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Job Opportunities

Advocacy and Mobilisation Officer - Project on migrants with a precarious status

About the Just Solutions Legal Clinic

The Just Solutions Legal Clinic (JSLC) is a program within the non-profit organisation Montreal City Mission (MCM). MCM, founded in 1910, has been working for over 100 years with immigrants and refugees to defend their rights and help them integrate into Québec society. 

 

Over the past 19 years, MCM has developed an extensive expertise in refugee and humanitarian immigration law through the JSLC, which since 2004 has been providing free information, referrals, accompaniment and legal representation to vulnerable and marginalised migrants in several languages. 

 

The clients that the JSLC serves are considered on the basis of their factors of vulnerability, as well as financial precarity. Migrants facing language barriers can be served in several languages, including French, English, Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian. 

Summary of the position

MCM is hiring an Advocacy and Mobilisation Officer who will be responsible for managing campaigns and events related to advocacy, awareness-raising, and mobilisation in the context of a pilot project launched at the end of 2022 by the JSLC. The pilot project is centered around creating a better understanding, and improving the situation of, migrants with a precarious status living in Québec. As this is a new initiative, the Advocacy and Mobilisation Officer must be flexible, innovative, and able to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. They will be collaborating with stakeholders and partners already carrying out a variety of advocacy efforts across Québec, as well as creating new programming. The possible activities for this position include the creation of public visual and/or audio communications campaigns (e.g. posters, flyers, podcasts, video capsules, advocacy toolkits, etc.), organising events related to key dates (e.g. World Refugee Day), and meeting with different government officials or politicians. 

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The Advocacy and Mobilisation Officer will report to the Coordinator of the JSLC and the Executive Director of MCM. They will also be working in close collaboration with staff who will be managing the two other components of the pilot project.

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The term of employment is for two years, with a possibility for extension subject to funding.

Main duties and responsibilities

  • Build relationships with, and act as the primary point of contact and liaison between, the main project stakeholders: partner organisations, other advocacy campaigns, members of the steering committee, and companies / consultants hired to create communications materials

  • Organise, and participate in, project advisory group meetings in order to shape the communications and mobilisation strategy of the project

  • Under the direction of the Coordinator of the JSLC and the Executive Director of MCM: take the lead on creating and executing the communications campaign strategy including setting campaign objectives or goals, selecting the target audience(s), researching appropriate messaging, creating communications material (e.g. social media posts, posters, videos, toolkits, etc.), and ensuring the involvement of all relevant stakeholders at all stages of the campaign

  • Coordinate with any outside contractors required for the completion of project-related material (e.g. graphic designers, videographers, photographers, etc.)

  • Ensure the safeguarding the confidentiality of subjects used in any type of media campaign, as necessary

  • Plan events, hosted either by MCM / JSLC, or in collaboration with other organisations with a view to engage the general public around themes related to the rights and wellbeing of migrants with a precarious status

  • Participate in advocacy work targeting officials at several levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal) including sharing reports, recommendations, open letters, etc.

  • Keep abreast of new research, advocacy campaigns, collective action initiatives, and other developments as they arise, and link with other staff members and stakeholders where needed

  • Participate in ongoing standing meetings with coalitions or committees already in place such as the Accueil des Demandeurs d’Asile au Québec (ADAQ)

  • Contribute to funding proposals to ensure the financial stability of the pilot project

  • Work in close collaboration with other employees of the JSLC and MCM to further the pilot project

Qualifications and Skills

  • A minimum of 2 years of experience in a communications-related field, with demonstrated skills in either communications and digital media strategies, community organising, or advocacy

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in an appropriate academic discipline such as communications, media studies, journalism, marketing, visual arts, etc.

  • Strong English and French professional writing

  • Able to work well as part of a team

  • Possess good interpersonal skills, and is someone who is dynamic, autonomous and diplomatic  

  • Excellent professional ethics 

  • Excellent planning skills

  • Good understanding of immigration and intercultural issues, policies and programs in both Quebec and Canada; previous experience in this field or in the non-profit sector is an asset;

  • Able to write in accessible ways for a range of audiences, including analysing complex information and summarising key points in a strategic way

  • Able to work with competing priorities under pressure and manage time efficiently

  • Creative, detailed and analytical thinker

  • Able to mobilise diverse groups of people, and motivated to participate in social change

  • Excellent approach to client and partner relationships

  • Lived experience as a refugee / migrant / immigrant / non-status person is an asset

  • Knowledge of online graphic design programs (Mailchimp, Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, Infogram, etc.) is an asset

  • An interest in audio and video editing is an asset

  • Strong understanding of, or previous experience with, budgetary planning is an asset

Working Conditions

  • 37.5 hours a week (possibility to begin working part-time and scale up over time)

  • Salary range: $28 per hour

  • Based in Montreal, with flexibility given for remote work

  • Paid personal, sick days, and vacation, as well as access to a group medical insurance and pension plan

Application Process

MCM is committed to an inclusive workplace and encourages applications from refugees, immigrants, people of colour, indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ people. To be considered, candidates are encouraged to send a cover letter and CV to recherche.sj@montrealcitymission.org. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and the posting will remain open until the position is filled. The preferred start date would be May or June 2023.

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