The MicroEnterprise Coordinator will lead the implementation and management of a new initiative, the Women's Cottage Industry Collective—an entrepreneurial program supporting women engaged in crafting and small-scale product sales. This role involves coordinating events, managing resources, and providing mentorship and logistical support to help participants successfully launch and grow their micro-businesses. The position is rooted in trauma-informed and culturally safe practices, centering lived experience and valuing traditional and contemporary Indigenous knowledge systems alongside other ways of knowing.  

What you’ll be doing:    

 Program Coordination  

• Manage a cohort of 10 single mothers for a 6–12 month period, providing strengths-based, trauma-informed support tailored to each participant’s unique journey and cultural background.  

• Coordinate participation in up to 10 events per participant annually, including YWCA-sponsored and participant-selected events, ensuring culturally responsive and safe spaces for all.  

• Support participants in preparing for events, including inventory planning and display setup, and encourage the integration of Indigenous and traditional artistic practices where appropriate.  

• Provide guidance on business development, inventory management, pricing, and customer engagement, centering relational approaches and intergenerational wisdom.  

• Support participants with goal setting, progress tracking, and troubleshooting business challenges through reflective, compassionate conversations that honor lived experience, resilience, and self-determination.  

• Maintain a supportive, strengths-based, trauma-informed, and culturally inclusive environment for all participants, welcoming ceremony, smudging, or Elder involvement as requested.   

Resource & Event Management  

• Oversee distribution of supplies and equipment funding, ensuring equitable, transparent, and culturally appropriate access and tracking expenses in accordance with community protocols.  

• Facilitate procurement of essential items such as folding tables, chairs, tents, and craft-specific tools, and support access to traditional materials as needed for Indigenous participants.  

• Coordinate transportation and other required support for participants attending events, with attention to trauma-informed principles, safety, and accessibility.  

• Liaise with event organizers to secure vendor spaces—including YWCA corporate tents and individual booths—and advocate for land acknowledgements and culturally welcoming spaces at all events.  

• Ensure compliance with vendor requirements and manage logistics for shared and individual setups, considering the importance of protocol and gathering practices.  

Monitoring & Reporting  

• Track participant engagement and event attendance, with sensitivity to privacy, safety, and personal agency.  

• Collect receipts and impact statements from participants, inviting storytelling, oral history, or other culturally relevant forms of reflection.  

• Prepare program reports and evaluations for internal and external stakeholders, using inclusive and decolonizing approaches to capture participant voice and outcomes.  

• Promote the program in the community to reach diverse women, including Indigenous women, newcomers, racialized women, and survivors of violence, through partnerships with local organizations, Friendship Centres, and Elders.  

What you’ll need:  

• Experience in program coordination, community development, or small business support, with an understanding of trauma-informed and culturally safe practices.  

• Strong organizational and communication skills that honor participant voice, autonomy, and cultural context.  

• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse populations, including engagement with Indigenous communities and Elders.  

• Familiarity with event planning and vendor logistics, and an openness to Indigenous protocol and community event practices.  

• Proficiency in budgeting and resource allocation, informed by equity and community-based approaches.  

  Bonus qualities (but not required)   

• Knowledge of local craft and festival ecosystems, including Indigenous markets and cultural gatherings.  

• Experience working with single mothers or equity-deserving groups, especially Indigenous, Black, or racialized women.  

• Access to a reliable vehicle 

• A second language is an asset  

• Ability to mentor or coach in a small business context, using trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and decolonial approaches.    

What we offer:   

We offer our eligible employees the following benefits as part of their total rewards package:   

• Extended medical and dental benefits     

• A defined benefit pension plan (MPP)   

• Pregnancy, parental and adoption leave top up  

• 11 vacation days and 3 personal days, in addition to paid sick leave  

• Flexible working arrangements for applicable positions    

• Employee Family Assistance Program, a confidential and voluntary support service for employees and their eligible family members    

• A workplace that prioritizes employee health, safety and well-being, including many learning and growth opportunities such as our employee mentorship program and three equity committees that help to support our goals towards achieving meaningful equity and inclusion.   

• Free staff membership to our Health + Fitness Centre   

• Discounts at our YWCA Hotel    

• Priority in YWCA Child Care centres    

 

Pay Rate: $35.02 - $39.95