YWCA has a long-standing community presence in St. John’s, first established in 1925. Our mission is to advance gender equity through justice-doing programs and services. YWCA’s vision is for a feminist future where communities are empowered and liberated from systemic oppression. YWCA St. John’s is committed to diversity and we encourage qualified applicants with varied personal and professional experience to apply.
Position Overview
Title: Black Gender Based Violence (GBV) Survivor Coordinator
Reports to: Manager of Programs
Classification:Full-time, term; salary
Contract Details: Until March 2028; possibility of extension
Salary: $56,000 (plus vacation and benefits package)
Hours: 37.5 hours a week
Start Date: September 7th, 2026
Deadline: August 3, 2026 at 5 pm NDT
Position Description
YWCA St. John’s is looking to increase empowerment and advocacy, as well as create safe(r) spaces for Black women and gender-diverse individuals who are survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). In 2025, YWCA St. John's partnered with partnership with WomenatthecentrE to host focus groups on gender-based violence with Black survivors and advocates. Deep Roots, Rising Voices, is a direct result of this partnership and WomenatthecentrE's national Truth and Transformation project to document the structural inequalities impacting Black women, girls, trans, and gender-diverse individuals' disproportionate vulnerabilities to gendered anti-Black violence (GaBV), gender-based violence (GBV) and lack of equitable access to care.
Based in St. John’s and collaborating across Newfoundland and Labrador, the Black Gender Based Violence (GBV) Survivor Coordinator will work with communities to address a lack of dedicated spaces and pathways for healing, resilience, and advocacy for Black survivors of gender-based violence in Newfoundland and Labrador. A key focus of this project will be facilitating opportunities for connection to community, reducing social isolation for Black survivors of GBV. Through this work, the coordinator will encourage and build community-led strategies for healing, advocacy and prevention by supporting participants to engage in grassroots ideation that recognizes the need to provide safer spaces for radical power and softening in face of the deep, historic and internalized messages of anti-Black violence and misogynoir. The coordinator will also contribute to community capacity regarding the experiences and needs of Black survivors of gender-based violence.
Key Objectives/Primary Duties
- Develop and facilitate peer support groups in St. John’s for Black women, girls, trans, and gender-diverse survivors of gender-based violence
- Support Black survivors of gender-based violence to explore and share healing practices and to develop advocacy initiatives to give voice to community experiences and need.
- Provide Black GBV survivors with individual support and systems navigation that centres the experiences of Anti-Black racism and misogynoir through anti-racist, client-centred, and trauma-informed approaches.
- Explore delivery and partnerships in other regions and identify Black communities and grass-roots leaders.
- Engage with community partners to strengthen resources and abilities to support survivors with an intersectional lens, building a network committed to knowledge sharing to build support for Black survivors.
- Work with an external evaluator to design and implement tools and measurements to track project progress and evaluate outcomes.
- Work collaboratively with Manager to work within project budget, deliverables and complete funder reporting.
Experience, Skills & Knowledge
YWCA St. John’s anticipates that candidates will possess the following experiences, skills, and knowledge. However, YWCA recognizes the value of lived experience as well as a diverse personal and professional history. Use your cover letter to tell us why you would be a good fit for the position.
- Ability to centre lived and living experience of Black GBV survivors
- Knowledge of experiences of Anti-Black racism, gendered anti-Black violence, misogynoir and systemic, structural racism in NL.
- Knowledge of and experience applying a gender equity lens, anti-racist and anti-oppressive principles, as well as an understanding of trauma-informed practice.
- Experience in group facilitation and creating safer, accessible, inclusive spaces for survivors.
- Experience in developing collective advocacy approaches
- Ability to build trust and positive relationships with participants and community partners and with diverse communities of Black women and gender-diverse people.
- Demonstrated ability to navigate systems, community supports and services with participants
- Experience in program coordination and evaluation.
- Willingness to participate in self-reflection towards justice-doing and solidarity work as part of YWCA team.
- Experience applying theory of collective care and justice-doing to develop strong relationships with respect for client-centred boundaries, solidarity and care.
- Completion of a post-graduate degree in a related field (such as social work, education, social sciences) or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Characteristics & Other Requirements
- Current RNC Code of Conduct and Vulnerable Sector Check are required.
- Willingness to participate in self-reflection towards justice-doing and solidarity work as part of YWCA team.
- Ability to be self-directed, work independently, take initiative, and demonstrate flexibility.
- Ability to work in a collaborative team environment.
- Exemplary communication (oral and written), and a strong level of digital literacy.
- Organizational, and problem-solving skills.
The successful candidate will be committed to working from an anti-oppression, intersectional feminist perspective. We encourage women, non-binary, and gender diverse individuals who are Indigenous, Black, from racialized communities, from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, newcomers and/or Immigrants, individuals living with disAbilities, and folks from other marginalized communities to apply.
Please send your cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Applications will be accepted until August 3, 2026 at 5 pm NDT. For any questions or accommodations in the application process, please email [email protected]. Only candidates selected for the interview process will be contacted.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $56,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- Paid time off
- RRSP match
Work Location: In person
