Building Redevelopment and Digital Transition Coordinator

The Cowichan Intercultural Society is a Canadian registered charitable organization that has been operating in the Cowichan Valley Region since 1981. We provide services and support to newcomers to Canada settling in the Cowichan Valley, and activities to create a more welcoming and inclusive community. Reporting to the Executive Director, support CIS in developing a plan for affordable housing units at 312 St. Julien Street for highly skilled immigrants and refugees while also exploring the feasibility, challenges and opportunities for greater remote work time for staff and expanded digital service delivery to better serve newcomer clients in rural areas.

The ideal candidate will have:

•      A passion for project planning, change management and communications, for instance working towards a Masters or undergraduate degree, certificate or diploma in business administration, project management or other relevant field, including courses in project coordination.

•      Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with attention to detail.

•      Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint and PowerPoint) and use of AI tools such as ChatGPT

•      Excellent interpersonal skills, as well as verbal and written communication skills

•      Demonstrated success in relationship-building, including cross-culturally

•      Experience with the design or construction of multi-unit, multi-use residential projects, including non-profit affordable housing projects

•      Ability to share our vision and mission and engage others in support of newcomers to the region.

This position is funded by Employment and Social Development Canada for 8 weeks, working 35 hours per week at $30.00 per hour. The opportunity is for young people aged between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the start of employment to help them in acquiring employment and/or career-related skills.

The opportunity is for:

•         Young people between the age of 15 and 30 years old (inclusive) at the start of the internship, legally entitled to work in Canada and Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person who has been granted refugee status in Canada.

•         Young people not receiving any employment benefits (EI) during the internship.

•         The successful candidate must provide a criminal record check if over 18.

•         This position will start in early July.

We thank all applicants; however, only those shortlisted will be contacted for an interview We will conduct rolling interviews until the position is filled.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 4:00 pm, Friday, May 29th, 2026.

Preference may be given to qualified applicants that self-identify as racialized youth, including immigrants, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQI+, Francophone or other Minority Language Speakers who have a connection to CIS’ mission. All are encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should provide resume and cover letter in PDF format to: Elissa Smith, Programming and Finance Manager at

ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Affordable Housing Project Development Assistance (75%)

• Assist with developing project management process to support the affordable housing construction project including building a system to track stakeholder communications, meetings, deliverables, budgets/costs, and grant deadlines.

•         Provide administrative support to building management team – Conduct and present research and analysis on urban planning and affordable housing projects, including permits and environmental impact assessments, to assist with funding applications and planning submission coordination; assist with ongoing renovation and maintenance project planning in a context of planned redevelopment  

• Research and apply for grants to increase the capacity of the project and support Executive Director with fundraising through other activities to bolster project success.

•         Participate in community engagement and advocacy efforts - in consultation with Executive Director, prepare minutes and agendas for meetings with staff, city officials, funders, partners and other stakeholders regarding grant projects. As needed, attend meetings, engage in correspondence with stakeholders, and gather information including surveys to inform advocacy for the project

•         Contribute to the planning and development of redevelopment project including drafting work plans, timelines, budget development, communication plans and implementation plans, taking a holistic view of CIS mission and services, community partnerships and needs identified through the Local Immigration Partnership

•         Track and ensure the completion of development documents (i.e. Contracts with Development Consultants, Architects, Construction Managers, General Contractors, due diligence reports, insurance, performance bonds, etc.) and maintains documents in file and document systems (i.e. SharePoint, etc.).

Supporting Change Management and Digitization of Service Delivery (25%)

• Conduct and present research on technology and other supports available to establish work from home and hybrid service delivery in the settlement sector and other industries including AI, digital upskilling, project management, automating repetitive tasks to increase efficiencies, and change management/HR processes
• Assist with migration of files to new shared drive system
• Assist with research on cybersecurity, web design and telecommunications frameworks to support expanded digital service delivery to newcomers in rural areas, including contacting relevant contractors and service providers
• Complete a succinct report with recommendations for expanding digital service delivery for CIS to increase access to services for remote clients in rural areas
• Attend staff meetings and team meetings.