sustainability program for businesses in their community. Through these programs, members build local networks of businesses that are setting and achieving sustainability goals. The model shared by CoLab has been successfully piloted by Sustainable Waterloo Region through their flagship program, the Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI). In just five years, the RCI has engaged 68 organizations – representing 14% of the workforce in Waterloo Region – to collectively commit to reducing 53,000 tonnes of carbon emissions within the next ten years (equivalent to taking 12,000 cars off the road each year).
Together, we’re demonstrating that a more sustainable economy is possible.
Learn More:
Please visit: http://www.sustainabilitycolab.org.
Check out our first Annual Report: http://www.sustainabilitycolab.org/report
Check out this 4-minute video about CoLab: https://vimeo.com/131668020