The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) has a legislated mandate to provide national leadership and evidence-informed analysis and advice to mobilize collaborative efforts to reduce alcohol- and other drug-related harms. CCSA activities and products are made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada through Canada's Drug Strategy.
CCSA works collaboratively with governments, researchers, enforcement agencies, treatment professionals and the private sector to achieve a balanced and holistic approach to addictions that will lead to a healthier and safer Canadian public. CCSA's vision is that "all people in Canada live in a society free of the harms associated with alcohol and other drugs and substances".
CCSA has the following exciting and rewarding career opportunity in Ottawa:
Position Title: Online Community Liaison
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) has a legislated mandate to provide national leadership and evidence-informed analysis and advice to mobilize collaborative efforts to reduce alcohol- and other drug-related harms.
CCSA is currently looking for an experienced Online Community Liaison to leverage our websites and develop innovative web-based tools to engage, grow and manage youth and professional communities in the substance abuse field. By keeping a pulse on the needs and opinions of these communities, this position will provide leadership to continue evolving CCSA’s web-based knowledge products and services. This position will report to the Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange and collaborate with other Knowledge Brokers, National Priority Advisors and Communications Advisors.
Responsibilities
Community development and support
- Develop, lead and implement innovative strategies and tactical plans to leverage social media and other web-based tools to identify, attract, engage and manage youth and professional communities in the substance abuse field.
- Gain an ongoing understanding of the perspectives, issues and needs of these communities by listening to and monitoring social media and online conversations.
- Gather knowledge about current and future community needs, issues, opportunities and insights.
- Use online communication skills and knowledge of these audiences to create engaging and informative content for a variety of interactive web-based tools, including forums, webinars, blogs, podcasts, videos and Twitter accounts.
- Use tact and diplomacy to respond to and manage relationships with these communities.
Online promotion
- Develop and lead creative online outreach strategies tailored to youth and professionals in the substance abuse field to generate interest in CCSA’s web-based products.
- Coordinate with Knowledge Brokers, National Priority Advisors and Communications Advisors to align online promotion and communications to these communities with other outreach and product promotions within CCSA.
- Participate in communications to personally connect with these communities to promote our products.
- Read blogs and Twitter accounts of partners, stakeholders, potential members and other influential people from youth and professional communities to identify opportunities for promoting our products and activities.
Product development
- Gather input for the ongoing development of dynamic, interactive websites and web-based tools, and communicate feedback to other divisions within CCSA. Community input may be generated through surveys, focus groups, online discussions, etc.
- Provide recommendations and consult with the web team about the production and integration of social media and other web-based tools such as RSS feeds, social networking tools, videos, podcasts, and webinars to help promote our products to communities.
- Stay up-to-date on web-based tools and best practices to proactively keep CCSA as an early adopter of these technologies.
- Identify and analyze issues, patterns and trends in customer activities, and work with the web team to provide statistical reporting.
- Establish metrics to measure the activity of communities with CCSA web-based products and evaluate the success of outreach strategies.
- Translate anecdotal or qualitative/quantitative data into recommendations and plans for revising the strategy for web-based products.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Journalism or Business with 3–5 years of experience in the field of alcohol and substance use or another health/social science. Or a Master’s degree in Health Science or Social Sciences with applied experience in social media, web-based media or journalism.
- 2–3 years of experience creating and maintaining strategies for successful web-based tools and building communities or networks.
- Proven and exceptional teamwork skills.
- Distinctive problem-solving and analytical capabilities.
- Excellent leadership skills and ability to handle customers with diplomacy.
- Experience interpreting results of data-reporting tools and analyzing Internet ‘chatter’.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to effectively communicate in person as well as online.
- Strategic thinker with proven ability to develop strategic plans.
- Working understanding of current web technology and web-based tools.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; fluency in French is an asset.
Interested candidates should submit a résumé and cover letter by email to hr@ccsa.ca no later than September 17, 2010. We thank all respondents; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.