employment : Innovation + Job News

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

A few sustainability organizations are looking for help right now, starting with not-for-profit TREC Renewable Energy Co-operative. They are currently seeking a part-time communications coordinator with a minimum of two to three years of experience.They have also issued an RFP for website design and development, in conjunction with two separate research projects they are currently involved in.

Meanwhile, Corporate Knights, a magazine with a focus on environmentally sound businesses, is looking for freelance writers with some background in journalism and some story ideas ready to pitch.

Finally, in environmentally friendly transportation, non-profit Bikechain, which provides free training in bicycle repair, is hiring an educational bike mechanic to work 10-14 hours each week.

In the media sector, public broadcaster TVO is currently hiring for two related records management positions. One is an administrative coordinator to help with record-keeping, and the other is a separate coordinator to help establish and maintain a records management system. Both posts require at least three years of relevant experience.

The Toronto Centre for the Arts, North York's major cultural hub at Mel Lastman Square, needs a new front of house manager to coordinate with rental clients, caterers, and other third parties involved in putting on events at the venue.

For those with a background in graphic design, the City of Toronto is hiring a two designers to work in the corporate information management services sector.

Finally, two jobs of note at significant urbanist/city-building organizations. Consulting firm MASS LBP (which works with governments on public policy engagement) is seeking a director-level project lead to oversee strategy and engagement for select clients. And the Centre for Social Innovation is hiring a program manager for its Regent Park location to create and deliver programs to help support and expand the impact of members.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

Pop-up shops are often associated with higher-end retail: up-and-coming designers stocking small spaces with collections that get snapped up quickly. Recently, Goodwill and Newcomer Women's Services Toronto (NEW) launched a pop-up shop with a very different vibe: their inventory consists of one-of-a-kind products, created by participants in NEW's green entrepreneurship program, out of materials provided by Goodwill.

The women who created the recycled and repurposed products—marketed under a line dubbed Good as New—were participating in one of NEW's self-employment training programs.

The idea arose when some of the participants expressed a particular interest in sewing, says the program's faciliator, Deepa Premnath, and the products include clothing, jewelry, and other accessories. The program's goal is to help give participants the skills ito start home-based businesses; the pop-up shop's goal, meanwhile, is to spread the word about that program, and also to give the designers a trial run—a chance to market test their products and see how they sell.

"Our goal in general is to connect people to resources around the idea of self-employment," says Premnath. She freely admits, "it is not a panacea for all employment ills, but one possibility" in a volatile employment market, and one that can be particularly accessible for newcomers, who often face disproportionate challenges entering the workforce.

You can find the Good as New pop-up shop at the Goodwill Islington South Community Store (871 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke).

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Deepa Premnath, Program Facilitator, Green Entrepreneurship Program, Newcomer Women's Services Toronto
Photo: Courtesy of Goodwill

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

For those with an interest in media, Postmedia is hiring a full-stack developer to work for Postmedia Labs—a small team working within the larger company on rapid-development social products. Meanwhile, Global News is looking for a graphic designer with experience in both 2D and 3D motion design.

Digital studio Architech has a number of openings at the moment, including a project manager, a digital marketer, a U/X designer with at least five years of experience, and a full-stack developer with particular expertise in Java.

In the cultural sector, Kaeja d’Dance is seeking a community outreach animator to provide both strategic and financial direction to community engagement and public participation programs. The Toronto Arts Foundation is hiring an online learning coordinator to develop web content and work on social media; it's a part-time post for someone with at least two years of relevant experience.

If you're interested in food and the environment, local health food store The Big Carrot is looking for food service leader to operate and develop their prepared foods department.

The Pecaut Centre for Social Impact is a philanthropic organization that "invests in high potential charities that are fostering scalable solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing our community." They are looking for a program manager—a position for someone with experience in entrepreneurial investment, and preferably social enterprise.

And finally, the CAMH Foundation, which raises funds for the mental health hospital, is hiring a manager of marketing and communications with at least five years of relevant experience.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

For those with an interest in history, two positions of note at the moment. The provincial government is hiring a community programs officer to work at Ontario Heritage Trust to help with community outreach and communications. And the City of Toronto is hiring a museum coordinator who will be based out of the Todmorden Mills Heritage Site. The role includes strategic planning for and oversite of the four heritage sites at that location.

There are also a number of great openings at local cultural institutions. Over at TIFF they are looking for an assistant box office and call centre manager to manage daily operations year-round. A minimum of three years of customer service experience is required.

The newly re-opened Theatre Centre is seeking a manager of artist and community activation. The person who fills this post will take the lead in all outreach and communications strategy.

Ballet Jörgen Canada, meanwhile, is hiring an education coordinator to oversee all of Ballet Jörgen's and George Brown Dance's educational programs. And the Toronto Dance Theatre needs a new development coordinator; it's a post for an emerging professional with at least two years of relevant experience.

In the news realm, TVO has several openings right now. Among them are a digital media producer to work in the current affairs and documentary department, and a social media specialist to serve as both a community and a social media manager.

Finally, in the sustainability sector, Evergreen is looking for project manager for community development. It's a one year, four-day-a-week contract to oversee the implementation of urban agriculture project plans.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

Evergreen, the urban environmental centre, is currently looking for a site steward who will take charge of day-to-day maintenance, safety, and program support. Also for those with an interest in urban environmentalism, the Toronto Wildlife Centre—which helps injured and abandoned animals recover—is looking for someone to provide administrative and fundraising support.

Elsewhere in the environmental sector, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, a charity that works for the sustainability of our Great Lake, has two opportunities: they are seeking a marketing and public engagement manager to develop strategies for engaging individuals, sponsors, and non-profit partners, and they are also looking for a writer to contribute to the organization's online and written materials.

Finally, the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation is hiring a digital media assistant to work on newsletters, blogs, social media, and other online communications.

Innovation hub MaRS is seeking to fill multiple posts right now. First up is a software engineer with UNIX dev-ops or systems administration experience, to coordinate multiple systems via a Switchyard service bus. Elsewhere in the organization, they are looking for innovation curriculum leads for three- to six-month contracts in a variety of learning modules.

ShopLocket, which helps retailers develop an online presence, is looking for a WordPress contractor to work on a brand new platform they've launched, called The Blueprint.

And in the cultural centre, the soon-to-open Aga Khan Museum is filling two positions. One is for a program coordiantor of education and scholarly programs, and applications should have at least two years of progressive experience in a cultural institution. And the second is for an education manager with at least five years of relevant experience.

Recently Ryerson University announced that its Digital Media Zone (DMZ) had signed a "friendship agreement" with one of Europe's largest technology accelerators, Level39. Based in London, England's Canary Wharf, Level39 has a particular focus on the financial, retail, and future cities sectors. The agreement will allow members of each institution access the other's facilities, spaces, and networks.

Ryerson has been in talks with Level39 for "five or six months," says Hossein Rahnama, director of research and innovation for the DMZ, "and it was a natural decision to form a partnership with them." Level39 has been around for two years now, says Rahnama by way of introduction, and is owned by the Canary Wharf Group. They "are hoping to transform part of the city into a global technology hub," he goes on. "Our goal is to enhance our collaboration with the UK, enhance mobility."

London has done a "great job" in developing the sectors in question, and the partnership is key for expanding the opportunities the DMZ can offer its members. It's one of several partnerships Ryerson hopes to develop in Europe over the coming years.

"International expansion has been part of our agenda since the beginning," Rahnama says—crucial for helping DMZ members find new opportunities for growth by giving them access to new markets, as well as exposure to best practices.

"A lot of our startups in Toronto are looking at addressing the financial vertical," Rahnama explains, so this allows Ryerson to offer that community to allow for scaling in Europe, without a lot of startup costs.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Hossein Rahnama, director of research and innovation, Ryerson University DMZ

The most interesting opportunities we've come across lately:

Tides Canada, which provides support services to philanthropic and activist organizations, needs a full-time program associate to help out with a range of funders and grantees on issues ranging from food security to environmental conservation. Meanwhile, one of their funding recipients, the East Scarborough Storefront—which works on collaborative community development in that part of the city—is hiring a manager of local economic opportunities. They are looking for someone with at least two years of leadership experience.

For those with an interest in urban agriculture, Fresh City Farms is seeking an assistant farm manager to oversee two plots at their Downsview Park location. At least one season of organic farming experience is a must.

Also in the environmental sector, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada is looking for a manager of development and communications to lead the implementation of their fundraising strategy.

The World Wildlife Fund is hiring a marine police and research associate. Candidates should have a relevant undergraduate degree and three to five years of eperience in conservation research.

For those with tech skills, retail startup ShopLocket has three posts open right now, for a javascript developer, a full-stack developer, and a UX specialist. Also, Ladies Learning Code—which runs development courses aimed at women—is hiring a lead for their Toronto chapter. Responsibilities in this part-time position including organizing several workshops each month, as well as coordinating instructors and volunteers.

Finally, 7D Surgical—the start-up we told you about last month that is developing a GPS-like system as a medical tool—is hiring for a variety of positions, including a software developer, a clinical specialist, and a quality assurance director.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

We're used to thinking of Artscape as a (re)maker of spaces: from the Wychwood Barns to Gibraltar Point, they take old sites in Toronto and help shape them to suit new uses.

Now Artscape is taking a more active role in programming some of those spaces, launching a series of pilot programs to help creative entrepreneurs tackle the business aspects of their ventures. The Creative Business Design Workshop, Creative Entrepreneurship Program, and Business Skills for Growth Workshop Series are part of the ramp-up to the opening of Launchpad, a full-fledged centre slated to open in 2017.

Launchpad has been in the works for five years, says Pru Robey, Artscape's Creative Placemaking Lab Director. It will be a new creative and cultural entrepreneurship centre, one that gives "skills, tools, and resources" to creative workers, to help them start and sustain effective businesses.

It's needed, she says, because underlying all of the banner headlines about Toronto's vaunted arts scene, "are some real challenges that are faced by people in the creative sector." Stats about growth and employment "are actually made up of independent, solo traders working part-time, and working in other sectors to support their creative work, and people who are earning very little on average."  This means, Robey argues, that there is a great deal of unrealized economic potential: earnings for workers in the cultural sector are below average compared to those in other sectors with comparable education levels.

This is often compounded, she says, by a lack of early-stage support. "Graduating students suddenly lose access to a whole network of support"—basics such as space, equipment, resources, and mentorship—and aren't taught the specific, practical skills of how to build an effective freelance career or business.

Toronto already has a number of entrepreneur-support programs, incubators, and other similar support systems. Why the need to start a new one for the creative sector in particular?

"Our research shows, and our experience tells us," says Robey, "that oftentimes creatives have lots of passion [for their work] but they don't really want to talk about growing a business, so the traditional kinds of entrepreneurship support aren't necessarily appealing."

The pilot programs will be unveiled throughout this summer and fall. When Launchpad opens in 2017, says Robey, it will "combine a learning environment with a creative environment" and include a "range of highly specified and equipped production studios." The goal is to provide both creative and business support for everything from sound production to photography to fashion and jewelry to industrial design.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Pru Robey, Creative Placemaking Lab Director, Artsca

We last wrote about ScribbleLive—the digital publishing company that helps media outlets, sports teams, and brands provide real-time event coverage—a year ago, when they closed a new round of funding and had their eye on expansion. Those ambitions are only getting bigger: ScribbleLive has just announced that it has acquired its best-known competitor, CoverItLive.

The Toronto-based ScribbleLive approached the California-based Demand Media, which owned CoverItLive, because "We noticed that it wasn't a core business of their owners," explains CEO Vincent Mifsud. "It just happened that they were in the process of divesting of many of their assets," he goes on, and the deal went through smoothly, with the help of ScribbleLive's existing financial backers.

It didn't hurt that CoverItLive's engineering team happened to be located in Toronto already, which aided the transition: though the deal was announced just last night, CoverItLive's engineers have already moved into the ScribbleLive offices. The Toronto office is now at about 50 staff, with another 30 working internationally.

"Organically we're growing at around 70-80 per cent," Mifsud says, and ScribbleLive will continue to push that with new acquisitions to "round out our growth."

They are aiming to enhance the platform and services they offer, and given their newly-expanded engineering team, hope to start layering in new functionality shortly. Specifically, Mifsud told us that they are going to be focusing on content strategy planning tools, and at optimization tools that help the clients who use ScribbleLive get the most from the publishing platform.

ScribbleLive and CoverItLive will, in the interim, continue as separate services; they will eventually become a single, fully-integrated platform.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Vincent Mifsud, CEO, ScribbleLive

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

The Vancouver Aquarium handles not just displays and exhibits, but the Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program, which helps consumers make environmentally friendly seafood choices. They are looking for a Toronto representative for the Ocean Wise program to help develop it in Eastern Canada. Candidates should have a combination of experience in marine biology or life sciences, as well as business development.

Also in the sustainability sector, the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, which helps safeguard the greenbelt's argicultural and environmental health, is looking for a research and policy assistant.

Finally, TREC Education, which focuses on raising awareness about energy issues, is looking for a program co-ordinator. The post is part-time with potential to develop into full-time work, and some travel within the province will be required.

In the social services sector, the Daily Bread Food Bank is hiring a manager of corporate and foundation philanthropy to oversee its major partnership programs. It's a senior post for someone who will oversee several million dollars of cash and in-kind donations annually. Meanwhile, Pathways to Education, which helps low-income youth access post-secondary education, has two postings open right now: they are seeking an executive assistant to their president, as well as a research and database manager with significant experience using Raiser’s Edge CRM.

In health services, the Council on Drug Abuse, which runs drug-prevention programs for teens, is looking for a new program manager.

For those with an interest in culture, the City of Toronto is looking for a program development officer to focus on arts and culture—specifically, to work at the Fort York historic site.

Also, Artscape, which revitalizes and redevelopers older facilities in Toronto, needs a program manager for their Creative Placemaking Lab, which conducts community consultation and planning as Artscape develops new sites.

Last but not least, baroque orchestra Tafelmusik is looking for a director of philanthropy with at least seven years of fundraising experience.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

Between Craigslist and the variety of social networks now available, you might think that finding a new bandmate might be as easy as posting an ad or a status update. Many musicians, however, find it isn't so easy.

This is what led Shaan Singha and Troy Fullerton to co-found DownToJam, a start-up social network created specifically for musicians.

The idea came up during a casual conversation: Fullerton was helping Singha move a motorcycle and was complaining about his trouble finding someone to jam with. Singha asked, "Isn't there anything like [a dating website] where you can see someone's profile, what they're doing?"

It turned out that there wasn't, and so the two decided to create one. It was, says Singha, "born out of desperation, trying to find compatible friends to play with."

Their goal is to help people build actual friendships over music, and to have the range of people participating be as diverse as possible. Fullerton is an experienced musician and Singha is a beginner: they hope to be able to match people at all parts of the spectrum of expertise.

The site is still technically in beta, with an official launch coming later this summer. So far Texas and Toronto are the two biggest user groups; DownToJam has a total of about 3,000 members so far.

"Services for our members free," Singha says—something they are committed to maintaining. The business plan includes beginning with ad revenue, and then moving on to including a classified-style section of enhanced profiles.

DownToJam also includes a third co-owner, Neil McWilliam—their developer—and they plan on hiring in coming months for a forthcoming blogging division.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Shaan Singha, co-founder, DownToJam

In a city like Toronto—one which prides itself, defines itself—in terms of its diverse population, what does diversity actually mean, and how deep does it actually run?

"We have one of, if not the most, diverse cities on the planet," says Sevaun Palvetzian, CEO of CivicAction, the non-partisan community engagement organization. But that diversity doesn't necessarily extend to all sectors, and to all levels of leadership. True diversity, she says, would mean that leadership "looks like the city that we are."

That's why CivicAction (in collaboration with the Maytree Foundation) created a program called DiverseCity Fellows six years ago. It's a leadership training program for up-and-coming civic leaders that includes 100 hours of programming over the course of a year. Right now, CivicAction is recruiting for its next cohort of DiverseCity fellows.

Previous fellows reflect diversity of sector, diversity of gender, diversity of age (ranging from 27 to 56), and three-quarters have identified as visible minorities—"an important reason we run this program," Palvetzian says.

The program isn't meant to be a cure-all: for all that we do identify as a diverse city, we have a long way to go on many fronts before that is truly reflected everywhere. Leadership capacity is just one piece of a much larger puzzle, she goes on to say.

"Leadership development can target our challenges," especially by developing capacity in younger generations, and by serving as role models.

What they are looking for most in an applicant is someone who is "passionate and results-oriented, someone who has a clear understanding of what they want to do"—a project in the pipeline, and some mentors already who can help them achieve their goals.

The DiverseCity program is designed to help those people, with 5-15 years of experience already, take their ideas and give them the skills, networks, and other resources to realize those ideas, to "pack these folks with experience and access" that can help them champion a real project.

Applicants are being accepted until July 8, 2014.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Sevaun Palvetzian, CEO, CivicAction

Photo: CivicAction

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week...

The Ontario Brain Institute has two paid internships they are filling at the moment. One is to work on their infographics platform, Brain-CODE, assisting with data, research, and administrative tasks, and the other is to work in operations under the finance and governance teams. Both internships are six months long.

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research is looking for some tech help, in the form of an interactive developer with at least two years of experience.

Over at the University of Toronto, the faculty of law is looking for an associate director for the Centre for Innovation. Candidates should have at least five years of experience in a university or legal setting, and preferably a legal degree.

For those with an interest in music, the Royal Conservatory is looking for a web content manager to tackle writing, SEO optimization, online promotions, and other related duties.

If the relationship between cities, urban agriculture, and nature is your thing, look no further then Regent Park Community Food Centre, which is hiring a park coordinator for a two-year contract position. And Evergreen has several interesting opportunities available, including ones for a site animator, an assistant of volunteer engagement, a program lead for the children's garden, and an event and client services leader.

Finally, in senior hires, United Way Toronto is looking for a lead for their Building Strong Neighbourhoods strategy.

Do you know of a creative and innovative job opportunity? Let us know!

This week is a particular bonanza for jobs in communications and media.

First up is Parkinson Society Canada, which is looking for a communications associate with at least three years of relevant experience, including media relations, and experience in the not-for-profit sector.

The City of Markham is also looking for a communications assistant, specifically to work at the Varley Art Gallery. It's a half-time position that includes responsibility for both media relations and social media.

The waterfront-based Corus Entertainment has several opportunities available right now. Among them are openings for a web content coordinator to handle daily site maintenance (including writing, editing, and image editing), and billingual video editor for someone with at least three years of relevant experience.

Shaw Media also has several openings at the moment. Global News is in need of a full-time graphic designer; candidates should ideally have experience in journalism in addition to at least three years of professional design experience. They are also looking for a part-time graphic artist to work on weekends. Meanwhile, over at Bell Media, CTV News is looking for a digital content editor to work out of their Scarborough office.

Attention baseball fans: the Blue Jays and Rogers Centre are currently looking for some graphic design help to assist in developing both print and web assets.

Finally, the Toronto International Film Festival is hosting a one-day job fair on Monday, June 23, to recruit seasonal ticketing, retail, concession, and other representatives. Participation is by invitation only, however. If you're interested you must apply in advance.

Do you know of a creative and innovative job opportunity? Let us know!

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

Several key cultural institutions are looking for help right now. First off is Hot Docs, which is hiring a sponsorship marketing coordinator for a one-year contract; a minimum of two years of relevant experience is required.

The Art Gallery of Ontario has several posts open at the moment. Among them is one for a student: they need a full-time communications assistant to work over the summer; applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 25. In more senior hires, the AGO is also looking for a development manager of donor programs. The position is for a full-time contract, and the successful candidate will be part of the AGO's management team.

The Toronto Public Library is another institution with several opportunities available right now. TPL needs a new manager of cultural and special events programming to oversee program strategy and implementation. They are also seeking applicants for two of their residencies: the writer-in-residence and entrepreneur-in-residence programs. The successful candidates will serve for two month terms, in October and November of 2014.

And for those with an interest in food and the environment, Community Food Centres Canada has several openings right now, including positions for a program manager and a partner fundraising manager (both of which require at least five years of relevant experience), as well as a program assistant (for someone with at least three years of experience.

Do you know of a creative and innovative job opportunity? Let us know!