The Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) is seeking an outgoing, collaborative and detail-oriented events organizer, with a passion for ecological agriculture, to join the staff team as Conference and Events Manager.

 

Reporting to EFAO’s Executive Director, the Conference and Events Manager is responsible for overseeing, developing and supporting EFAO’s educational events, including the annual conference.

EFAO is committed to advancing anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion in ecological agriculture. In pursuit of these values, EFAO actively encourages applications and self identification from members of groups experiencing barriers to equity, such as Black, Indigenous, and people of colour, and LGBTQ2S+. If you require accommodation when navigating the application process, please contact Ali English, EFAO’s Executive Director at ali@efao.ca.

>> Download a PDF version of the posting here.

 

Position Details

Position: Conference and Events Manager

Location: Guelph, Ontario or option to work remotely from home office

Employment type: 35 hours/week

Start date: April 3, 2023

Duration: 1 year (parental leave position)

Salary: $50,000 – $60,000/year FTE, depending on qualifications and experience

Application deadline: February 12, 2023 11:59PM EST

 

Responsibilities:

  • Organize and manage EFAO educational and networking events, including meet-ups, farm tours, field days, webinars and workshops. Events occur both in-person and online.
  • Oversee the planning and execution of EFAO’s annual conference, including collaboration with EFAO staff, members and other stakeholders to manage the budget, program development and speaker outreach, venue contract negotiation, promotion and communications, sponsorship, and evaluation. The 2023 conference will be held in-person and will take place at the end of November/early December.
  • Work with EFAO staff to support educational goals of individual programs.
  • Support EFAO’s commitment to anti-racism and equity in the development of  educational programming, and through participation in relevant professional development opportunities.
  • With EFAO’s Communications & Engagement Director, develop and implement a communication and outreach strategy for EFAO’s educational activities, using print, online, and in-person methods (when appropriate).
  • Work with other team members to edit, post and distribute event recordings and materials.
  • Oversee and work closely with staff and volunteers engaged in EFAO’s education work.
  • Support existing EFAO farmer networks and advisory committees and the development of new networks and committees as appropriate.
  • With EFAO’s Communications & Engagement Director, help shape content and seek contributors for EFAO’s quarterly print publication Ecological Farming in Ontario.
  • Develop and maintain partnerships with regional and provincial groups engaged in farmer training; seek opportunities for collaborative development and/or delivery of training events.
  • With EFAO senior staff, design and implement strategies to assess member and community needs, and develop opportunities in response to those needs.
  • Coordinate and represent EFAO at external events (i.e. agriculture and food sector conferences and Trade Shows).
  • With EFAO senior staff, design and implement evaluations for educational activities in line with EFAO’s overall evaluation strategy.
  • Contribute to the development of the annual operating budget and maintain event and project budgets.
  • Oversee relevant grants, including writing applications, tracking deliverables, managing budgets and preparing reports.
  • With EFAO’s Executive Director, identify potential sources and strategies for new funding.
  • Other projects and initiatives, as determined collaboratively with EFAO’s Executive Director.

 

Requirements:

  • 2-3 years experience organizing and managing events in the agriculture, food and/or related sectors. Experience organizing both in-person and online events is essential.
  • Post-secondary education in a relevant field or equivalent experience.
  • Working knowledge, experience and appreciation of ecological agriculture, farmers and local food systems in Ontario.
  • Alignment with EFAO’s anti-racism and equity goals, or related lived or work experience.
  • Excellent interpersonal and professional communication skills with a demonstrated ability to build relationships and work collaboratively.
  • Ability to comfortably manage and facilitate meetings and events in person and online.
  • Strong writing skills, in both informal and formal settings. Experience in outreach and communications is an asset.
  • Experience writing grant proposals and reports.
  • Ability to work efficiently and accurately, and a commitment to delivering high-quality work in a busy and dynamic work environment.
  • Experience in financial management, including event and project budgets.
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a dynamic staff team and broader EFAO community.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office suite, Google documents and virtual meeting platforms (i.e. Zoom). Knowledge of and experience with video editing software, Mailchimp, Slack, and Wordpress an asset.
  • Experience working in a not for profit environment is an asset.
  • Some offsite, evening and weekend work, and travel required.

This list indicates the experience and qualifications needed to succeed in this role. We understand candidates may not have all the qualifications listed. If you possess approximately 80 percent of these experiences and qualifications, we encourage you to apply. 

 

EFAO offers:

  • A family-friendly work culture
  • Flexible work schedule
  • Contributions to a Health Savings Account
  • Access to 10 wellness days throughout the year
  • 3 weeks vacation. The EFAO office is closed with paid time off between Christmas and New Years

 

To Apply: 

Please send a cover letter and resume or CV (in one PDF document) to Ali English at jobs2@efao.ca by February 12, 2023, 11:59PM EST. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Candidates who are interviewed will be offered $75 in compensation for the time and effort required to participate in the interview process. Thank you for your interest in this position!