Lived Experience Assistant– Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health

Summary of position

We are seeking a highly motivated and qualified individual to join our dynamic team at the Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health (CEYMH), located at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. Through a combination of innovation in health service delivery and research focused on new interventions, the CEYMH is a hub for transformative change for youth facing a variety of needs – health, social, educational, employment, among others. The Centre focuses not only on research to generate new knowledge, but to directly applying such knowledge in the delivery of youth mental health services and providing training to a new generation of clinicians, researchers, and individuals with expertise by lived experience.

Work environment: The Lived Experience Assistant will be based at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, a highly specialized and research-intensive teaching institution providing mental health care services to individuals of all ages. It includes the Douglas Research Centre, the second largest mental health research center in Canada. Its vibrant multidisciplinary community of researchers investigate virtually all aspects of mental health, from genes to society.

Lived Experience Initiatives: One of our key commitments is the meaningful inclusion of youth, particularly those with lived and living experience of mental health problems, and their caregivers in co‐designing research, practices, and policies. We have created advisory councils that are consulted periodically in connection with the CEYMH and collaborating research and clinical groups, and the council members’ opinions have a concrete impact on these various activities.

Employment advantages: Comprehensive health benefits package, vacation and illness entitlement, adherence to the Government and Public Employees Retirement Plan, on-site daycare centre, on-site fitness centre, affordable parking, access to leadership and mentoring opportunities, to name a few.

Description of tasks

The primary responsibility of the Lived Experience Assistant is to assist the coordinator with all tasks leading to that the CEYMH engages, includes, and advocates for youth and family members with lived experience in mental illness at multiple stages of its various research activities from conception to implementation. The incumbent will collaborate with the 2 CEYMH coordinators, the directors of the CEYMH, and collaborators to make sure that the research initiatives are motivated by the needs of youth and families with lived experience in mental illness, particularly when it comes to utilization of services.

The specific tasks will be the following:

  1. Help organize and track activities of the CEYMH Youth and Family Advisory Councils. This includes organizing and planning future meetings, tracking presence, helping with compensation.
  2. Provide consultation on project development and co-design support for ongoing research projects.
  3. Help organize and coordinate the CEYMH Experiential Science Talks series by helping the coordinator with managing seminar logistics.

Do some administrative tasks when required. In order for the initiative to stay organized.

Required qualifications

  • Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
  • Minimum two years of experience in project coordination and/or facilitation of focus groups or similar

Required skills

  • Fluency in both official languages is an asset
  • Proven ability to work with the full Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint)
  • Knowledge of or experience working in research design and healthcare systems is desired
  • Experience working with youth, particularly those with lived experience of mental health issues is an asset

Required abilities

  • Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
  • Demonstrated capacity to work in a multidisciplinary team in a fast-paced, result-oriented environment
  • Demonstrated passion, interest, and motivation to work and engage with young people, families and service users.

Location of work

Douglas Mental Health University Institute (on-site presence required but occasional remote work possible).

Work schedule

  • Part-time (21 to 25 hours/week)
  • One-year contract renewable upon satisfactory progress
  • Will need to work some evenings for council meetings, which is included within work hours
  • Start date: 2025, November 1st

Salary

Commensurate with experience.

Required to travel?

May occasionally need to travel to other CIUSSS-West Island establishments (accessible via public transit).

Instructions for submitting an application

Send your CV and cover letter to: celine.villemus.comtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

Thank you for your interest in this opportunity. Kindly note that only qualified applicants will be contacted. And incomplete application will not be considered.

The Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We welcome applications from racialized persons, visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities.

Contact person

Céline Villemus

E-mail

celine.villemus.comtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

Name of immediate supervisor

Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, Director of the CEYMH

Céline Villemus, Operations Director

Apply Here

Refugee Centre: Human Resources Coordinator

À propos de nous

Le Centre de Réfugiés est un organisme à but non lucratif basé à Montréal, Québec, qui offre une structure durable d’intégration aux réfugiés, immigrants et nouveaux arrivants au Canada.
Nous proposons une large gamme de services : Orientation, Aide académique, Centre d’apprentissage, Soutien en santé et bien-être, Emploi, Logement, Clinique juridique et Plaidoyer.
Nous desservons des personnes ayant divers statuts : étudiants internationaux, résidents permanents, réfugiés parrainés, réfugiés au sens de la Convention et demandeurs d’asile.


Aperçu du poste

Nous recherchons un·e coordonnateur·trice RH dévoué·e et expérimenté·e pour soutenir notre équipe d’environ 50 personnes à temps partiel. Le poste est en télétravail et exige environ 8 à 10 heures par semaine.
La personne retenue contribuera à renforcer les processus RH, à s’assurer que nos politiques soient à jour et conformes aux lois québécoises et fédérales, et à favoriser une culture organisationnelle positive, inclusive et conforme aux normes.
Ce rôle, flexible et autonome, convient à une personne qui apprécie travailler de manière indépendante tout en soutenant un milieu de travail sain et conforme.


Responsabilités principales

  • Gérer l’accueil et l’intégration des nouveaux employés, stagiaires et bénévoles.

  • Mettre à jour les politiques RH, le manuel des employés et les procédures internes afin de refléter les meilleures pratiques et les exigences légales au Québec et au Canada.

  • Tenir à jour les dossiers des employés en garantissant leur confidentialité et leur sécurité.

  • Soutenir le recrutement : affichage de postes, présélection des candidats, planification des entrevues, vérification des références.

  • Conseiller le personnel et la direction sur les questions RH, l’interprétation des politiques, les avantages sociaux, la culture organisationnelle et les enjeux de conformité.

  • Appuyer les processus de gestion du rendement et de développement du personnel.

  • Traiter les dossiers RH au fur et à mesure (relations de travail, application des politiques, bien-être du personnel).

  • Effectuer et coordonner la paie bimensuelle en collaboration avec l’équipe des finances.


Qualifications

  • 3 ans et plus d’expérience en RH, idéalement dans un organisme communautaire ou à but non lucratif de petite taille.

  • Solide connaissance des lois du travail, normes du travail et meilleures pratiques en RH au Québec/Canada.

  • Excellentes compétences organisationnelles, souci du détail et solides aptitudes administratives.

  • Capacité à travailler de manière autonome et à gérer efficacement son temps avec un minimum de supervision.

  • Excellentes aptitudes en communication et en relations interpersonnelles; capacité à collaborer avec des personnes issues de divers horizons.

  • Engagement envers l’inclusion, l’équité, la diversité et les valeurs du Centre de Réfugiés.

  • Capacité à communiquer couramment en français et en anglais

  • Une expérience avec les logiciels de paie et de ressources humaines (ADP) est requise.

La langue de travail principale au Centre est le français. Toutefois, la maîtrise de l’anglais est requise pour ce poste afin d’assurer une communication efficace avec les membres du personnel anglophones du Centre.


Ce que nous offrons

  • Horaire flexible en télétravail.

  • Travail porteur de sens, contribuant à l’intégration et au soutien des nouveaux arrivants dans la région de Montréal.

  • Un environnement collaboratif et axé sur la mission.

Apply Here

REISA November Newsletter

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COCO is hiring: Communications & Events Assistant

The Centre for Community Organizations (COCo) is a provincial non-profit organization that works to build an inclusive, social justice-oriented Quebec community sector where grassroots organizations can thrive. We believe that is an important part of creating a more just and equitable society overall. To this end, COCo provides training, accompaniment, and technological support to small, ground-up, and social-justice focused organizations. We also use our research to steward dialogue and change on issues of inclusion and diversity in the Quebec non-profit sector.

Type and term of contract: one year, renewable.

Hours: 24 hours per week. Early morning, evening, and weekend work may be required from time to time with advance notice.

Location: Hybrid with in-person team meetings at the office, 1-2 times per month.

Compensation: $27.30 per hour.

Benefits: Health insurance, pension plan, 4 weeks vacation and 3 weeks paid leave in December.

About the Position

The Communications and Events Assistant primarily supports COCo’s communications, including social media strategies, and event organization.

The Communications and Events Assistant will work in collaboration with Communications Coordinator, who oversees our communication, marketing, and social media strategies. They will also collaborate with the ateliers/C Program Coordinator (more information about ateliers/C) to support the program’s communications and events coordination.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Communications Support (60%) 

  • Manage Social Media
    • Plan and execute a monthly publishing schedule for social media.
    • Manage the community on social media.
    • Create visuals to accompany posts.
    • Develop content for COCo’s YouTube channel.
    • Support data collection for the quarterly report on statistics for COCo’s social media posts and website.
    • Co-write and send monthly newsletters.
  • Translate communications from French to English or from English to French.
  • Create communications materials for events and promote them, notably for ateliers/C and COCo’s Annual General Meeting: create presentation visuals, proofread and correct content, post online on COCo’s website, send newsletters, publish on social media.
  • Maintain and update the website:
    • Write and/or contribute to writing blog articles.
    • Post job offers from the sector.
    • Update web pages with the help of the Technology Coordinator and the Communications Coordinator.
  • Apply and maintain a consistent aesthetic for communications, in accordance with accessibility and anti-oppression principles.
  • Support the operationalization of internal and external communications strategies, as needed.
  • Support other general administrative tasks related to communication.

Event Organization Support (30%)

  • Support event planning, notably for ateliers/C: Reserve rooms and catering services, support the search for collaborators, follow up on invoicing.
  • Support the logistical organization of events, notably for ateliers/C: coordination with suppliers, preparation of necessary materials, setup of events spaces (physical or virtual), welcoming participants upon arrival, presence at the event and taking photos, updating relevant web pages, etc.
  • Ensure accessibility and inclusivity in event planning.

Collective Collaboration (10%)

  • Participate in team activities and contribute to discussions about COCo’s management and organizational development.
  • Actively engage in embodying COCo’s anti-oppression, social justice, and accessibility principles.
  • Contribute to developing and updating documentation to feed organizational memory / knowledge transfer regarding the points mentioned above.
  • Other assigned tasks.

What We’re Looking for in a Candidate:

The ideal candidate possesses skills and strengths in a variety of communications processes, social media management, WordPress site management, event planning, logistics, and design, in addition to being passionate about collaborative work!

The person we are seeking is comfortable with planning and is capable of coordinating and completing tasks within deadlines with their team members. They are motivated and comfortable with both collaborative and independent work.

Experience in marketing and sensitive revision are important assets.

Furthermore, our ideal candidate is passionate about promoting anti-oppressive values in the community sector. Combining creativity, communications and problem solving skills. The person we are seeking brings to their role a deep understanding of social justice and anti-racism. They are capable of engaging in dialogue about complex issues with people having multiple and varied viewpoints, identities, and backgrounds.

Experience and skills:

  • Experience and/or training in the field of communications or digital marketing, especially with social media, websites, and newsletters, graphic design.
  • Skills in creating content for multiple communication platforms (text, images, and video).
  • Experience in supporting event project management and logistical planning.
  • Basic knowledge of used software (e.g., Google Workspace, Canva, and WordPress) and ease of learning.
  • Bilingualism: Advanced proficiency in spoken and written French and English.
  • Experience in text translation and content writing (copywriting), an asset.
  • Experience or knowledge in implementing anti-oppressive practices and universal accessibility within organizations, an asset.
  • Experience and/or interest in the Quebec community sector, an asset.

Qualities: 

  • Organizational skills and practical aptitude for administrative work.
  • Ability to communicate regularly about task follow-up.
  • Strong ease with collaboration and teamwork.
  • Demonstrates autonomy, creativity, responsibility, and proactivity.
  • Sensitivity to emerging needs and problems and ability to generate creative and people-centered solutions.
  • Understanding of anti-oppression and anti-racism.
  • Willingness to support COCo’s commitment and promote its values.

Work Environment: 

You will join a team of 7-10 staff members and a community of affiliated facilitators:

  • A highly collaborative work environment ;
  • A Leadership Circle of 3 Executive Co-Coordinators ;
  • A dynamic team that is comfortable working at different paces ;
  • Currently, COCo is working remotely, collaborating across virtual platforms, with 1-2 in-person team meetings per month at the office. We can share our reflections on this with you during the interviews ;
  • Under normal circumstances, COCo staff work out of an open-plan office in downtown Montreal/Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyaang

Accessibility: 

COCo currently conducts its business virtually, with occasional hybrid or in-person meetings. COCo’s physical offices and bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. As we are in a shared building, we cannot guarantee a scent-free space. However, we aim to have a scent-reduced space. We are still learning about online accessibility as it relates to our work from home practices. If you have specific questions relating to the accessibility of our work from home practices or our physical office space, please email Estelle at estelled@coco-net.org.

Hiring Process:

To Apply:

All candidates are asked to fill out this form, in English or in French, instead of a cover letter. The form will also ask you to include your resume in a PDF format. Note that you cannot edit your responses after they have been submitted. If you have any problems with the form, please contact Estelle Davis (estelled@coco-net.org). 

Our Hiring Process:

We evaluate all applications anonymously, to ensure a higher degree of objectivity in our selection process. Only candidates chosen for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted in both English and French and should take place during the week of December 1st, 2025 and December 8th, 2025. 

Note regarding the use of GAI (Generative Artificial Intelligence):

With the increasing use of AI, we have noticed that responses to questions are becoming very similar. Please note that if you copy the response directly from an AI, it may affect your application. We are not looking for a perfect answer but want to get to know you; responses where you elaborate more on your personal or professional experiences are preferred. Therefore, we recommend using AI only for making corrections and conducting research rather than generating complete responses.

If You Wish to be Considered for Employment Equity:

At COCo, we believe our work is stronger when it benefits from the experience, knowledge and wisdom of people who have faced systemic barriers. We encourage, among others, Indigenous people, Black, people of colour, people with disabilities, people identifying as LGBTQI2, women, formerly incarcerated or institutionalized people, immigrants and people from working class backgrounds to apply. We also understand that applicants may experience a number of these identities simultaneously in ways that reinforce and nuance their experience. We are committed to creating an organization as diverse as the communities we serve.

If you wish to be considered for employment equity, you can let us know in the application form.

View the listing here