BC Healthy Communities

Healthy Community Planner

Victoria, BC

1.0 FTE (35 hours/week)

Deadline for submitting application: December 9th, 2019 4:30pm PST

Desired Start Date: December 2019/January 2020

We are looking for a sustainability-minded Healthy Community Planner who brings strong program management skills to join our highly collaborative and innovative team in our Victoria office. You report to
the Executive Director and work closely with our public health professionals, community planners, community engagement specialists as well as a range of other staff to design and deliver our programs throughout BC.

In this role, you will provide program management supports through coordinating timelines and workflow of our program deliverables. Your portfolio will focus primarily on our PlanH initiative, and you may also be involved in several other smaller projects and fee-for-service opportunities. You work entails working closely with our team and directly with the communities across the province to deliver a range of planning and facilitated processes as well as developing key resources toward building healthier communities. Given our work is based around partnerships, you will be working closely with multi-sectoral groups that include local government, regional health authorities, First Nations, not-for profit and community organizations, all in the name of building capacity for collaboration for improved community health and well-being outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Providing oversight and coordination of timelines and workplans to meet program deliverables
Developing and designing curriculum, planning processes, webinars and workshops
Providing facilitation and planning skills and expertise in communities across the province
Providing content expertise to support community focus areas (i.e. healthy built environments, food security, active transportation, social connectedness, health and climate change, age friendly planning, housing)
Connecting directly with communities to assess where they are at; helping to determine what types of issues they are facing and how we can support their work
Coordinating multi-sectoral partners and fostering collaborations and partnerships;
Supporting communities to develop strategies to move forward and create positive solutions to difficult challenges they are facing, in their own way
Gathering data to help communities and BCHC determine if we are effecting change
Analyzing and synthesizing information from facilitated sessions, identifying themes, opportunities, and areas for further development/support
Nurturing meaningful social relationships with community groups and local champions, including various levels of government (local, regional, provincial), non-profit organizations and a range of other sectors

About You

You are an experienced planner and facilitator with a demonstrated track record. You have the ability to work through complex community challenges with multi-sectoral collaboratives. You are able to think on your feet, quickly synthesize data and adapt processes as needed. You have excellent project/program management skills.

Other important things about you include:

You enjoy people and strive to facilitate and nurture meaningful relationships with communities and individuals, including those in various levels of government (local, regional, provincial, and Indigenous)
You show evidence of a high degree of organizational/planning skills and resourcefulness; You have a positive attitude with lots of curiosity and the drive to be continually learning
You understand the links between key social and environmental determinants of health. Focus areas could include one or more of the following:
- Implementing principles of good urban design, including walkable communities, complete streets, accessibility design standards, rural planning, affordable housing, poverty reduction strategies, food systems and food security, sustainability planning and climate action, parks and open space planning, GIS or other community mapping tools, community health assessment processes, and/or social planning
You recognize and understand the implications of emerging issues which may have broader influence on communities
You bring research skills—to ask good questions and then find ways to answer them
You are self-directed and you feel comfortable working on complex issues
You have excellent interpersonal and communication skills

To Do This Job You Will Need

A degree in Community, Regional, Social or Urban Planning with courses specific to public health, healthy communities, or community development (or equivalent)
Minimum 5 years’ experience and demonstrated track record in facilitation and group processes
Experience in working in or with a local government (municipality, regional district or Indigenous) preferred
Program/project management experience
Experience working with Indigenous communities an asset
Experience in workshop design/development and facilitation and evaluation
Must be available to travel to communities across BC (estimated up to 2–3 times per month); some evenings may be required for work/travel
Ability to work well independently and as part of a team

About BC Healthy Communities

BC Healthy Communities (BCHC) is a province-wide not-for-profit organization that facilitates the ongoing development of healthy, thriving and resilient communities.We provide a range of services, programs, events and resources to support communities, local governments and multi-sectoral groups to collaborate around a shared vision for a common purpose.

We foster and model principles, processes and practices of community development, emphasizing the value of listening, learning, respect and active engagement
We honour the strengths and experiences of each community, while offering support for capacity building
We promote inclusion of a broad range of people and perspectives
We take a big picture, whole systems approach, identifying roots of issues and looking for ways to leverage change
We support connections, collaboration and human development at multiple levels: individuals, organizations, sectors and communities

The Benefits of Working at BCHC

BCHC offers a progressive workplace culture that encourages leadership and learning. We are an interdisciplinary team who enjoy our time together, with a lighthearted and compassionate approach to our work. The benefits of working at BCHC include:

A supportive, respectful team that ‘walks-the-talk’ around personal health and sustainability
An innovative workspace at TheDock: Centre for Social Impact in Victoria, BC
Opportunities for professional development to improve your existing knowledge and passion for healthy communities
Health benefits

Compensation range is competitive and based on experience.