The Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU) is hiring an Executive Director to support organizational governance, administrative functions, political advocacy, strategic direction, and day-to-day operations. In this unique role, the Executive Director will work closely with the elected board of directors, a Community Organizer, and other SUDU staff to support the continued growth of one of BCs fastest growing drug user-led advocacy organizations.

Description of role

Part-time @ $30/hr, up to 20 hours per week. Additional hours must be approved in collaboration with the SUDU Board of Directors. Minimum 8 hours in-person on board/general meeting day (includes 1-hour unpaid break & two 15-minute paid breaks). The Executive Director may complete an additional 8 hours hybrid depending on tasks (includes 1-hour unpaid break & two 15-minute paid breaks) when in-person work is not required. The Executive Director is also afforded an additional ~ 4 additional hours per week, depending on workload, which may be remote or in-person.

Background

Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU) is a peer-led organization that aims to improve the living conditions of people who use unregulated drugs in Surrey, B.C., through education, advocacy, and capacity-building. We are committed to advancing justice-oriented drug policy that upholds the human rights of people who use drugs. Our mission is to provide support, resources, and education to drug users in our community. We believe in the power of community and solidarity to create positive change. 

SUDUs purpose is to:

• To improve the quality of life for people who use(d) unregulated drugs;

• To maintain a drug-user-led organization that is effective, transparent, and accountable to its membership;

• To advocate for both immediate and long-term amendments to laws concerning unregulated drugs, to end the criminalization, stigmatization, death, illness, and violence experienced by people who use(d) such drugs;

• To work to end drug prohibition and demand access to a safe regulated supply of all unregulated drugs;

• To advocate for equitable access to quality healthcare and housing for people who use(d) unregulated drugs;

• To foster the growth of democratic, grassroots, relevant and effective organizations led by people who use(d) unregulated drugs;

• To amplify the voices of people who use(d) drugs so that their concerns on social, medical, legal and economic issues are heard by policymakers, service providers and the public;

• To realize, deepen, broaden and share the love, wisdom, respect, and camaraderie found in grassroots groups and their compassionate allies;

• To acknowledge, educate, defend and advocate for the civil, legal, and human rights of people who use(d) unregulated drugs, as enshrined in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms;

• To instill in individuals the realization of their inherent rights to self-agency and self-determination while also supporting the unique paths of drug users, which may encompass continued drug use, treatment, or abstinence, all while fostering a culture of equality;

• To prioritize human life over legislation.

SUDUs Executive Director is a non-member, allied staff person who works closely with the SUDU Board of directors and other staff members to carry out the organization's mandate and advance its political goals. The Executive Director works closely with an elected working Board composed of community members who are current or former illicit drug users. The Executive Directors primary role is to support the effective and ethical operations of the Board of Directors, complete administrative tasks necessary for SUDUs operations, directly supervise other allied staff, assist with good governance of a democratically elected group of people who use drugs, maintain relationships with funding and other external partners, oversee SUDU financials and grantwriting, and advance policy advocacy operations as an allied staff person creating opportunities for SUDU members to engage in direct action, education, advocacy and empowerment. 

Qualifications

SUDU encourages applications from people with lived and living experience of accessing the unregulated drug supply in and around Surrey. Applicants must possess the following qualifications to be considered for this role:

• Decolonial, trauma-informed, anti-oppressive lens with specific recognition of the contributions of public health and health research to colonial violence in so-called BC.

• Familiarity with substance use and harm reduction policymaking processes, institutions, and actors in so-called BC.

• Knowledge of grant writing, program management, reporting, and service agreement management

• Familiarity with public health and governmental drug toxicity response systems. throughout so-called British Columbia.

• Exceptional plain language, academic writing, and knowledge translation skills.

• Ability to facilitate discussion, synthesize thoughts and themes, and create advocacy outputs alongside the SUDU membership as a collaborator, not a service provider

• Willingness to serve the community as a non-member, allied staff person answering to an elected body of peers

• Self starter, ability to work on their own and within a team with minimal direct supervision towards collectively defined goals.

• Advanced understanding of the principles of harm reduction, community empowerment, and drug user activism.

• Developed political lens conducive to social movement building

• Strong communication skills, ability to speak plainly, and familiarity with plain language writing

• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite, including the use of Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail.

• Experience in collective, non-profit, or organizational management including management of payroll, budget management, hiring, conflict resolution, and public-facing communications

• Familiarity with Surrey’s political, cultural, and demographic landscape

• Self confident and outspoken

• Ability to organize and support direct actions in an innovative flexible manner

• Current Naloxone and overdose response training, with willingness to upgrade skills

The following qualifications are considered assets:

• Lived or living experience of substance use 

• Advanced and intersectional understanding of carcerality within BCs  health, justice, housing, and social services systems and their relevance to drug policy

• Lived, academic, or professional background related to Indigenous studies, social services, political science, policy studies, public health or health promotion 

• Experience supporting or participating in the operations of a non-profit board of directors, including knowledge of the BC Societies Act

• Anti-oppressive understanding of the social determinants of health and the ongoing impacts of colonization on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people

• Community organizing experience that includes but is not limited to facilitating meetings, conducting direct action, and liaising with policymakers

• Fluency in a second language is an asset. Ability to speak Punjabi is considered a significant asset.

• Experience within or engaging with action-oriented health research is considered an asset.

• Ability to translate political and research concepts in lay terms

• Residence in and around Surrey significant asset, alternatively, knowledge of and willingness to learn more about Surrey’s unique context is important

• Class 5 drivers license is a significant asset

Responsibilities

Responsibilities that fall under the SUDU Executive Director role:

Governance:

• Maintain SUDUs status as an incorporated non-profit society in good standing under the BC Societies Act

• Develop and propose new policies and procedures to strengthen SUDUs governance structure, accountability systems, and financial sustainability

• Support the elected board of directors to govern in accordance with the SUDU constitution and bylaws

• Must attend weekly board meetings and support board meeting operations alongside the President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer

• Plan, coordinate, and facilitate quarterly board development activities

• Develop board agendas in advance of the meeting with the support of the President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer

• Liaise with external researchers, policymakers, and event organizers to coordinate guests appearing before the SUDU board

• Regularly review community newsletters, event postings, news, and SUDUs email in order to inform board members of upcoming events, trainings, and deadlines

• Bring items of consideration to the Board and provide more information when needed.

• Advise on project/activities/priorities in good faith

• Prepare, distribute, and record petty cash stipends paid to board members

• Support board members to engage in paid one-off tasks to advance SUDUs mission

• Support the SUDU Board to create and implement a conflict resolution policy

• Coordinate an official Annual General Meeting, including an election of a new board of directors followed by the selection of an executive board, once per year in accordance with the BC Societies Act

• Oversee SUDUs financials in partnership with the Secretary-Treasurer and accountant by ensuring activities remain within budget & providing regular budgetary proposals and updates to the SUDU board

• Complete regular reporting to SUDUs governmental and non-governmental funders

Advocacy

• Remain informed of current events and up-to-date best practices related to harm reduction, drug policy, and public health research related to substance use in BC.

• Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, including elected officials, in and around Surrey to advance harm reduction and evidence-based substance use policy

• Seek out opportunities for SUDU’s political advocacy including but not limited to meetings, direct action, presentations, events, and conferences

• Supporting board members and general SUDU members to build advocacy skills, including creating agendas, facilitating general meetings, and engaging in direct action to change drug policy

• Lead SUDUs organizational efforts to build and foster coalitions with likeminded, social-justice informed, antiracist organizations in Surrey

• Assist the SUDU board and Community Organizer to plan and undertake direct actions and campaigns relevant to the SUDU mission statement

• Represent SUDU at inter-organizational meetings and forums, including conferences, symposiums, BC Harm Reduction Convergences, meetings of the Fraser Health Board of Directors, the Fraser Health Harm Reduction Collaborative, and biweekly check-ins with Fraser Health Authority

• Ensure that the members of the SUDU board are aware of current events related to harm reduction, drug policy, substance use, housing, health policy, and homelessness within and outside of Surrey.

• Assist SUDU leaders in travelling to attend engagement and advocacy meetings

• Support SUDUs membership and board of directors in establishing new affiliate and semi-autonomous groups in order to expand SUDUs reach and expertise

• Assist the Community Organizer in preparing and mobilizing knowledge translations products including policy briefs, press releases, statements, media advisories, academic articles, and popular media articles

• Serve as a public-facing spokesperson for the organization with direction from the elected board when elected leaders are not available

• Facilitates board and member access to financial information related to the organization as appropriate, including regular reports to the board

Operations

• Attend SUDU general meetings each week for the duration of their introductory / probationary period. Afterwards, the Executive Director is highly encouraged to attend these meetings whenever possible. 

• Oversee SUDUs space use agreements, leases, insurance, and memorandums of understanding related to office and meeting space in Surrey’s Whalley neighbourhood. 

• This includes Maintain contact and good relations between SUDU and space use partners and scheduling room use as acquired.

• Support SUDUs board and subgroups to develop budget and mandate-appropriate low-barrier programming to engage and empower people who use drugs in Surrey

• Support hiring and review of SUDU staff

• Support staff and peer leaders completion of required advanced harm reduction, basic first-aid, and overdose response training

• Support the development of overdose response, code silver, and medical emergency protocols

• Work with the Community Organizer to organize office workspace, including through the purchase and organization of supplies

• Coordinate payroll, handle petty cash stipends, and facilitate expense reimbursement for SUDU employees and peer leaders in partnership with SUDUs accountant

• Hold petty cash for day-to-day stipend payments.

• Seek out opportunities for operational and project-specific external grant funds and complete grant proposals on a regular basis with the support of the Community Organizer and other SUDU staff

• Work closely with SUDUs Peer Leader to ensure that they are supported to carry out their assigned responsibilities

• Strengthen and maintain SUDUs contributions to the BC Coalition of Organizations by and for People who Use Drugs

• Maintain SUDUs relationship with the Surrey Community Action Team

• Oversee SUDUs participation in the BC Centre for Disease Controls Take Home Naloxone, Facility Overdose Response Box, and harm reduction supply programs by ordering supplies and completing regular reporting as required

Weekly membership meetings:

• Work with SUDU board members and the Community Organizer to coordinate facilitation of general meetings. When possible, Board members should be supported to learn and practice meeting agenda setting and facilitation skills as a form of capacity building. While supporting the facilitation of weekly meetings is primarily the responsibility of the Community Organizer and elected board, the Executive Director will facilitate general meetings when and if required.

• Invite guests as appropriate (confirm with Board prior to invite).

• Delegate meeting report sheet to a member at each meeting.

Communications: 

• Receive, review, and circulate media requests back to the SUDU board or appropriate representatives when possible

• Act in the role of SUDU spokesperson when appropriate in partnership with the SUDU board

• Maintain SUDUs media list as required

• Support the Community Organizer to prepare media releases, statements, policy briefs, and address media requests

• Become familiar with each Board member’s communication methods (e.g. phone and email, phone only, etc.)

• Remind SUDU leaders of regular meeting times, schedule changes, and upcoming events through email, text messages, phone calls, and in-person visits

• Monitor SUDUs email

For current students, the SUDU Board of Directors would like to note that this role does not supersede SUDUs research ethics process (The SUDUs and Dont’s of research). All researchers looking to do research with SUDU and with members must approach the SUDU board to begin this formalized process. This process is parallel to employment as a staff organizer at SUDU, and the role of the organizer is to advance the mission of the organization first and foremost. Employment with SUDU does not equate to consent for participation in research. Research conducted without the expressed consent of the organization or fails to follow SUDUs internal guidelines will be considered unethical.

Confidentiality

Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of SUDU’s board activities, relationship with members, and member identities is extremely important, and any breach of this will be cause for termination. You agree to maintain such confidentiality even after the end of your employment and this agreement survives the termination of employment.

To apply

Interested applicants are invited to send a resume and cover letter to by 11:59PM on July 1st, 2025. Cover letters should be limited to one page and include a response to the question “What does drug user liberation mean to you,” in addition to other information. While we will try to contact all applicants to inform them of a decision, only applicants selected for an interview may be contacted by July 15th, 2025. Onboarding will take place in the month of August. We encourage applicants with less familiarity with drug user organizing to attend a general meeting Mondays at 5PM at the Black Arts Centre (10305 City Pkwy #105, Surrey, BC V3T 4Y8) to meet members and see if this opportunity is the right fit.