Media

Work at NEADS: Hiring a Communications & Partnerships Director

The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) is seeking applications from interested job candidates to fill our Communications and Partnerships Director role!

We’re seeking an enthusiastic, flexible, and creative team player who is passionate about expanding NEADS’ outreach to best support disabled post-secondary students and recent graduates.

In this role, the Director is expected to maintain NEADS’ strategic partnerships program and social media presence, while supporting the NEADS Team by promoting tour stops and webinars, publishing monthly NEADSLetters, and assisting with advocacy/policy tasks as needed. To learn more about the role, please read the full posting below!

We ask that all interested candidates submit their resumé and cover letter to Carly Fox at carly.fox@neads.ca no later than Friday, November 22nd. Graphic design and writing samples are highly encouraged, but not required.

Key Info
Job Title: Communication & Partnerships Director
Hours: 25-40/week (indeterminate/ongoing)
Compensation: $20-$26/hour
Application Deadline: Friday, November 22nd 2024
Interviews: Monday, November 25th - Friday, November 29th (virtual)
Start Date: Monday, December 2nd (negotiable)

Job Description
NEADS’ Communications and Partnerships Director is directly responsible for developing, maintaining, and expanding the organization’s external relations and outreach through social media platforms, regular communications, and the strategic partnerships program. This high-impact, public-facing role provides an incredibly meaningful opportunity to improve access to education and employment for post-secondary disabled students and recent graduates, and an inclusive and empowering workplace that deeply values open communication and mutual support. This dynamic and central role allows the Director to regularly collaborate with the NEADS Team to promote our incredible projects and programs, while also allowing for a high degree of independence and initiative in the creation of awareness campaigns, weekly features, event promotions, and more. Further, the Director is directly responsible for community engagement and building sustainable, meaningful relationships with stakeholders in the accessible post-secondary sector – especially our vibrant network of on-campus disabled student groups! The Director also has the opportunity to assist with our ongoing Virtual Access 4 All online webinars, and our hybrid State of the Schools Tour – with the possibility of domestic travel.

Responsibilities
•    Promote NEADS’ projects, scholarships, webinars, tour stops, and partnerships across our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn)
•    Host educational and awareness-raising campaigns across our social media, on topics such as disability justice, cross-identity allyship, disability rights, and more
•    Support our Tour Team by creating presentation slides, posters, and live social media content – opportunity for domestic travel
•    Publish monolingual and/or bilingual event recordings to our YouTube with closed captioning, highlight timestamps, an event description, and thumbnails
•    Publish monthly NEADSLetters (NEADS newsletters) detailing upcoming events, newly available recordings, community updates, research opportunities, and upcoming scholarship deadlines
•    Maintain regular communication with our network of strategic partnerships, including community organizations and on-campus disabled student groups
•    Expand our partnership program by identifying key stakeholders, including newly established disabled student groups, emerging community organizations, and supportive service providers
•    Identify federal and provincial government priorities to leverage advocacy opportunities and advocate for improved services and access for disabled post-secondary students
•    Collect and analyze data on social media interactions and engagement to support our project-related reporting initiatives and identify areas for improvement

Qualifications
Note: While we are searching for a job candidate with the listed qualifications, we are absolutely willing to be flexible for the right person! Some of these skills can be taught or developed on the job – and we encourage everyone interested to apply and showcase the skills they bring to the table, whether they are listed here or not!
•    Strong written communications and analytical skills – bilingualism is an asset!
•    Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative
•    Ability to multitask and manage competing deadlines and priorities
•    Strong interpersonal and community development skills
•    2+ years of experience in social media coordination: including community management, platform growth, content creation, and campaign development
•    1+ year of experience in partnership development: including stakeholder identification, outreach activities, partnership meetings, and partnership monitoring
•    1+ year of experience in virtual, hybrid, or in-person events: including technical assistance, moderation, and hosting

Application Process & Accommodations
Please send your resumé and cover letter to carly.fox@neads.ca by Friday, November 22nd. While cover letters are often considered optional, we will be exclusively considering applications including cover letters given the communications-heavy skills required in the role. In 1-2 pages, please feel free to detail your own experiences in post-secondary education, any relevant professional work experience relevant to the role, how you connect to NEADS’ mandate, and what you hope to achieve in the role. We also highly encourage the inclusion of graphic design work or sample communications, if available!

Selected candidates will be contacted by Sunday, November 24th to schedule virtual 15-30 minute interviews the week of November 25th-29th. While the interviews will be very casual and personable, we will provide selected candidates with 3-5 questions ahead of time to prepare and hopefully ease anxiety!

We hope to have a final decision by Saturday, November 30th – we will be in touch with all candidates interviewed once this decision is made. If you require accommodations for these interviews, please inform us when we reach out to schedule an interview and we will be happy to provide them!

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
As a by-and-for disability organization, NEADS is strongly committed to embedding diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility in all the work we do – including our hiring processes. We highly encourage applications from marginalized groups, and will be particularly considering those with lived experience of disability given the nature of our work and organization.

Reason for Vacancy
To break the fourth wall: writing a job posting for your own job is a unique experience!

Hi, I’m Carly, the current Communications and Partnerships Director. I love this job, this organization, and my team. Leaving is an incredibly difficult thing to do – but I know it’s time for someone else to take over and experience all that NEADS has to offer.

I joined NEADS at 19, and have had such an unbelievably enriching and impactful 3.5 years at this organization that turned me into the person I am today. Throughout my undergraduate studies, my time at NEADS has allowed me to further develop my graphic design skills (check out our Instagram and watch that evolution in real time), strengthen my event management skills as we travelled across Canada on the State of the Schools Tour, and learn so much more about the disability community I am a part of.

These are just a few examples to show how, because NEADS saw my potential and provided such an empowering environment, this role allowed me to develop my skills and truly thrive in accessible and meaningful employment!

As I eye up graduate studies and navigate changes in my personal life, I know that I can no longer give NEADS the time, love, and energy it deserves – and I want someone out there to experience the incredible position I had the privilege of holding for the last few years!

So please, give yourself a shot and apply for this role. I promise, you won’t regret it.