Program Assistant (Innovation and Learning Lab)
Temporary, Full-Time, Summer Student Contract Position – Up to 40 hours per week
Who are we?
Feed Nova Scotia is a charitable organization whose mission is to increase food security through food
distribution, education, and collaboration. In terms of food distribution, we collect and distribute more than
two million kilograms of food annually to 140 member agencies across the province, including food banks,
meal programs, shelters, drop-in centres and other organizations. This equates to over $1 million worth of
food each month. We also support our member agencies as they build capacity to serve their communities,
we raise awareness of the realities of food insecurity in our province, and we advocate for social change to
address food insecurity at its core.
Knowing change starts from within, we have committed to a continuous learning journey to centre diversity,
equity, and inclusion in our work.
Feed Nova Scotia’s Innovation and Learning Lab
Feed Nova Scotia is embarking on a significant initiative to help facilitate transformative change in our response
to food insecurity, through the launch and development of an Innovation and Learning Lab. We do so,
knowing that social policy intervention at the government level is the only solution to food insecurity, but that
sustainable, policy-based solutions will take time. While we advocate to advance these efforts, thousands of
Nova Scotians need support right now, and we need to ensure they can access it in a dignified way.
Through the Innovation and Learning Lab, Feed Nova Scotia is committing new resources to explore, develop,
and evaluate more effective and equitable community-led support options to meet the needs of Nova Scotians
who are living with food insecurity. Innovation labs, by their very nature, are about trying different approaches
with the knowledge that some will work, and others won’t, but that all efforts yield valuable learnings to share
and build upon. Rigorous evaluation will be a constant focus. Knowing that equity-deserving groups are
disproportionately affected by food insecurity, these communities will be centred in everything we do, and
people with lived experience will be at the forefront of planning and implementation.
What is a Program Assistant (Innovation and Learning Lab)?
As we continue recruitment for the Innovation and Learning Lab Director role, the Program Assistant will work
collaboratively with other members of the Feed Nova Scotia team to support initial work tasks involved with
the ongoing development of the Innovation and Learning Lab. This could include (but is not limited to)
supporting special projects and initiatives, managing administrative tasks, conducting research, as well as
compiling and analyzing preliminary data.
What does a Program Assistant do?
• Create tools, templates and resources to support idea generation and presentation
• Assist in monitoring progress on key deliverables
• Conduct research to collect and analyze data on alternative programs and services, operating
models, and social enterprise models
• Develop printed materials and resources to support new ideas and initiatives
• Provide content to the team to use in news bulletin and other related documents
• Assist with data entry, quality control, and analysis of new idea generation and trials
• Make outbound calls to current or potential community partners and stakeholders to collect data,
record survey results, etc
• Provides ongoing organizational communication, both directly and via emails and phone calls
• Track phone call details to help inform statistics and provide data for record-keeping
• Support in the design and development of ongoing reports
• Attend weekly team updates and organization all-calls via Teams
• Other duties as assigned
What are we looking for?
• Dependable and honest; professional and reliable
• Detail oriented; excellent organizational skills
• Able to effectively work independently, while collaborating with others in a fast-paced environment
• Strong learning agility; takes initiative and possesses creative problem-solving skills
• High degree of self-awareness and emotional intelligence
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite with expertise in Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel required
• Database and research experience preferred
• Exemplary communication skills, written and verbal
• High degree of sociability; positive, outgoing personality
• Previous knowledge and understanding of non-profit industry and/or social service setting an asset
• Centres equity, diversity, and inclusion in their work; inclusive and welcoming in nature
Compensation – The compensation for this position is $19.17/hr plus 4% in lieu of earned vacation, paid out
on a biweekly basis.
If you are looking for an outstanding opportunity to make an impact in your community, please submit a cover
letter and resume that clearly indicate how you meet the requirements of this position, in one PDF document
to: recruitment@feednovascotia.ca by 11:59pm on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Please include ‘Summer Student
– Program Assistant’ in the subject line to help us action your application more efficiently.
For us to create meaningful, sustainable change, equity, diversity and inclusion must be centred in every aspect
of our work. As a provincial organization with influence and credibility, we recognize the responsibility we
have to hold ourselves accountable to this. We know our efforts will effect more change if our employees,
their identities, and their lived experiences are reflective of the communities we work with and live in.
Through ongoing work that empowers everyone to bring their full, authentic selves to Feed Nova Scotia every
day, we want to build a culture where difference is valued. We know where we want to be, but we’ll be
honest—we aren’t there yet, and we won’t get there overnight. But we’re committed to doing the work, and
we hope you’ll join us on our journey and share your strengths as a member of our team.
If you require any accommodations to submit your application successfully, please contact us via e-mail at
recruitment@feednovascotia.ca or by phone at 902-457-1900. Thank you for your interest in working with us
at Feed Nova Scotia!
Please note: The summer student positions are made possible by government funding. Given this, applicants must: