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Now Hiring: Cultural Planning Manager

We are Hiring a Cultural Planning Manager!

Application Deadline: Thursday, March 3rd at 11:59 AM noon (ET)

Full-Time: 1 year contract with possibility of renewal

Anticipated Start Date: Monday, April 4, 2022

Hybrid Position: Considering applicants from across Canada

Compensation: $50,000 – $60,000

Who is STEPS Public Art?

STEPS envisions a world where artists and communities co-create meaningful, welcoming and safe public spaces. We are a Canada Revenue Agency registered charity that engages and empowers artists and communities to transform public spaces into vibrant places. We are a small but mighty team of creative entrepreneurial innovators. We attract high-performing, highly ethical employees who truly care about their communities. Our team works well together because we hold ourselves accountable for strong project management and complement one another’s strengths. Our open-concept office along Toronto’s Waterfront has natural light and ample room for physical distancing. We have a flexible working arrangement policy that includes remote working options for staff.

Our main office is based in T’karonto, the Ancestral Wendat territory and the shared territory of the Anishinaabeg and the Haudenosaunee, covered by The Dish With One Spoon treaty, and later, Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. STEPS is committed to cultivating safe space for Indigenous voices to be heard.

Who Are You?

This role supports strategic planning and evidence-based decision making related to a wide range of cultural planning projects, including planning for cultural districts, placemaking programming and future cultural initiatives. Your thoughtful community engagement initiatives, data collection and analysis systems, and efficient research into best practices and precedents, will contribute to achieving the cultural planning goals of Canadian municipalities, Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) and community groups.

This unique position is ideal for someone who deeply understands and can articulate the benefits arts experiences provide building healthy and sustainable communities. You are creative, entrepreneurial, proactive, observant, well organized, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. You love brainstorming, problem-solving, and connecting with people. You have experience jumping in and putting processes in place that make an improvement on what has been built while being respectful of the work that has come before.

You relish making sense of things, executing logistics, anticipating problems, and fixing them. You’re good at keeping information confidential. You thrive on each day being different and presenting new opportunities and challenges. If you are organized, not easy to overwhelm, and you have a positive attitude that makes people want to be your teammate, we are looking forward to meeting you!

For the immediate future, most of the responsibilities for this role can be performed virtually and we are accepting applications from applicants across Canada. There may be increasing responsibilities that require in-person tasks, particularly as it relates to facilitating consultation or planning activities in various parts of Canada which may require some travel.

This is a one-year full-time contract position, with the possibility of renewal and salary commensurate with experience. Following a 6 month probationary period, this position is eligible for group benefits, which includes health, dental and limited life policies.

STEPS encourages applications from all qualified candidates that represent the full diversity of communities in Canada, including complexities of intersecting identities such as ability, age, class, gender, race and sexual orientation.

We are particularly interested in receiving applications from equity-deserving communities, including those who identify as: Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), Black, a person of colour, newcomer, Disabled and LGBTQQIP2SAA+.

Responsibilities

  • Leading cultural research and planning initiatives aimed to leverage the potential for growth and multi-sector benefits from Canada’s creative sector
  • Facilitating staff, public and community group consultation meetings, workshops and planning sessions
  • Authoring reports and presenting findings of initiatives to clients, external stakeholders and at cross-sectoral conferences, as well as advising on or supporting implementation of actionable culture plans
  • Developing fee-for-service or funding proposals for cultural planning/placemaking initiatives
  • Identifying, developing and stewarding relationships with municipal/regional cultural departments, economic development agencies, BIAs, tourism groups, external experts,  across Canada
  • Working with STEPS leadership team to establish and maintain metric collection to measure organizational impact, as well as refine our cultural planning / placemaking services in response to the diverse needs of Canadian communities
  • Recruiting and supervising staff/contractors supporting the cultural planning portfolio, which includes cultivating strong working relationships characterized by productivity, respect, clear communication, mentorship, and commitment to professional excellence
  • Working with STEPS Engagement Team to ensure success of all outreach, communications and public relations strategies for initiatives within STEPS cultural planning portfolio
  • Actively participating in organization-wide strategic projects, such as operational enhancements, engagement, audience development and revenue generation initiatives

We Think It’s Important That You Have the Following:

  • A postgraduate degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Cultural Policy or related discipline
  • Minimum two years of relevant experience overseeing culture planning work
  • Minimum two years experience managing people and collaborative teams
  • Knowledge of contemporary visual arts practices, including public art and placemaking; as well as cultural planning practice, principles and theory
  • Experience with planning and facilitating community engagement processes (open houses, community workshops, digital engagement)
  • Experience planning and implementing capital projects (public art, placemaking, facilities)
  • A high degree of creativity in response to diverse problem solving challenges
  • Strong organizational and prioritization skills when juggling multiple competing tasks
  • Great interpersonal skills, including meaningful collaboration with external groups on joint projects, as well as openly and respectfully communicating with colleagues
  • Excellent and confident communication skills — written, in person and via phone/web conferencing, including public speaking for presentations
  • Strong leadership and decision-making skills, including effective delegation as needed
  • High level of professionalism — a punctual, quick-learning and service-oriented self-starter
  • Independent worker who is detail-oriented, able to prioritize, and self-manage responsibilities 
  • Highly self-motivated with ability to work individually and in collaborative teams 
  • An open-minded attitude that shines when working with equity-deserving communities
  • Strong problem-solving skills — you ask questions to discover information and underlying issues, then roll up your sleeves to get things done, and resolve issues before a problem arises
  • Critical thinker with an ability to keep calm and seek clarification ahead of deadlines
  • Commitment to organizational development through respectful feedback cycles
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Zoom, and Google Drive
  • Experience with Adobe Suite, Asana, and/or CRMs considered an asset
  • Capacity to diplomatically work with partners who have fluctuating high-pressure needs
  • Commitment to working within an equity framework with strong cross-cultural sensitivity
  • Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends
  • Willingness to adhere to STEPS COVID-19 Workplace Health & Safety Plan which includes a vaccine policy
  • Membership in a Canadian Planning, Architecture, or Landscape Architecture professional association is an asset
  • Valid driver’s license is an asset

Application Process

We invite qualified applicants to apply via the online portal by no later than noon Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 11:59 AM Eastern Time (ET). Applications will not be accepted by email.

This interview process will make use of video conferencing and respect public health guidelines. While we appreciate the interest of all applicants, we can only communicate with those shortlisted for an interview.

Interviews are anticipated to take place the week of March 7th, 2022.

We are no longer accepting applications. Thank you for your interest!

Image Credit:
Country Drive-by Mural (Brampton Fire Station) by artist Pam Lostracco and photography by Selina McCallum

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