Position Summary
The Community Partnerships & Growth Coordinator supports the growth, sustainability, and long-term impact of The Wave Placemaking and its signature programs, including Taste Asia Food & Culture Festival, Off The Eaten Path, food literacy initiatives, and community events.
Working closely with the Executive Director, Event Manager, and program team, this role focuses on building relationships with sponsors, community partners, businesses, and collaborators. The coordinator will help identify new opportunities, support sponsorship development, foster meaningful partnerships, and contribute to the expansion of The Wave's programs across Nova Scotia.
This position is ideal for someone interested in community development, business development, entrepreneurship, marketing, tourism, event management, and relationship-building.
Key Objectives
The successful candidate will contribute to:
- Sponsorship recruitment and stewardship for Taste Asia and other Wave initiatives
- Community and corporate partnership development
- Brand collaborations and cross-promotional opportunities
- Revenue generation and fundraising support
- Expansion opportunities for new programs and communities
- Long-term sustainability of The Wave's projects
Responsibilities
Sponsorship Development
- Research prospective sponsors and funding partners
- Build and maintain a sponsorship prospect database
- Conduct outreach through email, phone calls, LinkedIn, networking events, and community meetings
- Schedule sponsor meetings and presentations
- Assist in preparing sponsorship proposals and partnership packages
- Track sponsorship opportunities and maintain accurate records
- Support sponsor stewardship and recognition activities
Community & Corporate Partnerships
- Identify organizations aligned with The Wave's mission and values
- Build relationships with:
- Local businesses
- Restaurants and food producers
- Community organizations
- Tourism organizations
- Educational institutions
- Arts and cultural organizations
- Retail and consumer brands
- Explore collaborative programming opportunities that create value for both partners and the community
- Support partnership agreements and activation plans
Business & Brand Collaborations
Assist in developing and expanding collaborations such as:
- Workshop partners (e.g., museums, libraries, community centres, retail partners)
- Food literacy and educational initiatives
- Cultural and arts programming
- Market and festival partnerships
- Tourism and destination marketing collaborations
- Influencer and content creator partnerships
The coordinator will actively seek opportunities that strengthen community impact while supporting organizational growth.
Expansion & Opportunity Research
Support exploration of future initiatives, including:
- Taste Asia Truro
- Taste Asia Wolfville
- New community festivals and markets
- Food literacy programming
- New workshop and studio-based initiatives
Research and identify:
- Potential venue partners
- Community champions
- Sponsors and supporters
- Business improvement districts
- Tourism organizations
- Municipal and community partners
Networking & Community Engagement
- Attend community networking events and meetings
- Represent The Wave Placemaking where appropriate
- Build and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders
- Support sponsor and partner engagement during events and programs
- Assist with community outreach campaigns
Ideal Candidate
Skills & Qualifications
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Comfortable engaging with business owners, community leaders, and sponsors
- Professional email writing and interpersonal skills
- Strong organizational and time management abilities
- Self-motivated and comfortable working independently
- Experience with customer service, sales, fundraising, events, or community engagement is considered an asset
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, or CRM systems is an asset
Desired Interests
We welcome applicants who have an interest in:
- Community development
- Entrepreneurship
- Business development
- Event management
- Marketing and communications
- Tourism and destination development
- Food and culture
- Arts and cultural programming
- Non-profit leadership
Performance Indicators
Success in this role may include:
- New sponsor and partner leads identified
- Sponsorship and partnership meetings conducted
- New community partnerships established
- Collaborative opportunities developed
- Sponsorship revenue secured
- Expansion opportunities researched and documented
- Positive stakeholder relationships maintained
Compensation
This position includes a base hourly wage and may be eligible for performance-based incentives tied to sponsorship and partnership development outcomes.
Performance incentives may be considered once agreed-upon organizational goals and minimum performance thresholds have been achieved.
Why Join The Wave?
The Wave Placemaking is a growing community organization dedicated to connecting people and places through food, culture, creativity, and community experiences.
This position offers hands-on experience in partnership development, event planning, community engagement, sponsorship, and social impact work. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to contribute directly to some of Nova Scotia's most vibrant community initiatives while building valuable professional skills and networks.
Canada Summer Jobs Eligibility
This position is funded through the Canada Summer Jobs Program.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of employment
- Be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or a person who has been granted refugee status in Canada
- Be legally entitled to work in Canada
International students are not eligible under the Canada Summer Jobs program.