Join our team!

About Windmill Microlending

Windmill Microlending enables immigrants and refugees to build careers in Canada while reducing poverty and labour shortages. We do this by offering affordable loans along with career assessment coaching, financial literacy training, and mentorship for newcomers who lack access to mainstream credit.

Since 2005, Windmill has provided over 12,000 loans to clients in healthcare, IT, financial services, law, engineering, and many other fields to triple their incomes as a result of our affordable loans and support. Windmill is a registered Canadian charity supported by donations and community bonds from the private sector and grants from the public sector.

At Windmill, you can make a meaningful impact on the lives of thousands of newcomers. Join a diverse, dynamic team at a leading Canadian not-for-profit where empowering our clients starts with creating an enjoyable workplace for our staff. Our commitment to a fulfilling environment is evident in our 90% average employee engagement scores on our annual survey.

The role:

The Program Officer, Mentorship & Community Engagement’s primary focus is to manage all activities and programs offered through Windmill’s Community Success Hub, our online platform utilizing the Graduway software designed to foster connections between current Windmill clients, former clients (alumni), and corporate volunteer mentors. Reporting to the Manager, Growth and Experience, this role is involved with the Windmill mentorship program, job board, networking and speed mentoring, and other events, webinars and resources that benefit our clients.

This role requires an individual who can nurture relationships with our clients and create opportunities for alumni, donors and corporate partners to engage with Windmill’s clients. The successful candidate is self-motivated and results-oriented, with a passion for building relationships. The Program Officer is responsible for establishing a positive experience for our corporate partners, mentors, mentees and clients.

Key responsibilities:

Mentorship program (40%)

• Coordinate all aspects of Windmill’s Mentorship Program ensuring that corporate partners, mentors and mentees all have a positive experience
• Recruit and nurture mentors, including employees of corporate partners, Windmill alumni, and through other national volunteer recruitment platforms or advertising efforts
• Work with the Client Success Team to improve upon client communications for the Hub and Mentorship Program, including email marketing to recruit and nurture current clients to participate
• Coordinate mentor/mentee matching utilizing automated features and personalized approaches to ensure the best possible matches are made
• Deliver regular and customised onboarding sessions for mentors/mentees virtually
• Follow up with mentees and mentors to ensure requirements of the mentorship program are met
• Suggest and implement tactical adjustments and program innovations where appropriate
• Coordinate volunteer recognition including reporting to corporate partners on employee engagement
• Identify highly engaged mentors and mentees for storytelling opportunities

Community Success Hub (30%)

• Create and implement strategies to increase engagement of users on Windmill’s Community Success Hub
• Plan and execute programs and activities delivered on the Hub
• Maintain the Job Board on the Hub and coordinate with corporate partners to ensure job listings are comprehensive and current
• Create and maintain the resources section on the Hub by developing engaging, relevant materials and content
• Create and maintain a regular content calendar on the Hub
• Monitor and provide user support through direct emails and live chat assistance and liaise with Graduway’s support team as needed for ongoing platform improvements and UI/UX support
• Oversee ongoing copy, layout and image updates to the Hub
• Suggest and implement tactical adjustments and program innovations where appropriate
• Work between various CRMs to understand the profiles of clients, alumni, mentors (volunteers) and donors
• Maintain and update records in our CRMs, primarily using Asana, FreshSales and Salesforce
• Collaborate with departments that have overlapping responsibilities in engaging with clients, alumni and corporate donors
• Stay up to date with community management trends and best practices
• Proactively identify community sentiments, problems and opportunities

Events & webinars (25%)

• Coordinate and organize bi-annual networking sessions and bi-annual workshops for clients, specifically in the healthcare sector
• Coordinate and organize networking, soft-skill workshops, and flash mentoring events for all clients across Canada, collaborating with the Development Team to build events with Windmill’s corporate partners
• Identify and coordinate with subject matter experts to lead workshops as needed
• Work with marketing team to create and implement marketing materials to promote events and develop strategies for client and mentor outreach
• Assist with events involving corporate partners, donors and/or alumni

Targets, monitoring and reporting (5%)

• Ensure government and corporate grant requirements related to mentorship and other client wrap-around support activities are fulfilled
• Collect, analyze, and report data on mentorship program outcomes, participant feedback, and key metrics to evaluate and improve program offerings
• Support Stewardship Officer with engagement metrics data for donor reports
• Administer and continuously enhance surveys related to the Hub, mentorship program, events and webinars
• Support the Senior Engagement Officer by preparing quarterly reports on alumni and annual program activities, highlighting accomplishments and suggesting recommendations for future improvements

Ideal candidate:

You will have an ambitious growth mindset and relish the prospect of playing a key role in the evolution of a dynamic, entrepreneurial, high-impact charity. You share our passion for helping skilled immigrants prosper, for reducing poverty in Canada, and for helping to create inclusive prosperity. You share our values of passion, empowerment, simplicity and results.

As the ideal candidate, you are a thoughtful and energetic relationship builder, experienced in program development, project coordination and volunteer engagement. You are open to feedback and continuously strive to improve and grow.

Qualifications and knowledge:

• Three to four (3-4) years of experience working in a community-based, not-for-profit organization preferably serving immigrants, or transferable experience in program coordination and administration
• Experience in program development and coordination with a focus on career development and mentorship would be an asset
• Event coordination experience
• Communications and marketing experience with content writing, design, and email marketing would be an asset
• Previous experience with Graduway from Gravyty would be an asset
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills, French is an asset

Competencies and characteristics:

• Excellent organization and administrative skills with a proven ability to achieve results and meet deadlines
• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills 
• Ability to embrace and adapt to the use of new technology
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Ability to work independently and manage projects autonomously  
• Ability to prioritize and appropriately identify and respond to urgent situations while meeting competing deadlines 

Compensation and benefits:

• Starting salary range $60,000-$65,000 annually, based on skills and experience required for the role
• Hybrid work solution with a minimum two (2) days in office, up to three (3) days from home in Calgary or Toronto.
• Three weeks’ vacation, plus a company-wide winter break
• Benefits plan – medical, dental, short & long-term disability, and life insurance
• Annual Wellness Budget to support personal well-being
• Access to Group RRSP with matching employer contributions
• Evolving DEI initiatives – our staff is representative of our client base
• Opportunities for advancement in a supportive and inclusive environment

How to apply:

We thank all candidates in advance. However, we will only contact those selected for an interview. To apply, please submit, in confidence, a résumé along with a cover letter that sets out your interest in the role and highlights your relevant experience. Please include your salary expectations in your cover letter. The preferred method of application is via email to hr@teamwindmill.org (reference: Program Officer, Mentorship and Community Engagement).

Windmill Microlending is an equal-opportunity employer. Adhering to Canada’s Human Rights Act, Windmill grants equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, creed, colour, gender identity or expression, disability, sexual orientation, family status, marital status, citizenship, ancestry, ethnic origin, age, or place of origin. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

As an active participant in the Federal Government’s 50-30 Challenge, we are committed to building a more diverse, inclusive, and vibrant economic future for Canadians by attaining gender parity and significant representation of underrepresented groups on our board and in senior management positions.

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