Manager, Grassroots Leadership Strategies

Manager, Grassroots Leadership Strategies
Fulltime (37.5 hours/week) Permanent
Starting salary: $63,919 + benefits
4 days in office (Scarborough) + 1 day remote work

The opportunity

Join us as our new Manager, Grassroots Leadership Strategies and be part of a team that works together to strengthen the East Scarborough community ecosystem.

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.

The role of Manager of Grassroots Leadership strategies designs and develops relationships, networks, tools and processes that support local grassroots leaders/groups to play key roles in strengthening their own communities. 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-fi rst 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 diploma or degree specialization in a human and/or community centered discipline such as Community Development, Social Services, Social Work, International Development or the equivalent progressive combination of 5 years of education, professional certification, and professional work experience
● Experience in place-based community development
● Experience in project development, management and implementation
● Experience working in the non-profit sector, particularly community based settings
● Management experience considered an asset
● Experience supervising staff , with the ability to build, develop and support a team

Skills
● Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
● Excellent conflict resolution skills
● Excellent administrative and organizational skills
● Ability to build and steward relationships with residents, community leaders and networks
● Ability to think strategically and link individual stories to larger goals
● Strong computer proficiency

Approach
● Deep commitment to equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression principles and goals.
● Believes in the power of “by the community for the community” solutions to complex social issues including advocacy, community organizing and participation in civic processes.
● Commitment to putting relationships at the centre of your work
● Alignment with Storefront's values and principles, as articulated in our Playbook
● Lived experience of poverty, racialization, or other forms of marginalization considered an asset.

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
Resident Leadership
● Leading a staff team to use a Connected Community Approach to facilitate discussions, planning sessions, knowledge exchange, training and problem solving with and for local grassroots leaders/groups
● Embedding anti-Black racism and proactive equity focused strategies into all work with grassroots leaders
● Connecting local grassroots initiatives to broader movements through civic engagement, advocacy, systems change work and community wide strategies including food systems and climate resilience projects.

Project Management
● Co-designing, managing and implementing various projects to support social connection, resident engagement, resident capacity building, etc.
● Communicating with various stakeholders as necessary about shared responsibility as it pertains to management of specifi c projects
● Managing project budgets and logistics;
● Data collection and other strategic documentation;
● Writing reports/proposals as required

Leadership
● Providing leadership, coaching, mentoring and supervision to a staff team, students and volunteers who support resident leadership
● Practicing integrity by modeling Storefront’s values and principles, as articulated in our Playbook.
● Implementing our commitment to equity and addressing anti-Black racism across your work
● Playing an active role on The Storefront’s management team

Organizational Context

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 to The Storefront Steering Committee and Director; 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 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 Sahar Vermezyari, Director, svermezyari@thestorefront.org.

Please include the subject line GLS Manager 2025 in the subject line. Closing date: Sunday August 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM.

Selected candidates will be invited to attend an in-person group screening on Wednesday September 3 at 10 am at the Storefront.

Interviews will be held on September 5, 2025 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.