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Job Title: Communications & Community Engagement Manager
Organization: Ignatius Jesuit Centre
Location: Guelph, Ontario

Job Type: Permanent, full-time
Reports to: Senior Director, Transition
Hours: 40 hours per week; occasional evening and weekend work may be required
Salary: $62,000–$72,000 annually, commensurate with experience
Benefits: Health & dental benefits, defined contribution pension plan, paid lunch
Start Date: December 2026 or January 2027, as mutually agreed
Deadline: ASAP

Submit resume and cover letter to reception@ignatiusguelph.ca
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About Ignatius Jesuit Centre

Ignatius Jesuit Centre (IJC) is a spiritual, ecological and community hub located on a 600-acre working farm and conservation property just north of Guelph. Rooted in the Ignatian tradition, IJC brings together agriculture, ecological stewardship, spirituality and community engagement.

IJC is entering a new period of growth and renewal. Our work includes the Centre for Integral Ecology, Ignatius Farm and farmer training, ecological conservation and restoration, community gardens, land-based programs, spiritual programming, volunteer engagement, partnerships and community events.

 
Position Overview

IJC is seeking an excellent communicator and practical community-builder to serve as our Communications & Community Engagement Manager.

The Manager is responsible for how IJC communicates with and engages its many communities — including program participants, volunteers, neighbours, gardeners, donors, partner organizations, visitors and the wider Guelph community.

This is both a communications role and a hands-on community-facing role. The successful candidate will be a strong writer and thoughtful communicator who is equally comfortable developing a newsletter, helping plan a community festival, working with external partners, staffing an information table, updating signage or responding to the practical realities of delivering an event.

The Manager serves as IJC’s principal staff resource for organizational communications and community engagement. The role involves functional leadership of these areas but does not currently include direct staff supervision.

Responsibilities

Communications

• Develop and maintain an annual organizational communications plan aligned with IJC’s mission, priorities and program calendar.
• Write, edit and coordinate IJC newsletters and other regular communications for community members, volunteers, donors, gardeners and other audiences.
• Develop clear and engaging written content for IJC’s website, social media, print materials, programs, events and external communications.
• Write and coordinate press releases and support relationships with local media where appropriate.
• Coordinate IJC’s social media presence and content calendar.
• Help maintain consistency in IJC’s organizational voice, messaging and visual identity.
• Coordinate the development and updating of brochures, posters, event materials, trail maps, signage and other printed materials.
• Coordinate and contribute to IJC’s annual report and other major organizational publications.
• Manage day-to-day website content, including program information, blog posts, organizational information and other routine updates.
• Create and maintain event listings and registrations on the website, including the day-to-day configuration required to use IJC’s existing WordPress and Neon CRM integrations.
• Coordinate with external technical support when back-end website development, system integration or other technical work is required.
• Produce professional everyday visual communications materials and coordinate external design or production support when specialized expertise is required.
• Support staff across IJC in communicating their programs and work clearly and effectively.

Community Engagement and Events

• Serve as the staff lead for community engagement activities that strengthen relationships between IJC and its surrounding communities.
• Act as the principal planning and coordination point for major community events such as Roots & Renewal, working with colleagues who share responsibility for event delivery.
• Coordinate event planning, timelines, partnerships, bookings, vendors, participants and community organizations.
• Participate directly in event setup, delivery and take-down as required, alongside other IJC staff and volunteers.
• Coordinate IJC’s presence at external community events such as farmers’ markets, festivals, fairs and information tables.
• Develop and maintain relationships with community organizations, local partners and groups whose interests align with IJC’s work.
• Coordinate seasonal gatherings and other opportunities that strengthen relationships among IJC’s constituent communities.
• Coordinate invitations, reminders, follow-up communications and other engagement associated with events and gatherings.
• Identify opportunities for IJC to become more visible and actively engaged within the wider Guelph and regional community.

Planning and Collaboration

• Work closely with program and operational staff to understand upcoming activities and identify communications and engagement needs.
• Maintain communications and community-engagement calendars, priorities and project plans.
• Participate in relevant organizational planning and staff meetings.
• Develop practical ways of tracking communications reach and community engagement so that IJC can learn what is working and refine its approach over time.
• Contribute to the continuing development of IJC’s relationships, public presence and organizational culture.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who combines excellent communication skills, sound judgement, practical organization and an enjoyment of working directly with people.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Excellent writing and editing skills, with strong judgement about tone, audience and message.
• The ability to understand complex ideas and translate them into clear, engaging and accessible language.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines and contributors.
• Confidence meeting new people and representing an organization publicly.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues who bring different areas of expertise.
• A practical approach to problem-solving and a willingness to participate directly in the work required to make events and community activities successful.
• Comfort using common digital communications tools, social media platforms and content-management systems.
• The ability to produce professional everyday visual materials using tools such as Canva or Adobe products, while recognizing when specialized design expertise is appropriate.
• The capacity to learn new tools, subject matter and areas of responsibility as the role develops.

Relevant experience might come from communications, journalism, community engagement, events, education, nonprofit work, organizing, public engagement or another field that has developed transferable skills for this role.

Experience with WordPress, email-marketing platforms, Neon CRM or another CRM/database system, media relations, event planning or nonprofit communications would be considered assets.

Familiarity with Catholic, Christian or other spirituality-based organizations, communities or approaches to community engagement would also be an asset, particularly in helping IJC communicate its spiritual and ecological work to both faith-based and wider public audiences.

An interest in IJC’s work in ecology, agriculture, spirituality, education, land stewardship and community is important.

We Welcome Different Paths to This Role

We recognize that strong candidates may bring different combinations of experience, education and skills. If this role interests you and you believe you have the core abilities to succeed in it, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every qualification listed above.

Please be candid about the areas where you would need to learn or grow. We are open to candidates who can demonstrate strong transferable skills, sound judgement, curiosity and the capacity to develop some aspects of the role after joining IJC.

We also welcome applicants whose careers have not followed a conventional or uninterrupted path. Time away from paid employment, caregiving responsibilities, career changes, part-time work, volunteer experience or other non-linear career paths will not be viewed negatively. We are interested in what you can bring to the role now, including skills and experience developed outside traditional employment.

Working Conditions

This is primarily an on-site position at Ignatius Jesuit Centre. The role combines office-based communications and planning with regular community-facing activity across IJC’s property.

The position requires some movement around IJC’s 600-acre property and participation in practical event activities. Some evening and weekend work will be required for community events, festivals and other activities, with scheduling flexibility provided as appropriate.

Why Join IJC?

This is an opportunity to help shape how a changing organization tells its story and builds community around its work.

IJC is a place where land, community and spiritual life come together. Our work spans ecological stewardship, regenerative agriculture, spiritual and educational programming, and community engagement. Staff work collaboratively across these areas to help shape the Centre’s next chapter.

We are looking for someone who enjoys both thinking and doing — someone who can consider how IJC communicates its mission and, when the occasion calls for it, help put up the tent, welcome the participants and make the event happen.

Ignatius Jesuit Centre aspires to be an equitable and inclusive place where a diversity of life experiences, identities and perspectives work together. IJC encourages applicants from all walks of life. We apply an anti-oppression framework to our work and have a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment. Accommodation is available throughout the recruitment process upon request.

This posting is for a position that is currently open. AI may be used at key points in IJC’s screening process. We thank all applicants in advance; only those selected for interviews will be contacted. 

Apply

Submit resume and cover letter to: 
reception@ignatiusguelph.ca

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