Strategy & Research Assistant

Be the Spark! Join our passionate team and help us to achieve great things in our community!

The Strategy & Research Assistant supports research and analysis related to youth employment and pathways-to-work initiatives. The role helps interpret information from internal and external sources to generate clear insights that support planning and understanding. It contributes to preparing accessible summaries that inform discussions and reporting within the team. Overall the position provides foundational support to evidence-based program development in a collaborative mission-driven environment.

In this role you will:

• Conduct secondary research and literature reviews identify experts and organizations working in the field and analyze needs gaps and opportunities related to youth employment and pathways to work.
• Collect information and review YMCA program evaluations documents partnerships and participant data and analyze findings related to youth employment and pathways to work.
• Write briefing notes and reports summarize findings and translate insights into actionable outputs for the YMCA including preparing presentations dashboards and data visualizations.
• Support meetings workshops and data collection by organizing logistics preparing materials and documenting results.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What you need to succeed:

• Commitment to the YMCAs MissionVisionand Values.
• Focus on the health safety and wellbeing of all children youth and vulnerable people in YMCA programs including understanding legal and moral obligations related to reporting suspected child abuse to Child Protection Services.
• YMCA Competencies: Accountable Relationship-Builder Improvement-Orientated Team Player & Leader Equity and Wellbeing Promoter.

You bring:

• Be between 15 to 30 years of age at the start of the employment.
• Be a Canadian citizen permanent resident or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• Have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.
• Post-secondary education in public administration or social sciences or equivalent experience.
• Knowledge or previous experience with youth employment policy and programs.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative research and analytical skills with the ability to synthesize information from multiple sources.
• Knowledge or previous experience analyzing large sets of documents and data and deriving meaningful insights.
• Proficiency with personal computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite and AI tools.
• Well-developed interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as data visualization with the ability to distill complicated issues into plain language that can be easily understood.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Detail-oriented and conscientious with a commitment to producing high-quality work.
• Commitment to diversity equity inclusion and building a sense of belonging.

Why work for the YMCA

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is a charity that ignites the potential in people helping them grow lead and give back to their communities. We are committed to helping our employees reach their full potential and are recognized as a great place to work. We offer meaningful jobs and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals and the health of our communities. See what you can expect from the YMCA here.

Joining the Y means contributing to over 170 years of providing opportunities for people to shine through programs and services such as health and fitness licensed child care camps employment and immigrant services education and training and services for youth families and seniors. Learn more in ourstrategic plan Greater Togetherwhich outlines how we are focused on building communities where people feel healthier and more connected to their neighbours.

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is committed to Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging. We strive to remove barriers to employment and recognize that diverse staff who reflect the communities we work in enrich the experiences of our participants and our team. As an equal opportunity employer we invite applications from all qualified candidates including racialized people/people of colour Indigenous Peoples disabled people/people with disabilities and members of 2SLGBTQIA communities.

If we can make the recruitment process more accessible for you please let us know when we reach out about a job opportunity so we can work with you to accommodate your needs.

In keeping with our commitment to safety and child protection job offers are contingent on the successful completion of a Police Records Check. Within the first four months and every three years thereafter a Vulnerable Police Records Check is required. Learn more about these checks here.

The YMCA only considers applicants who are legally entitled to work in Canada. We thank all applicants for their interest however due to the volume of applications we receive we can only contact candidates who are selected for an interview.

Check out the next steps in our recruitment process and see what others are saying about working at the YMCA.

Required Experience:

Junior IC