Communications and Engagement Leader

About Us

Ophea (ophea.net) is a charity (based in Toronto) that believes schools are an important place where students learn healthy habits that stay with them throughout their lives.

Our Approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Recruitment
At Ophea, we use AI thoughtfully across different areas of our work but not when it comes to hiring new team members. Every step of the recruitment process, including reviewing applications, is completed by members of our team without the use of any AI tools. In return, we ask that candidates take the same care when applying if they are genuinely interested in this opportunity.

Who Are We Looking For?
Ophea values having a team that represents the diversity of the educators and students we support. We know that different facets of people’s identities play a significant role in their lived experiences and we welcome and encourage all applicants to share with us who they are and what they can offer to help us realize our vision for Ontario’s students.

What’s It Like to Work for Ophea?
Ophea promotes collaboration (working in small project teams) to execute our work. All staff work and learn across a variety of different areas of the organization to grow their professional skill sets and keep their jobs challenging and rewarding.

Salary and Benefits

Full-time job with a starting salary of $59,820.

• Dental and health benefits (starting after initial probation period).
• Competitive vacation (starting at three weeks with an additional week for Winter Break in December).
• Flexible hours (e.g., start times between 7:30am and 10:00am), and shortened workdays before long weekends/on Fridays during summer months.
• Remote and modified hybrid work options for staff depending on different circumstances.

Summary
Ophea is looking for a permanent (full-time) Communications and Engagement Leader.

The Communications and Engagement Leader is responsible for transforming organizational information and insights into knowledge products (e.g., social media content, infographics, blogs, e-newsletters) that effectively engage Ophea’s diverse audiences.

Collaborating closely with internal project teams and external interest holders, this role ensures that all communications are informative, accessible and aligned with Ophea’s brand and organizational strategy. The Communications and Engagement Leader also supports broad dissemination through digital channels, events and partner networks to maximize our impact and reach.

A typical workday in this position might include:

• Leading a team meeting to review your communications calendar for the week.
• Reviewing your assigned budget lines to ensure your spending aligns with our organizational strategy and deliverables.
• Designing and producing social media posts for educators across our platforms including Instagram, X, Bluesky, Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Documenting feedback and engaging a graphic designer to update an infographic to ensure accessibility and alignment with organizational branding.
• Meeting with an internal project team to discuss their branding needs for a new education resource.
• Retrieving and analyzing key metrics (e.g., reach, engagement quality) to support reporting for an externally funded project.

Knowledge (formal education or general knowledge):

Formal education or training in communications, journalism, marketing or relevant field, and progressive work experience related to strategic communications. An equivalent combination of education and work experience will be considered

Skills & Experience:

• Experience leading marketing and communications projects and/or participating on project teams.
• Experience in developing and executing communications and knowledge strategies, including managing multiple budgets and aligning with brand guidelines.
• Strong organizational skills with a high level of attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience in digital communication tools and platforms.
• Ability to represent the organization in professional settings (e.g., with partners, at funder meetings, at conferences and events).
• Proficiency with social media platforms and design and scheduling tools (e.g., Canva).
• Bilingualism is an asset (fluency in French and English, written and spoken – advanced level).

Application Process

In place of a formal cover letter, please answer the following question (in 250 words or less) to help us a get a better sense of who you are as a person and how you might fit with our team:

“What’s a piece of marketing (produced by a non-profit organization or charity) that made you stop and think? What made it so effective from your perspective?”

In fairness to all candidates, answers exceeding 250 words will not be reviewed.

To apply for this position, please submit your answer and resume (in the same document) to: hr@ophea.org.

Application Tips

• Keep it simple: Keep your application simple and easy to read. Too much design can be a distraction.
• Personalize your work: Applications with no customization are typically easy to spot and don’t move ahead in the recruitment process.
• Prioritize personal over perfection: Your application should help us get to know you and whether you should be invited for an interview. There are no ‘perfect’ answers so just be authentic in your response.

We will be accepting applications until the position is filled so don’t delay in applying if interested.

Our job opportunities are often re-posted by others without our knowledge or awareness so please check our website to ensure this posting is still active: https://ophea.net/about-us/careers.

Please Note:
- Ophea is currently only considering applicants residing in Ontario.

- Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

- Ophea’s Compensation System is informed by the Canadian Society of Association Executive’s (CSAE) Benefits and Compensation Report (2025), an annual compensation report that provides comprehensive documentation of compensation and benefits currently provided to staff employed in associations and other not-for-profit organizations across Canada.

- Ophea is committed to removing barriers and providing accommodation to all applicants and employees. If contacted in relation to an employment opportunity, please advise our HR representative of the accommodation required which would enable you to apply or be interviewed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.