Job
description
Do you believe that
education is a critical piece to breaking the cycle of poverty? Do you want to
dedicate your work-life to helping others? Would you consider yourself someone
who has an entrepreneurial spirit? If your answer to these questions is yes,
you may be the perfect person for this job. As Executive Director of Students
Offering Support (SOS), you w
ill be responsible for leading this grassroots
charitable social enterprise into its next stage, shaping its day-to-day
operations and overall direction as it:
- Helps
first and second year students adjust to the new environment of university
by running Exam-AID review sessions before mid-term and final exams. These
Exam-AID sessions are all taught by student volunteers who have previously
taken the course and excelled. Since 2005 more than 9,000 volunteers have
tutored more than 50,000 students. - Provides
leadership experience and training to student leaders who run SOS’
university chapters – from presidents , to executives, Exam-AID
Instructors and every role in-between!
Student leaders learn marketing, operations, finance, human resources,
teaching and a host of other skills that will help them prepare for their
further careers. - Coordinates
annual student-based outreach trips & education-based development
projects with our partnering NGOs & communities across Latin America. The
students pay their own way down, so that we can devote the Exam-AID
initiative funding to the project costs. Since 2004, we’ve raised over
$2M, constructing more than 150 education projects in Central and South
America.
As the Executive
Director of SOS, each day and week brings a new challenge and adventure. In
general, you will be responsible for all aspects of daily operations, which
include finance, marketing, partnerships, human resources, fund raising, etc.
A typical
day might include the following:
- Working
with SOS’s National Director of Student Leadership to brainstorm volunteer
engagement strategies. - Working
with SOS’s Director of International Outreach to review the outreach
project proposals from our partnering communities across Latin America. - Meeting
with existing (and potential!) corporate sponsors to figure out how you
can build and develop mutually beneficial partnerships. - Overseeing
the financial, legal and logistical elements of the organization – be it
preparing financial reports, improving organizational policies or
supporting your staff. - Developing
and crafting the communication strategy for SOS’ community of students,
volunteers, and supporters. - If this
‘typical day’ is near the end of the school year, you might find yourself
standing onstage at a student gala, thanking hundreds of volunteers for
the time and dedication they’ve put into the organization throughout the
year. - If this
‘typical day’ is a Tuesday, you’ll be on rotational garbage and recycling
duty, and ideally once a month, you’ll participate in a power clean of the
office!
This job might
be for you if:
- You are
familiar with the Canadian university system and you were heavily involved
in extra-curricular activities while studying. - You are
a visionary and strategic thinker – but also a practical person. You can
take your big ideas and execute on them in a real and effective way. - You
have a university degree and have been in the workforce for a minimum of 3
years. - You
have experience working in a not-for-profit or a small business
organization. It’s a bonus if this experience is in a leadership position.
- You
have some financial prowess and have experience managing large budgets. - You get
a high from working with and managing student volunteers – you understand
and can relate to why thousands of students would volunteer 10+ hours a
week helping others. - You
like working with a small team of National Headquarters staff and interns
in a bustling neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. - You
have some knowledge of a few web languages and an understanding of website
development (this one isn’t absolutely necessary, but would be awesome).
Other things
to know about the role:
- You
have two immediate full-time direct reports (and a team of co-ops &
volunteers), and with organizational growth that number will grow. - You
report to a Board of Directors on a monthly basis to provide updates and
receive strategic direction, but you have to be an entrepreneur who can
take charge and tackle new problems on a daily basis in innovative ways. - You
will need to be comfortable speaking to small and large groups, whether
one-on-one or one-to-100, telling them about SOS and our impact. - When
appropriate, it is always a great idea to spend some time with our
volunteers on campus and with our partnering communities in Latin America
– the frequency of this is defined by you and your budget.
Application
Timeline:
The main application deadline is April
13th @ 5pm EST, but we will keep this post online
until we find the right candidate. If you are reading this and feel you are the
right person for the role, we encourage you to submit an application.
Compensation
& Commitment:
We are looking for a leader that wants to make SOS their next big thing – which
means committing to SOS for a minimum of two years. In terms of compensation,
we strive to be competitive but realistic. Specific details will be determined
based on experience, but the candidate should not expect an annual income that
exceeds $55,000 in the first year.
Does this
sound like you? Get in touch! Send your resume, cover letter and anything else
you think might help us get to know you to HR@studentsofferingsupport.ca
To see more of our
story, check out www.studentsofferingsupport.ca
How
to apply
Does this
sound like you? Get in touch! Send your resume, cover letter and anything else
you think might help us get to know you to HR@studentsofferingsupport.ca
To see more of our
story, check out www.studentsofferingsupport.ca
