Content Specialist - Full Time

Homeward Trust Head Office, 6 - 10242 105 ST, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Req #28

Friday, October 11, 2024

About Us

Homeward Trust Edmonton (HTE) is a not-for-profit organization charged with ending homelessness in Edmonton. Our efforts are guided by community need and priorities as outlined in Edmonton’s Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. We have a dynamic work environment, filled with high-energy, dedicated, and passionate people.

Homeward Trust coordinates and provides resources for local efforts to address homelessness and its devastating impacts on individuals, families, and communities. We work with agencies, neighborhoods, mainstream systems, community members, and all orders of government in pursuit of this singular objective, grounded in the belief that we can, and will, end homelessness in Edmonton. Homeward Trust is proud our community is recognized both nationally and internationally as a leader in this work.

Our programs involve both housing (capital project funding, property management and sourcing access to new or existing units for client use) and supportive services for individuals in or seeking access to housing programs. We believe in finding housing accommodations first and then establishing the individualized supports required by the client to remain in a home.

This is an essential role in providing information on our platforms, channels and materials on the efforts to prevent and end homelessness.

Reporting to the Director, Communications and Engagement, the Content Specialist is responsible for:

• Website (WordPress) development, management and optimization both back and front-end
• Content planning and generation:
• Developing succinct, factual content with exemplary writing/grammar skills to share sector news and increase awareness of the plans and priorities to end and prevent Edmonton homelessness. This includes copywriting, blogs, newsletters, social media crisis communications, and long and short-form content for internal and external audiences.
• Developing basic visual content and graphics for our channels and platforms (social, web, newsletters).
• Project planning and reporting including managing editorial calendars and content management plans.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Research, write, and edit content for various platforms, channels and external and internal audiences.
• Support emergent and/or crisis communications including real-time monitoring and reporting.
• Stay up-to-date on social media trends as well as best practices in content planning, management and generation.
• Front-end and back-end development of our WordPress site, including the implementation of themes and plugins as well as site integration, performance management and security updates.
• Generating weekly fresh content, reviewing and editing/improving existing content.
• Creating the website architecture and conducting performance tests.
• Troubleshooting content issues, creating/testing applications and making adjustments.
• Experience building user interfaces for websites, responsive design with experience using PHP, HTML, CSS etc.
• Ability to understand CSS changes and their ramifications to ensure consistency.
• Understanding of how to design for and optimize for SEO and UX.
• Data management and backup.
• Integrating graphics, audio, and video into the website.
• Collaborating with team members to determine the website’s layout, content, and design.
• Monitoring website traffic, performance, security, compatibility and making adjustments.
• Other duties as assigned and as required.

Education and Experience

• Graduate of a recognized post-secondary institution with a focus on public relations, communications, social media or journalism is required.
• A minimum of two years’ experience managing social, content generation (graphics, design and copy) and website management and development is required.
• Basic graphic design skills and training with bonus points for social media video production.
• Equivalencies in formal education and/or experience will be considered.
• Prior work in the not-for-profit industry is considered an asset.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Adept at working with other departments and functions, fostering organizational cohesion and alignment with strategic goals.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively articulate strategic initiatives to diverse audiences.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage complex, multi-faceted programs and initiatives.

Measures of Success

• Public relations and government relations acumen. We work in a highly sensitive, political space with often divergent viewpoints. The successful candidate will understand and be attuned to current news as it impacts the sector and political viewpoints to be aware of the landscape and any sensitivities to be responsive when crafting content, in particular on social media.
• Work collaboratively with the Communications team, leadership, and staff and stakeholders.
• Consistently display factual accuracy with exemplary writing and grammar skills.
• Employ a sense of urgency in proactively monitoring social media to alert leadership to emerging issues, topics of interest and to provide timely briefs.
• Proactively plan and schedule content aligned with organizational messaging and interests.
• Ensure homewardtrust.ca is secure, optimized and refreshed with timely content of value to our audiences which includes ensuring the backend is maintained and expertly managed.
• Set and meet deadlines, prioritize tasks, seek approvals/make decisions promptly and effectively communicate with others.
• Exercise media and public relations acumen, combined with discretion and good judgement regarding political issues, sensitive information, and public perception.
• Be a self-motivated learner who is passionate about staying abreast of content, social and web best practices and trends.
• Thrive in ambiguity, and the unknown while striking a balance of knowing when to.

Working Conditions

• Office Environment: Primarily based in an office, with opportunities for remote work and hybrid arrangements to promote work-life balance.
• Collaboration: Frequent interaction with cross-functional teams, external partners, and stakeholders to ensure the achievement of strategic objectives.

Please apply with BOTH a cover letter and resume as one document. Applications without a cover letter will not be accepted. Please use your cover letter to showcase your grammar and writing skills and to detail how your experience and qualifications make you a unique fit for this role.

This competition will close at 4:30 p.m. on November 1, 2024. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

While we evaluate all applications based on merit, we especially appreciate and recognize the unique insights that come from personal lived experiences, such as homelessness or houselessness. We are deeply committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Applicants from marginalized groups, including but not limited to Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ2S+, women, and newcomers, are encouraged to apply.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.