The Together Community Café Operations Lead will play a critical role in managing the operational coordination, volunteer support, and data tracking of our community café program during a pivotal franchising and community-integration phase. This role requires a unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit, administrative oversight, organizational skills, and volunteer and partner engagement. The goal is to grow the new model while transitioning out of the pilot — keeping quality and data collection strong, and supporting volunteers through the emotional and practical sides of the change, including helping them stay engaged with Together where appropriate.
As Operations Lead, you will also train and support a volunteer lead to help provide coverage and additional support.
Currently, the team consists of 24 volunteers divided into various subgroups, including the seniors café team, operations, program evaluation, content, venues, administration, and the 4 cafés. Six months from now, we would like to have a small franchise team of around 6 people: 2 leads, 2–3 trainers, and 1–2 admin. This team will continue to provide support to partner organizations, market the franchise, and develop ongoing training.
Key Responsibilities
1. Operations & Volunteer Coordination
Support the development of one lead volunteer directly, and potentially, in 2027, a 6-person volunteer team. Identify roles and responsibilities that may fit for that lead. Where deemed appropriate, these responsibilities may overlap with tasks identified in this contract; in those cases, primary responsibility for the task remains with this paid role, even if the volunteer lead assists.
Facilitate Meetings: Run the monthly Operations group meeting and promptly edit the minutes afterward. Follow up on and address any current operational issues raised. Help facilitate operational transitions across cafés. Assess which operational tasks may require further documentation so they can be used by future partners. Participate in senior café meetings (currently twice a month) and other senior café activities, such as training, where needed.
Café Volunteer Communication: Monitor individual café WhatsApp chats, respond promptly to volunteer emails, and proactively problem-solve volunteer coverage gaps as they arise. Actively recruit and work to retain promising volunteers for future admin or trainer roles, or connect them to other Together roles.
Communicate with the Director, Board Chair, Catalyst Team, Media and Events Facilitator, and current Café Lead, Elizabeth Bannerman, as needed. Elizabeth will be available for ongoing consultation and as the point person for communications with the Catalyst Team. The Director is available for payroll questions, volunteer disciplinary issues, café emergencies, policy and grant clarifications, Google Drive support (such as locating files), volunteer information, and any organizational or funding requirements. The MEOF supports social media and other advertising announcements.
Bimonthly Check-ins: Conduct check-ins with volunteers every two months (potentially via café visits) to assess café dynamics, support quality assurance, and discuss their experience, next steps, and ongoing interest regarding the community transition or potential closures.
Transition Support: Work closely with volunteers to support a smooth, sustainable transition of the program to another partner. Facilitate communication with the partner, including role expectations and boundaries.
2. Program Evaluation & Quality Assurance
Feedback Integration: Review participant evaluation surveys and session debriefs to ensure any flagged issues or action plans are addressed immediately.
Data Management: Ensure all administrative tasks — including scanning debriefs and participant evaluation surveys, and entering program evaluation data — are complete and up to date to support the end-of-year analysis.
Data Analysis: Ensure statistical analysis of the program evaluation data is completed in a timely fashion.
Reporting: Prepare comprehensive Program Evaluation (PE) reports based on attendance metrics and statistical data.
3. Content & Resource Management
Content Curation: Manage and contribute to a comprehensive facilitator guide outlining the core themes, session layouts, and structural framework of the community cafés to support ongoing delivery.
Educational Materials: Manage and contribute to a separate document distilling psychoeducational materials, to ensure facilitators have an appropriate knowledge base.
Venue Liaison: Maintain periodic check-ins with host venues as required by the current phase of the program timeline.
4. Café Franchise
This part of the role applies as of January 2027 and is subject to funding, pay and hours renegotiation, and possible work reclassification.
- Develop possible partnerships with organizations able to take on responsibility for the cafés.
- Market the cafés.
- Assist with grants to support the Café Franchise Team and its development.
- Support contract negotiation, training, materials, and rollout of the café in accordance with our contract responsibilities.
Qualifications & Skills
- Experience: Proven experience in program coordination, community initiatives, or volunteer management.
- Entrepreneurial spirit of seeking out growth opportunities and comfort with a changing start up environment..
- Leadership & Empathy: Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to guide volunteers through organizational transitions with sensitivity and clarity.
- Organizational Skills: Exceptional attention to detail in data entry, administrative task management, and report preparation.
- Communication: Highly effective written and verbal communication skills for running meetings, drafting minutes, and managing remote team communication (e.g., WhatsApp, email).
Hours & Work Schedule
Highly Flexible, Candidate-Driven Schedule: Outside of scheduled monthly meetings and any fixed café times you choose to attend, you have complete autonomy over when you complete your work.
Estimated Commitment: Hours will vary from week to week based on programmatic needs, averaging approximately 7 hours per week until January 2027. At that point, once a franchise team is in place, hours and role responsibilities will be reassessed with the intention of retaining continuity in the number of hours.
Daily Touchpoints: While you choose your own hours, a brief degree of daily availability is required to monitor ongoing communication channels (such as WhatsApp chats) and respond to urgent volunteer or operational needs.
Pay: As consideration for the Services provided by the Contractor, compensation is $40/hour, to a maximum of $10,000, for the scope of work outlined above and for the 6-month term of the contract, unless additional hours are agreed to in writing by both parties.
Contact: Anna Glibka- [email protected], 778-369-2475
Pay: $40.00 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in White Rock, BC
