Executive Director

Job Opening:  Executive Director

Tatamagouche Centre

Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia

October 2024

Who we are

Tatamagouche Centre is a spiritual and justice-oriented retreat centre which invites and challenges people from diverse backgrounds to personal wholeness, right relations, respect for creation and justice in the world.

Tatamagouche Centre offers radical hospitality on 15 beautiful acres at the convergence of the French and Waughs Rivers. We have been a sacred Mi’kmaw gathering place for thousands of years and sit on unceded, unsurrendered Mi’kmaw homeland.

We believe that magic is possible when we come together on the land to learn, deepen our practices, rest, renew and retreat. Tatamagouche Centre is a place for activists, artists, front line workers, healers, faith leaders, families and others. We offer programs, training events and gatherings related to our mission, and host events and activities for other mission-aligned organisations.

We are a charitable, non-profit organization and an Incorporated and Affirming Ministry1 of the United Church of Canada (UCC), which established the Tatamagouche Centre and other adult education centres across the country in the 1960’s. These centres have grown to play an important role in UCC’s  engagement in social transformation, including learning to live into right relations with all people. The Tatamagouche Centre has been a leader in this work, most notably through the Peace and Friendship Project  which began in 2002. This work continues today and is focused on treaty relationships,  and seeking peace, justice and mutuality among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and groups in the Maritime region.

We are a place of spiritual connection for all peoples.The Executive Director does not need to hold Christian beliefs; however, we would like to find an ED who is intentional about their spiritual growth so that they bring a lived understanding of what the Tatamagouche Centre offers to others.

For decades, we have  provided radical hospitality to people of diverse faiths, communities, racial backgrounds, ages and lived experience. We are 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming and have committed to an anti-racism, anti-oppression mandate.

We are at an historical and sacred time in our history. Tatamagouche Centre has committed to a journey towards Rematriation of the land, which requires dialogue and action between the Women of First Light (a charitable organisation of Wabanaki Clan

Mothers), young Indigenous women and friends, the UCC, and other partners. At this time, we are establishing values, transition teams and processes to support this journey.

The role

In this historic and sacred time, we seek an Executive Director who will help guide the Centre’s transition toward Rematriation[1], while building a transitional program base, and overall social business model for the Centre.  The ED will steward connections with our funders (church, governments at all levels, and foundations) to provide a secure financial base for the work ahead.

Who you are

You care deeply about the interwovenness of spirituality, justice, community, dialogue, exploration and learning, and believe in the value of retreat spaces that support this interweaving.

You are deeply informed by principles of decolonization, anti-oppression and anti-racism, and have experience working within or alongside a diversity of communities—especially those who have been marginalised—in moving towards reconciliation, healing and new futures.

You care about creating the conditions for teams to thrive. You are self-aware, have strong interpersonal skills and feel comfortable working both independently and as part of a team.

You are also practical. You have strong financial skills and an understanding of risk management for non-profit organisations. You have experience with fundraising, through a variety of means.

You have the following skills:

●      Ability to help nurture a vision for the future of the Centre

●      Understanding of program/hosting possibilities for a retreat centre and how those tie to vision

●      Ability to support the ongoing growth and development of staff

●      Ability to work with a diversity of collaborators with an anti-racism, anti-oppression, equity approach

●      Program management (to support staff responsible for program development and hosting)

●      Competence in preparing and analysing financial statements and budgets, and recognizing financial opportunities and threats

●      Grant writing and reporting combined with social business acumen

●      Fundraising

●      Proficiency in computer software, including Microsoft Office, G-Suite, social media, and presentation software

 Responsibilities

 Note:  If you desire and can see a way for these responsibilities to be shared with another person (shared leadership), please include such a proposal in your application.

●      Embody and convey the Centre’s purpose and values

●      Help articulate and work towards a Rematriation vision for the Centre. Work closely with the Peace and Friendship Coordinator, Women of First Light and the UCC to support the Rematriation journey, and align Centre planning, operations and programming with this shared vision

●      Work closely with community partners and Centre Program and Hospitality leads to build the Centre’s partnered program offerings

●      Support the Centre’s staff team (including contracted staff) by leading a collaborative workplace:

○       Hire and supervise staff in leadership positions (Operations, Rematriation, Programs, bookkeeper)

○      Facilitate annual performance reviews for staff in leadership positions

○      Support conflict resolution processes and ensure the living out of policies around anti-racism and anti-oppression in the organisation.

●      Connect to and steward organisational relationships with

○       UCC

○       Indigenous community partners

○       BIPOC communities

○       other community partners

○       other UCC retreat centres and the Retreat Centre Collaborative, a coalition of North American retreat centres

○       funders

●   Collaborate with the bookkeeper and Board to oversee finances, manage project funding, create an annual budget and manage cash flow

●      Report to the Board and support committee work on governance, people and culture, fundraising, finances and programming

●      Seek out funding opportunities to support Centre operations, barrier-free access to programs and the journey towards Rematriation (including writing grants and grant reports with other staff)

 Conditions of Employment

 ●    37.5 hrs/week: typically Monday-Friday, but some flexibility needed for occasional weekend and evening work.

●      Salary: $68,000, 3-weeks vacation, 1 week paid leave for professional development (plus $500 towards program costs) and statutory holidays.

●      The Centre is closed between Christmas and New Year’s

●      Health and dental benefits

●      Overtime hours compensated with “in-lieu” time off

●      Support from a committed Board of Directors and staff team

●      Private office with a view of Tatamagouche Bay

Tatamagouche Centre is committed to practices of equity, anti-racism and anti-oppression. We are particularly interested in Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqey and other Indigenous candidates. We encourage applications from equity-deserving groups including African Nova Scotians and those of African descent, other racialized people, 2SLGBTQ+ people and persons with disabilities. If you are a member of an equity deserving group and feel comfortable doing so, please self-identify in your cover letter. If you seek accommodations for the interview process, please indicate in your letter.

If you do not have all the skills identified in this job description, but are excited about this position and can see yourself in it, please do not hesitate to apply.

Please submit your cover letter, resume and 2 references by November 22, 2024.  Send to recruitment@tatacentre.com. The desired start date for the selected candidate is February 1, 2025.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

[1] “Rematriation is Indigenous women-led work to restore sacred relationships between Indigenous people and our ancestral land, honoring our matrilineal societies, and in opposition to patriarchal violence and dynamics.” https://sogoreate-landtrust.org/what-is-rematriation/