Director, Alberta Poverty Reduction Strategy

remote
Alberta, Canada, Canada .
contract . May 8, 2026

Description

Tamarack Institute

We at the Tamarack Institute recognize that the majority of our work occurs on the ancestral homelands of Indigenous Peoples, including the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. We recognize the contributions of Indigenous people and support their ongoing struggle for self-determination and sovereignty. We work to understand the history of the lands upon which we are guests and to contribute to justice for all Indigenous Peoples.

We also wish to acknowledge those who came to Turtle Island – as migrants either in this generation or in generations past – and those of us who came here involuntarily, particularly those brought to these lands as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery. Tamarack pays tribute to those ancestors of African origin and descent and thanks them for their contributions toward transforming systems in ways that promote everyone’s sense of belonging and safety. At Tamarack, we are taking action that allows us to be aware of, recognize, and address the systemic ways in which anti-Black racism manifests. Black and Indigenous communities demonstrate that we can work together in solidarity toward peace and equity as we use collective wisdom, knowledge, and gifts that promote healing within our communities.

Tamarack is seeking a 1–2-year contract full-time position of Director, Alberta Poverty Reduction Strategy. The successful candidate can be based anywhere in Alberta, Canada and will work remotely from their home office with the ability to travel throughout the province on a regular basis.

About Tamarack

Tamarack catalyzes collective action with diverse leaders to solve major community challenges including ending poverty, building youth futures, building belonging, and addressing climate change. Our vision is to build a connected force for community change. Through our Networks for Change, we support changemakers focused on four outcomes.

Communities Ending Poverty: A network and movement dedicated to ending poverty in Canada, made up of more than 400 municipalities and represented by 90 regional roundtables.
Communities Building Belonging: Strengthening neighbourhoods and ending social isolation and polarization in Canada. We are a network of 8000+ learners and growing, helping communities to build belonging and thrive.
Communities Building Youth Futures: A youth-led and youth-centered network of 20 communities across Turtle Island that supports the creation of new pathways from high school to post-secondary, training, employment, and community leadership opportunities.
Community Climate Transitions: A movement of 35+ collaboratives across 10 provinces and one US state that are advancing local climate action and equity through multi-sector partnerships and approaches that centre residents and the community.

Our Skills for Change initiative supports changemakers by transforming community-developed knowledge and success stories into practical tools and skill-building resources. These resources advance the five interconnected practices of community change.

Since its founding, Tamarack has sought to center those with lived and living experience of poverty in its work. More recently, in the Tamarack 2030 Plan, we committed to interrupting the roles that racism, colonialization, and xenophobia play in communities in Canada.

At Tamarack, our goal is an end to poverty in all of its forms. In 2020, we set a goal to contribute to two million people exiting conditions of poverty, and not just economic poverty but the poverty of our disconnection from each other and from other living things around us. Nearly twenty-five years of work with communities has shown us that rigorous local collaboration can move outcomes not just for some people – but for entire communities. It has shown us that rigorous local collaboration is a key component of any form of systems change.

How we work

Community Connections: We strengthen connections and collaborations between diverse people, organizations and sectors to grow and align our capacity to make a difference. We convene spaces where people can develop the skills and networks needed for authentic collaboration, community engagement, and participatory approaches.
Place Matters: We focus our efforts on places where people live, supporting local place-based collaboration that is focused on addressing the root cause of community-defined components of poverty.
Equity and Inclusion: We engage and elevate the voice of those most impacted by issues who have the greatest insight into possible solutions.
Courage and Learning: We ask difficult questions about the systems and structures which hold people and communities back and engage in peer-to-peer learning to build our capacity.
Systems Change: We organize the thousands of changemakers and the hundreds of place-based collaboratives with which we work to change the policies, narratives and other systems that hold poverty in place.
Hope and Optimism: We focus on the possible and our collective potential for making positive change.
Action and Impact: We emphasize action and focus on impact.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to support communities and partners across Alberta to make meaningful change to reduce and end poverty in Alberta. Grounded in a deep understanding of movement building, the political landscape in Alberta and poverty reduction efforts, this role will connect individuals and collective efforts dedicated to ending poverty in Alberta. The Director, Alberta Poverty Reduction Strategy is a 1-2-year contract position responsible for stewarding a campaign for a legislated poverty reduction strategy in the Province of Alberta.

You will work with communities and partners to develop and implement strategies to make the case for a strong poverty reduction strategy centering the power of local communities to achieve impact. You will work with Tamarack’s member community, partners across the province, and funders to refine, implement and improve a province wide campaign to meaningfully move the needle on poverty.

On-going Responsibilities

Refine and implement a campaign for an Alberta poverty reduction strategy

Review, refine, and lead implementation an existing campaign work plan
Meet with key system actors in Alberta to review the proposed campaign and refine activities based on feedback and insights
Regularly review the campaign document with partners and refine activities as needed to achieve success
Prepare briefs outlining public policy opportunities in Alberta

Steward relationships with key partners and system actors

Work with Tamarack staff and partner to refine and implement a governance structure to unite partners across sectors to implement that campaign for an Alberta Poverty Reduction Strategy
Coordinate and co-facilitate a funder collaborative / stewardship council dedicated to ending poverty in Alberta
Convene key system actors working to end poverty in Alberta to build movement towards a provincial poverty reduction strategy
Meet with key decision makers in government, business, philanthropy, and civil society to create and make the case for poverty reduction efforts in Alberta
Develop and cultivate strategic relationships with municipal and provincial agencies to advance Tamarack’s policy agenda
Support the development of proposals, reports, and other cultivation and stewardship materials for project funders

Build a movement of place-based strategies working to end poverty in Alberta

Build the capacity of communities in Alberta to develop and implement multi-sectoral place-based strategies to end poverty
Work with the Manager of Communities, Alberta to provide expert coaching and support for Tamarack members
Work with the Coordinator, Networks for Change, Alberta to prospect and engage communities ready and interested in developing and implementing place-based strategies for ending poverty
Support the development of internal and external policy resources including letters, briefs, consultation responses and reports

Equity, Anti-racism, and Reconciliation (EAR) commitments

Contribute to Tamarack's Seeds of Transformation Framework and Action Plan by embedding our commitments to Equity, Anti-Racism, and Reconciliation into everyday work, using framework tools, and collaborating with colleagues and network members to advance this action.
Apply a strong understanding of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.
Ensure that rural and remote communities across the province - including Francophone communities - have meaningful and ongoing roles in the strategy’s development.

Job Requirements

This role requires deep leadership in partnership development, field building, and project management alongside the ability to operate with clarity and confidence in complex multi-partner environments. The successful candidate will bring a strong commitment to ending poverty, systems perspective, and experience mobilizing people and collaboratives.

Relevant experience includes:

Professional experience in strategic partnership development and field/ecosystem building within the nonprofit, philanthropic, community, and public policy sectors.
Past work experience in Alberta’s community and/or poverty reduction sectors
Proven ability to apply systems thinking and strategic perspectives to campaign development and movement building
Experience working with elected officials, senior civil servants, philanthropists, and community leaders
Strong diagnostic, sensemaking and communication skills; this role involves developing strategic narratives, messages, and knowledge products that engage funders, partners, and broader audiences
Demonstrated commitment to equity, reconciliation, and community-centred approaches, including experience centering community voice in strategy, partnerships, or knowledge creation
Comfort working with autonomy in making operational decisions in a remote, distributed organization
Willingness/ability to travel on a regular basis.
Ability to speak and write in English is required. Bilingualism (English and French) is a definite asset.
Comfort working at the intersection of strategy and implementation, with the ability to move between big-picture framing and practical next steps
Demonstrated commitment to collaboration, transparency, and shared ownership, including experience sharing work-in-progress, learning, data, and credit with partners, communities, and collaborators across sectors.

Tamarack’s Commitment

Tamarack is committed to building inclusive, respectful, and equitable workplaces that reflect the communities we support. We value diverse experiences, skills, and perspectives, and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. We are also committed to centering the voices of those most impacted by the issues we work on and providing reasonable accommodation throughout the application and selection process. Applicants are welcome to share accommodation needs at any stage.

Supervision and Reporting

The Director, Alberta Poverty Reduction Strategy reports to the Senior Director, Public Policy and Government Relations / President & CEO. They are a member of the Resource, Outcomes, and Relationships (ROAR) team and are required to contribute to the overall achievement of Tamarack’s strategic goals and deliverables of the Tamarack team as a whole.

Work Environment

This is a full-time 40-hour per week, 1-2-year contract position. Tamarack is a remote work environment, and your designated office space may be in your home. The strategy only succeeds if we are drawing in wisdom and other assets from across the province, and so the role requires frequent travel across the province and flexibility to do some scheduled hours weekend and evenings, when being responsive to communities and other partners requires it.

Conflict of Interest Policy

For full-time positions Tamarack asks team members to devote their full time and attention to Tamarack’s operations and conduct themselves in accordance with our Conflict of Interest Policy. If you are invited for an interview, we would ask that you review the policy in advance and bring any questions you may have for discussion with the interview panel.

Salary & Benefits

Tamarack provides a competitive salary and benefits, annual professional development fund, technology fund, flex time, and Focus Fridays - one day per week where we are encouraged to take only critical meetings. Our paid time off includes the flexible option to take three (3) statutory holidays on days that hold meaning to you. We close our offices the last week of December. Tamarack operates within a progressive management philosophy. This is a full-time 40-hour per week 1-2-year contract position and the starting salary range is rated between $95,000 and $110,000 a year. The successful candidate will be offered a salary that is commensurate with experience.

Application Process

Tamarack is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age.

The interview process will consist of a first and second-round interview, led by current Tamarack team members familiar with the role. Tamarack designs interview processes to support applicants in learning about the organization, its culture, and commitments. Interview questions will be provided in advance. External candidates who complete second round interviews will be compensated $100 CAD for their time.

Application Deadline: 11:59pm ET, May 29, 2026.

Start Date: June 29, 2026.

Please attach:

a cover letter that explains your interest in the role, how you think your skills and experiences align with Tamarack’s goals, and any other information you’d like to share.
a resume that provides the names of places you’ve worked, dates of employment, key duties, and accomplishments.

While we thank all interested applicants, only successful candidates will be contacted.

Compensation

$95,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year

Know someone who would be a perfect fit? Let them know!