Learning Strategist, Autism and Neurodiversity

The Sinneave Family Foundation • Full-time • Remote (Calgary, AB, CA) • C$ 80k - C$ 90k / year • 3m ago

Learning Strategist, Autism and Neurodiversity

The Sinneave Family Foundation (Sinneave) – Background

The Sinneave Family Foundation is an operating foundation committed to a future where Autistic adults live, learn, work and thrive and realize their desired futures. We work to reduce barriers and enhance opportunities for Autistic youth and adults. Sinneave operates The Ability Hub in Calgary as an inclusive centre for innovation, learning and connection.

Job Snapshot

Sinneave is recruiting a Learning Strategist to support the innovation of educational resources, programs, and services aimed at building capacity in individuals, professionals, and across the community in relation to autism and neurodiversity.

The role includes a) reviewing and summarizing evidence of gaps in services, b) designing new resources or activities aimed at capacity building at the individual- or group-level, c) informing enhanced delivery of existing resources and activities, d) facilitating workshops, presentations, and other skill-building or learning initiatives, and e) collating, analyzing, synthesizing, and recommending activities to reduce barriers for Autistic youth and adults.

To be successful in this role, applicants should have experience synthesizing information (e.g., research, internal program data, professional experience), creating learning objectives, developing instructional content, in-person and virtual teaching experience, and the ability to consistently apply neuro-affirming language and practices into their work. Candidates should have a working knowledge of autism and other neuro-developmental differences.

This is a permanent full-time position. Pay is commensurate with job requirements and experience within a range ($80-$90k per year). Qualifications and experience will be taken into consideration. Sinneave also offers a comprehensive benefits package.

As an inclusive employer that is open and flexible in its thinking and approach to recruiting, all candidates invited to the assessment and interview process for this role, will be provided an opportunity to consider available options and advise us of their needs or preferences.

Work Context

In this role, you should expect:

1. A flexible work schedule of five days per week (Monday to Friday), for a total of 37.5 hours each week (7.5 hours per day), scheduled between the hours of 9 am and 7 pm.

2. Regular evenings (until 7pm), and the occasional weekend, may be required to facilitate workshops, attend relevant conferences, networking and other related activities.

3. Dedicated office space.

4. An option to consider a hybrid work arrangement, with up to 2 work-from-home days per week. Tuesdays are designated as an all-staff in-office day.

5. A mix of independent and team-based work all which will include contact with others (face-to-face discussions, Teams, Zoom, phone, email, etc.).

6. A focus on developing new educational resources and learning activities, as well as presenting learning activities to diverse audiences (that is, public speaking in the form of workshop facilitation, presentations, and networking).

7. Occasional travel within the Calgary area is expected for meetings, workshops, or other job-related activities.

8. A flexible wellness time allotment, in addition to sick days, that allows employees to manage their wellbeing and work-life balance.

Skills and Competencies

To be effective in this role, you must have the following skills and competencies:

1. Communication Skills and Abilities

· Advising and Consulting – providing guidance and consultative advice to colleagues to enable decision-making about tasks, situations, and processes.

· Professional Communicating – preparing and delivering written, oral and visual material promoting autism and neuroinclusive supports and strategies.

· Accessibility in Communication – creating and delivering content that meets organizational expectations of accessibility standards for all learners.

· Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships – developing respectful, constructive, and cooperative working relationships with stakeholders and colleagues, and maintaining them over time.

· Learning and Teaching Strategies – selecting and using training / instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

2. Leadership Skills

· Project Oversight – providing leadership on project-specific activities to ensure timelines are met or exceeded.

· Critical Thinking – using logic and reason to integrate organizational, community, and neuro-inclusive values, perspectives, and knowledge into all aspects of work.

· Time Management – monitoring, managing, and working to, both individual- and group-based, timelines.

3. Digital Skills

· Proficiency – effectively use Microsoft Windows Operating System and Microsoft Office Suite (e.g. Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point), as well as online meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

· Learning Management Systems – familiarity with leveraging LMS platforms, such as Docebo, for user engagement purposes, or a willingness to learn and effectively use these systems to host and deliver instructional content.

· Learning – If not familiar with, then keen to learn how to work within an extensive outcomes-oriented database, including data entry, enhanced extraction, and reporting.

Knowledge

To be successful in this role, you require the following:

1. Knowledge of the principles of adult learning, and methods and practices of instructing individuals and groups, designing educational content and measuring learning outcome.

2. Knowledge of the principles of universal design for learning.

3. Knowledge of autism and/or neuro-developmental differences.

4. Willingness to learn more about the principles of innovation and design thinking.

Personal Attributes and Abilities

To be successful in this role, you require the following personal qualities:

1. Initiative – taking on responsibilities and challenges, proposing, doing or organizing tasks by oneself without being prompted or supervised by others (ability to work independently).

2. Judgement – making considered decisions or coming to sensible conclusions (ability to problem solve).

3. Tolerance of Ambiguity – ability to function in an environment where there is a degree of unpredictability of work activities (the focus of work may vary week to week) and the possibility of multiple and competing demands.

4. Innovativeness - applying alternative thinking to develop new products or services to make improvement or to develop a new approach.

5. Collaborative – contributes and works cooperatively while being supportive and inclusive of others to achieve a common goal.

Qualifications and Experience

· Bachelor’s degree in Education, or other disability-related field (e.g., psychology).

· Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs, supports, and services for Neurodivergent learners.

· Personal lived experience with autism and neurodiversity.

· Graduate degree in Education, or another disability-related field.

· A professional designation.

· Specific experience with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities:

· Facilitates group-based workshops aimed at learning and skill development for Autistic and Neurodivergent youth and adults.

· Develops original source materials based on a synthesis of learnings.

· Researches, develops, delivers, and evaluates innovative teaching methods (e.g., instructional approaches, facilitation, coaching).

· Uses the principles of adult learning and universal design in the development and implementation of learning activities.

· Collaborates with cross-functional teams to support the design and implementation of innovative programs and services.

· Collects and analyses evidence to identify gaps and contribute to the direction of programs and services.

· Uses data to identify community need, evaluate activities, demonstrate outcomes, and inform system and policy decisions.

· Contributes to knowledge translation activities relating to assigned programs and services (e.g., scaling services, community capacity building, presentations at conferences).

· Serves as a subject matter expert in autism- and neurodivergent-related supports and services, as well as instructional design and delivery, and provides support and consultation to program staff.

· Delivers presentations and workshops to stakeholder groups.

Sinneave will use a multi-stage assessment and selection process with an expected offer going out to the selected applicant the middle of March with a suspected start date of April 1, 2025. The first stage of the assessment process will invite selected candidates to draw from their experience to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and competencies related to certain aspects of the role. The second stage will invite selected candidates to participate in an interview.

Sinneave is committed to ensuring accessibility throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodations during the application and selection process, please email jessica.genato@sinneavefoundation.org.

All candidates will receive a copy of the interview questions in advance of the interview meeting.

Please send Applications and Cover Letters electronically to:

Norm Lepitre, Director of Administration and HR

norm.lepitre@sinneavefoundation.org

Or by mail or fax to:

The Sinneave Family Foundation

Suite 300, Child Development Centre

3820 - 24 Ave NW

Calgary, AB

T3B 2X9

Fax (403) 284.9298

www.sinneavefoundation.org