Program Officer

Position Title: Program Officer (2 year contract)

Reporting Structure: Director, Operations (direction from Director, Member Engagement and Education)

Direct Reports: One (1) Program Clerk

The Organization

The Ontario Library Association (OLA) is a not for profit membership association providing a range of services to more than 5,000 members working in the library and information field in Ontario. Some of the services include educational programming, conferences, events, online bookstore, and suite of reading programs. The OLA is a leader in North America among library Associations.

The association currently has 15 staff members, supporting an annual cadre of association member volunteers of approximately 500. Volunteers have a range of positions including board, council members, and event planning teams, among other initiatives.

The Mandate: The Program Officer will have the primary responsibility for the management and delivery of projects, programs, and events at the Ontario Library Association. This includes implementation and management of events and programs/projects, oversee budgets activities and ensure programs/projects align with the vision, mission and values of the Ontario Library Association. The Program Officer has 1 direct report (Program Clerk).

The Program Officer is responsible for the following:

Project Management: Approximately 60% of the job mandate

The project management role supports a variety of initiatives identified by the board, operations, membership, and divisional councils (examples below) and aligned with OLA’s strategic plan. The Program Officer will make recommendations on improvement of business processes but will also make recommendations on how those improvements affect the workload, duties, and responsibilities of the staff performing those duties.

Responsibilities include:

●      Providing leadership and structure to committees and projects by managing timelines, scheduling meetings, capturing minutes/actions of meetings, and creating reports

●      Provide oversight of OLA’s Grant development program including developing procedures and guidelines for grant management

●      Tracking and reporting on budget requirements for assigned projects

●      Manage and coordinate the Digital Skills for Youth Program (2018-2020) with external parties 

●      Managing change within OLA; defining and adopting corporate strategies, structures, procedures and technologies and setting realistic expectations and communicating clearly on all aspects of change management

Examples of current programs and projects:

●      Association Management System (AMS)

●      Strategic Planning

●      Benchmarking Exercise

●      Fund Development Program

●      OLA Sponsorship Program

●      Contract Management programs: Digital Skills for Youth Program

●      Technology Projects – Content Management System (CMS), Apps

●      Special Projects (i.e. OLA re-brand)

●      Awards and recognition program (streamline)

●      Scholarships, nominations and elections

Event Management: Approximately 40% of the job mandate

Responsible for smooth and efficient coordination of events.

Responsibilities include:

●      Providing support and structure to education events by managing timelines, capturing minutes/actions of meetings, following up on action items, helping to facilitate and creating reports.

●      Tracking and reporting on budget requirements for OLA events

●      Review and streamline events and make recommendations for improvement

Responsible for the following events in conjunction with Membership/Events:

o   OCULA conference

o   RA in a Day

o   Digital Odyssey

o   Annual Institute on the Library as Place

o   Marketing Think Tank

o   Child & Youth EXPO

o   Copyright Symposium

Education:

●      Completion of a University or College degree in one of the related fields business administration/communications, event management, and project management is required

●      Project Management Professional Certification

●      Business analysis training/certification, an asset

●      Change Management certification, an asset

Desired Experience:

●      5 years' work experience in a project management capacity, including all aspects of process development and execution

●      Strong familiarity with project management software, design software and experience in an educational environment preferred

●      Fluency in French is desired

●      Experience working with a non-profit association

Skills & Expertise:

●      Strong verbal and written communication skills with a demonstrated ability to complete detailed analytics and reports and lead business discussions

●      Critical thinking and discernment to assess and scope areas for improvement and an ability to offer creative solutions

●      Applies attention to detail to routine tasks and takes initiative to ensure that outcomes meet internal and external member requirements and quality

●      Exceptional organizational skills, including managing multiple competing priorities/projects and an ability to adapt quickly to emerging priorities, leveraging their organized and effective personal work environment

●      Well-developed research, presentation and public speaking skills in both creating and delivering presentations and reports

●      Ability to perform duties in a professional and courteous manner and produce high quality work while meeting deadlines

●      Builds both formal and informal professional relationships

●      Conceptual thinking

●      Ability and willingness to stay abreast of social media and communication technology developments and commitment to professional development

●       Self-starter who can work independently and with the OLA team

Additional Perks: 

  • 3 weeks vacation
  • Employer paid benefits
  • RRSP program (up to 5% of your salary)
  • Employee Perks (discounts to Good Life, Rogers and Perkopolis)

If you are an experienced Project Manager and this role sounds like you please reply to this posting.