Co-Director, External Strategy & Partnerships

Co-Director, External Strategy & Partnerships

Fulltime (37.5 hours/week) Permanent Starting salary: $92,909 + benefits

3- 4 days in office (Scarborough) + 1-2 day remote work

Join us as our new Co-Director, External Strategy & Partnerships and be part of a team that works together to strengthen the East Scarborough community ecosystem. This is a shared leadership role working closely in partnership with the Co-Director, Internal Strategy & Operations.

Deeply rooted in the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park community of East Scarborough, for over 20 years, The East Scarborough Storefront has been working with grassroots leaders, organizations and institutions to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions for the residents who live in East Scarborough’s inner-suburban communities.

As Co-Director, External Strategy & Partnerships, this leader drives the organization’s vision and growth by leading external strategy and collaboration, guiding the implementation of a wide variety of projects, revenue strategy, and public positioning, while collaborating on overall organizational strategy, people and culture. Reporting to the Storefront Steering Committee Co-chairs, this position will advance the Storefront’s purpose by centering community & equity, shifting power, while co-shaping the organization’s overall strategic direction. We are committed to continuing to foster a healthy and value-based organizational culture. We provide a comprehensive extended employee health benefits package upon start date, generous and flexible personal days policy, 4 weeks of vacation to start and RRSP contributions after 2 years of employment. This is what some of our staff had to say about the organizational culture at the East Scarborough Storefront:

● "I'm encouraged to bring my whole self to work." ● "My supervisor and team encourage me to take breaks and utilize my Personal Days to

prevent burnout.” ● "Storefront prioritizes empathy and a people-first approach - this makes me feel like

there's a safe space for honesty and openness at work." ● “We have a diverse staff group and have persons from all walks of life”

The Storefront is a project on MakeWay’s shared platform (see organizational context below).

About you

You’re the ideal candidate if you have:

Experience and Education:

● Post-secondary degree or diploma in a human- or community-centered discipline (e.g., Community Development, Social Work, International Development, Social Services), or

https://makeway.org/solutions/shared-platform/

an equivalent combination of education, training, and progressive leadership experience.

● Minimum five years in a senior leadership or director-level role, ideally within the nonprofit, community development, or social innovation sectors.

● Significant experience working with and in diverse communities, with demonstrated success in building and sustaining community-led initiatives.

● Deep experience in place-based community development and systems-level thinking. ● Experience developing, managing, and implementing complex, multi-stakeholder

projects in emergent environments. ● Proven track record in staff supervision, coaching, and team-building. ● Experience leading in nonprofit and community based organizations ● Familiarity with nonprofit governance, evaluation, and impact measurement considered

an asset. Skills

● Strong facilitation skills with a proven ability to design and lead inclusive, complex, collective processes — both in-person and digitally.

● Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex ideas into accessible, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.

● Strategic thinking with the ability to connect individual stories and data to broader systems and goals.

● Excellent organizational, project management, and administrative skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and timelines.

● Demonstrated ability to integrate new information and adapt strategies in response to changing conditions.

● Strong relationship-building skills with community members, networks, partners, and cross-sector collaborators.

● Proficiency with standard digital tools and platforms (e.g., Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, digital collaboration tools).

Approach

● Deep commitment to equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression principles, and to shifting power through community-led solutions.

● Grounded in an asset-based approach to community work, with a belief in “by the community, for the community” responses to complex social challenges.

● Passionate about place-based work and committed to putting relationships at the center of leadership and decision-making.

● Comfortable leading in complexity, emergence, and ambiguity — with the ability to move between strategic vision and on-the-ground action.

● Embodies values-driven leadership, modeling humility, trust, curiosity, and joy in the work.

● Committed to co-creating and sustaining inclusive and equitable organizational culture. ● Lived experience of poverty, racialization, or other forms of marginalization considered a

strong asset. ● Alignment with Storefront’s values, principles, and approach as outlined in the

Storefront Playbook

https://www.thestorefront.org/what-we-do

The successful candidate will be able to move easily between the conceptual and the practical and take ownership for good process while at the same time sharing power, trusting the process, and having fun. This is an opportunity to intentionally apply the Connected Community Approach to community development.

Responsibilities:

● Lead the development and implementation of The Storefront’s external strategy to support a community ecosystem that grows stronger over time in alignment with foresight, overall organizational priorities and internal operations.

● Shape strategy into clear priorities and action plans, ensuring decisions are grounded in equity, data and community priorities.

● Explore and design revenue strategies that align with current goals and long-term sustainability and work with a fundraiser to implement those strategies.

● Expand, build and steward partnerships and networks with East Scarborough community builders to convene collective wisdom, strengthen the East Scarborough community and deepen impact and increase visibility.

● Develop governance processes that support the Steering Committee and Braintrust to contribute meaningfully to The Storefront and hold us accountable.

● Provide thought leadership and represent the organization on the Connected Community Approach, community centered processes and the importance of social capital to influence across sectors.

● Shape and share storytelling that uses data and evaluation, centers community voice and amplifies impact.

● Model and ground staff in the Connected Community Approach, organizational culture and values while fostering a climate of equity & anti-racism, trust, and inspiration.

● Coach, develop and support staff working on various complex local systems change and community development projects.

Organizational context: The Storefront has approximately 20 staff and a budget of $1.8 million. Funding for The Storefront comes primarily from grants (both government and foundation), which are augmented by an active fundraising plan. Currently Storefront projects focus on:

● Facilitating and managing a service delivery hub including employment services ● Leading community wide local food systems change ● Weaving networks for community centred resilience ● Supporting projects designed and implemented by grassroots groups ● Building capacity and facilitating knowledge exchange

The Storefront is a project on MakeWay’s shared platform.

MakeWay Society holds full legal and fiduciary responsibility for the work of The Storefront and delegates responsibility for the vision and community based priorities and strategies

https://www.thestorefront.org/what-we-do https://makeway.org/solutions/shared-platform/

toStorefront Steering Committee and Co-Directors; the selected candidate will be an employee of MakeWay.

MakeWay is a national charity and public foundation with a goal to enable nature and communities to thrive together. We do this by building partnerships, providing solutions, grants, and services for the charitable sector across the country.

Our offices are open to serve the community in person; this position is expected to be in the building 3-4 days a week.

For more information about The Storefront and MakeWay, please visit:

www.thestorefront.org https://makeway.org/solutions/shared-platform/

How to Apply

Candidates can apply by sending a 1-2 page letter on the skills and experience that you bring to this position along with your resume to the hiring committee at recruitment@thestorefront.org

In the subject line, please include: Co-Director 2025

Closing date: Sunday December 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM.

Selected candidates will be invited to attend an in-person group screening on Monday January 12 at 10 am at the Storefront.

Interviews will be held on Thursday January 22 in person at the Storefront. “I genuinely believe in the Storefront hiring process. It has the ability to highlight more than just skills on a resume. Being part of many group screenings, we received feedback from candidates that the process was exciting and that they enjoyed being part of a different way to apply for a job.”

MakeWay and The Storefront are strongly committed to creating a diverse and equitable workplace reflective of the community; we welcome and encourage applications from Black and Indigenous people, and other racialized and equity deserving groups. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

At The Storefront, building trust and ensuring safety in our work is important to us. The successful candidate will be required to complete a criminal record check as part of the hiring process. We recognize that people’s lived experiences are complex, and having a record does not automatically exclude you from consideration. If this raises any questions or concerns, we encourage you to reach out—we’re committed to approaching this process with care, context, and humanity.

We will provide accommodation during all steps of the hiring process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. Please advise us if you need any accommodation.

http://www.thestorefront.org/ https://makeway.org/solutions/shared-platform/ mailto:recruitment@thestorefront.org

• As Co-Director, External Strategy & Partnerships, this leader drives the organization’s vision and growth by leading external strategy and collaboration, guiding the implementation of a wide variety of projects, revenue strategy, and public positioning, while collaborating on overall organizational strategy, people and culture. Reporting to the Storefront Steering Committee Co-chairs, this position will advance the Storefront’s purpose by centering community & equity, shifting power, while co-shaping the organization’s overall strategic direction.