EDI Engagement and Research Coordinator

EDI Engagement and Research Coordinator

For the Senior Sector Inclusion Project

Background

Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council (ESCC) brings people, ideas, and information together to build collaborative approaches to services, supports and circumstances affecting older adults. In recent years organizational partners and our collaborative programs, have identified the need for more collective thinking about how we make Community Based Seniors Services more welcoming and inclusive to the full diversity of Seniors in our community. EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) work has been identified as a priority.

Seniors in Edmonton have many intersecting identities which could include Indigeneity (First Nations, Métis, Inuit), Black/African, People of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, language diversity, religion, disability, houselessness, socio-economic standing, age, amongst many other lived experiences. We understand each experience is different and our approaches must be responsive to the needs of seniors in our community. Our hope for this work is to uncover more deeply how to be responsive to the full diversity of our community, and their unique needs and lived experiences.

Role Description and Responsibilities

Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council (ESCC) is leading the Senior Sector Inclusion project, funded by the City of Edmonton’s Collaboration Grant for Community Safety and Wellbeing. The project will engage community-based seniors serving organizations and older adults, to help inform, co-develop and co-implement equitable policies, procedures, standards and/or guidelines to better support seniors from diverse lived experiences in our community.

As EDI Engagement and Research Coordinator, you will lead the project planning and implementation. Integrated plans will be required for research, policy and procedure development and refinement. Your supervisor and ESCC staff colleagues will support you in developing an evaluation and developing an approach to sharing the work more broadly. The role involves building relationships, coordinating activities, facilitating consultations, and guiding student research. The position reports to the Executive Director.

ESCC is the backbone organization supporting several programs and initiatives including 1) Seniors Coordinated Outreach, a partnership of 12 organizations across Edmonton that works to connect seniors to the services they need in the community to live a good quality of life; 2) Social Prescribing, a holistic approach to healthcare that bridges the gap between medical and social care services; and 3) Edmonton Age Friendly Alliance, anetwork for the well-being of older adults who brings allies together to help make our city moreage friendly by recognizing diverse needs of seniors, and actively supporting their inclusion, engagement and well-being. The policies, procedures, and tools you would be developing in your role as an EDI Engagement and Research Coordinator, would be directly tested in these programs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Understanding the Current Context: scanning for existing approaches for EDI for seniors in Edmonton. As well as looking for promising practices across the world that would fit well for our organizations.

• Facilitating: Conversations on the needs of a variety of different cultural and social groups of seniors in Edmonton, gathering important context from Seniors organizations, cultural organizations, ESCC staff – to build a summary of the current state of services for seniors from diverse communities and a co-developed framework outlining future steps to develop more inclusive practices and policies.

• Developing and maintaining relationships with partner organizations, diverse older adults aged 55+, and funders.

• Researching and analysing policies, and related materials, to understand the current state of services for diverse seniors in Edmonton. This includes conducting literature reviews, consulting with diverse older adults aged 55+, facilitating conversations with community-based seniors serving organizations, and engaging with program funders.

• Co-Developing: Testable policies and processes to improve outcomes for seniors with diverse lived experiences, working with Seniors Coordinated Outreach and Social Prescribing to test and refine these approaches and tools.

• Sharing findings including sharing effective process and policy tools, developing knowledge mobilization products, recommendations on how to improve equity in Seniors services, and other reports as required. The role will also involve outlining larger systemic barriers through briefings, policy advice, and recommendations.

• Providing feedback to Executive Director, Strategic Manager, Program Managers, and others for project development support and improvement.

Desired Skills, Competencies, and Attributes:

• Detailed understanding of EDI principles and how they function in practice.

• Strong relationship building skills

• Willingness to understand various programs, policies, and systems, as well as how they work together to impact seniors from diverse communities.

• Understanding and interest in anti-oppressive and decolonial practices.

• Excellent analytical and organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Strong interpersonal skills.

• Proficient oral and written communication skills.

Education and Experience:

• University degree in a relevant discipline which could include: sociology, political science, human ecology, human resource management.

• Experience in improving Equity outcomes, practices, or policies in organizations.

• Understanding of social policy development and/or analysis.

• Demonstrated understanding of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion practices and values.

• Knowledge of the seniors’ sector and GBA+ considered valuable.

Compensation:

This is a full-time term position (35 hours per week) for up to two years (June 2026). There is some flexibility to work from home on an agreed-upon schedule. Hours may vary outside typical workday scheduling, should meetings or events take place in the evening or weekend. The salary is $56,000 – $60,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

Application Submission:

Please send a cover letter and resume as a single PDF to Sheila Hallett, Executive Director: [email protected] by 4:00 p.m. (MST) on July 9,, 2024.