Engagement Coordinator Events, Engagement, and Sponsorship Kitchener, Ontario

Department: Events, Engagement, and Sponsorship

Employment Type: Full-time, in-person role

Minimum Experience: Entry-intermediate level

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Community Events Manager, the Engagement Coordinator plays a key role in delivering meaningful and educational experiences for community and corporate groups through The Food Bank’s Engagement Program. This position leads the planning, coordination, and execution of engagement activities, including warehouse-based tasks such as hamper packing, food sorting, and product repackaging, as well as tours and interactive programming. The Engagement Coordinator works closely with the Philanthropy, Events, and Operations teams to ensure smooth program delivery, foster positive relationships with participants, and support volunteer engagement.

Responsibilities and Duties 

EXAMPLES OF THE ROLE'S RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

1. Coordinating and executing The Food Bank’s corporate and community engagement program:

• Providing educational tours and facilitating interactive experiences for participants.
• Building and maintaining positive relationships with community members and donors to ensure a well-organized and meaningful experience.
• Collaborating with members of the Philanthropy and Events teams to identify stewardship and fundraising opportunities.
• Coordinating, training, and providing day-to-day guidance to volunteers that support engagement activities.
• Setting up and taking down warehouse activities for group experiences.
• Maintaining safe, clean, and organized spaces and ensuring proper food handling and storage procedures are being followed in engagement programing.
• Identifying and implementing improvements to the engagement program.

2. Overseeing Engagement Program-related administrative duties:

• Responding to email and phone inquiries from prospective engagement groups.
• Collaborating with the Operations team to plan engagement schedules and opportunities.
• Managing program data, including participant tracking and volunteer reporting.
• Supporting the Donor Relations team by providing invoices and tracking payments from engagement groups.

1. Coordinating and executing The Food Bank’s youth engagement program:

• Working closely with youth groups and schools to coordinate, plan and execute a wide range of youth activities based on age and group size.
• Actively engaging with local schools and school boards to promote youth engagement opportunities.
• Collaborating with the Food and Fund Drive Coordinator to encourage food and fund drives as well as future youth engagement opportunities with The Food Bank.
• Building and growing the youth engagement program with consultation from other team members and external educators.

1. Assisting with other tasks as needed to support team and organizational goals:

• Providing back up support for the volunteer program when necessary.
• Providing support to the Events team when necessary.

Specific examples may vary from year to year as priorities of The Food Bank change.

Location and Hours

• The Food Bank of Waterloo Region is located at 50 Alpine Court in Kitchener, Ontario.
• The role is required to be onsite for the work week.
• Hours of work are generally 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday. However, to meet the objectives of The Food Bank and commitments to our volunteers, members, and community, some irregular hours may be required. This would include no more than two evenings a week and/or two weekends a month.

Compensation

• The expected starting salary for this role is $59,203-$61,176 per annum.
• The maximum compensation for this role is $74,003 per annum, which may be achieved through progression, performance, and tenure.

Reporting Structure and Working Relationships

• The Engagement Coordinator reports to the Community Events Manager.
• This role is an integral part of our Events, Engagement, and Sponsorship team.
• A significant amount of time in this role is spent working with corporate and community groups and other members of The Food Bank.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum 2 years of experience in customer service, teaching, or a similar role.
• Post-secondary education in community development, nonprofit management, education, social services, or a related field is preferred.
• Experience managing diverse groups and volunteers.
• A valid Ontario G-class driver’s license with access to reliable transportation.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, especially Outlook and Excel.
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge or similar donor management software is considered an asset.
• A Standard First Aid certification is considered an asset.
• A Safe Food Handling certification is considered an asset.
• Experience in the non-profit sector and/or with issues related to food insecurity is considered an asset.

An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Required Work Capacities (Skills and Abilities)

Physical demands:

• Approximately 80% of time spent on standing, walking, or light physical activity, and 20% on desk- or computer-based work.
• Some bending, twisting, lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling items, including to/from floor.
• Performing activities requiring near and far vision, speaking, and hearing.
• Working primarily indoors in a shared office environment with exposure to warehouse conditions (temperature changes, dust, noise, fumes).
• Some exposure to minor chemicals (i.e., cleaning agents).
• Local travel within Waterloo region (i.e., to conduct youth engagement programming) is required.

Social, emotional, and cognitive demands:

• Superior attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple engagement requests, projects, and deadlines efficiently.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to confidently engage stakeholders and foster positive, meaningful interactions.
• Highly developed interpersonal, collaboration, and relationship-building skills with the ability to cultivate and maintain strong relationships.
• Sound judgment, adaptability, and problem-solving skills with the ability to make decisions and resolve conflict effectively.
• Ability to supervise, guide, and support engagement participants and volunteers in a respectful, motivational, and safety-focused manner.
• Effective collaboration and teamwork, contributing to team goals and organizational culture while maintaining accountability for individual results.

Why Work for Us?

• We have a passion to live our mission - a Waterloo region where no one experiences hunger - and are committed to helping obtain and distribute emergency food from our neighbours for our neighbours.
• Our employees and volunteers are invested in and passionate about the work we do and are inspired to drive thoughtful innovation and growth.
• We take the work seriously but try not to take ourselves too seriously; we understand the importance of the work we do and teamwork while balancing fun, excitement, and camaraderie in the workplace.

What benefits does The Food Bank offer?

Some benefits and perks provided by The Food Bank of Waterloo Region include*:

• Competitive salaries/wages! We’re a proud certified Living Wage Employer (Ontario Living Wage Network). We believe that all employees should be paid an hourly wage that allows them to meet their basic needs (such as food, shelter, and clothing) while also participating in community life.
• Dental, drug, and supplemental healthcare coverage for individuals, couples, or family.
• A mental health and wellbeing focus with short-term counselling and resources provided by our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and up to $1000 per year in counselling services.
• Vision care coverage.
• An RRSP matching program.
• A Healthcare Spending Account and Lifestyle Spending Account to expand on coverage available to employees.
• A Bring Your Own Device allowance to cover work-related cell phone use ($ depending on role).
• Professional dues and association fee coverage.
• A generous time off package, including paid vacation, sick and family responsibility days, floating days, and a birthday holiday off.
• Hybrid work environment (where applicable).
• Closing early on Fridays in the summer.

*some benefits may depend on employment status, such as full-time permanent employment.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diverse teams perform better and that fostering an inclusive work environment is a key part of growing a successful team. We welcome people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. 

The Food Bank of Waterloo Region is committed to accessibility and to protecting the human rights our job applicants during the recruitment process. Should, at any point throughout the recruitment process, an applicant require accommodation or communication in an alternative format because of a disability, please contact Human Resources at 519-743-5576. We are committed to providing accommodation or alternate formats upon request within a reasonable time in a mutually agreed upon format.

  

No phone calls please. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. This posting is to fill an existing vacancy. At The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, we use AI-enabled tools to assess applications; however, all recruitment decisions are reviewed by a human.