Furniture Bank Looking for Workshop Program Director at Toronto, ON Full Time

Operating since 2015, the mandate of our Indigenous-staffed workshop is to eliminate barriers in the attainment of meaningful work for Indigenous people by providing trade training, and creating long-term, living wage social employment opportunities, and providing sustainable careers in the refurbishing and reupholstering field.

By rescuing, repairing, and refurbishing tables, chairs, and other items destined for landfill, and making them available to individuals and families, Furniture Bank’s Workshop creates more quality furnishings for our beneficiary families and clients, and supports extending Ontario’s shrinking landfills.

The Workshop is staffed through our Leg Up program, a social hire enterprise that collaborates with employment agencies and partners to provide work experience, life and skills training, and meaningful job opportunities to youth, Indigenous, newcomers and other individuals facing barriers to employment.

Leading the Workshop Social Enterprise Operations

Furniture Bank is expanding the scope and scale of our Workshop program. Currently self-managed by the small team of three Miziwe Biik graduates, we are seeking a Program Director to coordinate the growth and expansion of the program in coordination with Furniture Bank’s other scaling impact plans, including expanding our pilot program creating bed platforms using reclaimed wood for individuals and families in the GTA who are living without bed frames.

As Furniture Bank engages with Canada’s 50-30 Challenge, we are looking to hire an Indigenous leader for this role to chart the development of a Workshop social enterprise. We are looking to establish clear objectives and deliverables for the workshop and need empowered leadership to oversee the trainees, trainers, and visiting tradespeople, organize and codify the Workshop’s processes.

Supporting reconciliation at Furniture Bank:

The Workshop Director will work with the Executive Director to integrate Reconciliation into all of Furniture Bank’s programs.

We agree with Senator Sinclair that, “Reconciliation is not a spectator sport”, and as such, we are committing to a shift within our organizational development through this Workshop expansion and are integrating the TRC’s 92nd Call to Action: Business and Reconciliation into the Workshop and ensuring it is embedded within Furniture Bank at an organizational level, including:

1. Hiring Indigenous Talent (CTA 92ii)

2. Diversifying Our Supply Chain (CTA 92i)

3. Providing Indigenous Cultural Safety Training for Staff (CTA 92iii)

The Workshop Director will work with senior management and help build knowledge about how to integrate Indigenous practices properly and effectively into Furniture Bank’s organizational framework to be a proud example of what reconciliation looks like within a charity.

Workshop Program Director

The Workshop Program Director will be a member of Furniture Bank’s leadership team. The position will coordinate social employment placements from Indigenous and other social hire agencies to learn the basic skills of woodworking, while supporting the goals of furniture production for the Furniture Bank clients. The candidate is able to blend the demands of a new social enterprise business model with the tenets of a positive youth development approach, while developing basic design and construction knowledge that can translate into future employment. The Workshop Program Director reports to the Executive Director and will collaborate with other Directors as projects and priorities require

Accountabilities

• Profit and Loss responsibility: Monitoring the expenses, developing revenue pilots, and supporting fundraising.
• Collaborate with Furniture Bank leadership
• With the Executive Director on program development, planning and strategy work. Including building the Furniture Bank Reconciliation plan.
• With the Development Director to support fundraising and ensuring gift requirements are met.
• With the Operations Director to support furniture and bed frame provision for charity program.
• With the Measurement & Analytics staff who support ongoing impact tracking work.
• With the HR Manager to support recruiting, training, and performance tracking.
• Manage workshop staff, participants and volunteers and related operations to ensure there is an efficient workflow and utilization of space and equipment.
• Coordinate Workshop Trainers’ day-to-day project priorities.
• Oversee the training objectives and supports for 4-20 participants (in 4 cohorts/year)
• Manage the maintenance, security and safety of Workshop equipment, supplies building and grounds, including directing staff and overseeing the upkeep of equipment and supplies
• Determine, schedule, and negotiate with outside vendors for supplies and repairs, projects, and waste reduction.
• Support ongoing tracking and monthly KPI reporting as required
• Work with HR to complete performance reviews for all participants in programming.
• Teach and enforce basic standards of safety and use of woodworking machinery
• Coach and encourage positive young adult progress and upholds program expectations
• Support the development of participants in progressing to the next stages of the program and eventually find careers outside Furniture Bank or join the social enterprise jobs within Furniture Bank.
• Maintain a positive work environment with high standards in high-quality products
• Maintain membership in JHSC and maintain OHSA certification

Qualifications and Competencies

• Awareness of Indigenous knowledge systems, as well as Indigenous peoples’ issues, concerns, and priorities
• At least 3 years of woodworking or carpentry experience / exposure required
• At least 2 years of youth development experience with proven-risk youth
• Demonstrated management experience of small teams
• Experience developing lesson plans and an understanding of group dynamics
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate teams to develop and implement larger projects
• Flexibility and ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Commitment: Genuinely cares about young adults and Furniture Bank’s success
• Perseverance: Does not give up on young adults, proactively reaches out and envisions success for all.
• Coachable: Open to feedback and personal and professional improvement
• Relationship Builder: Values and nurtures relationships between self and young adults, self and community partners, self and customers, self, and colleagues
• Dedication: Hunger to do an excellent job, a passion to own one’s work, proactively comes up with systems and solutions to make one’s work more effective
• Well Organized: Can manage at the high level while keeping day-to-day on track
• Team Player: Upholds Furniture Bank’s mission, values, vibe, and leads by example
• Sense of Humor: Ability to laugh at oneself is a must!

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

• Dental care
• Disability insurance
• Extended health care
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision care

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Application question(s):

• Are you well-versed regarding Indigenous knowledge systems, as well as Indigenous peoples’ issues, concerns, and priorities? Share your experience.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree (preferred)

Experience:

• Management: 3 years (required)