Volunteer Placement Advisor
Mercy Ships Canada
- Montreal, Québec, Canada
- Montreal, Québec, Canada
About
Working collaboratively with colleagues, you will help mobilize Canadians by implementing targeted recruitment strategies and driving organizational improvements to primarily fill volunteer crew roles in the medical sector, management, educational and related roles. The position focuses on creating a welcoming environment, aligning volunteers with the mission to provide free surgical care and capacity-building initiatives.
Keys responsibilities include contributing to and implementing effective recruitment plans, supporting screening and staffing process for English- and French-speaking applicants and collaborating with Mercy Ships Canada staff and international colleagues in a cross-functional and cross-cultural communication environment. A specific administrative emphasis on the role will be on : volunteer recruitment & sourcing, volunteer screening & selection and onboarding & deployment.
Each Advisor manages a portfolio of roles or occupational families—primarily in surgical and ward sectors—based on volunteer placement priorities. Professional agility, enthusiasm, and a growth mindset are essential, as priorities may shift in response to Mercy Ships International’s evolving organizational needs and ongoing healthcare and development efforts in underserved regions. Representing the organization to external audiences is a secondary aspect of this role.
This is a remote bilingual (French/English) position. Candidates should demonstrate effectiveness in a remote work environment.
What You Will Do
Cross-functional and Cross-cultural Teamwork
- Work closely with the Development and Volunteer Engagement Lead and other volunteer placement advisors, coordinators, and organizational leaders to align volunteer crew program efforts within broader organizational goals.
- Proactively participate in team meetings and initiatives to address challenges, brainstorm solutions, and pilot new initiatives while demonstrating a strong commitment to shared outcomes.
- Collaborate with the Mercy Ships International team members, including the recruitment and staffing professionals, the academy, chaplaincy and other communities if practice; to proactively resolve issues, share best practices and networks.
- Stay abreast of volunteer human resource recruiting and relevant industry advancements by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining personal networks, and/or joining professional organizations, understanding the trends and issues pertinent to the industry, volunteerism, etc.
Volunteer Recruitment & Sourcing
- Contribute to and help implement strategies to recruit diverse professionals — surgical and ward healthcare professionals —who are prepared to serve in alignment with the charity's mission and values.
- Build and nurture relationships with volunteers, sharing opportunities and inspiring a sense of purpose, while embracing volunteers of all backgrounds who support the charity's ethos.
- Collaborate with global teams and partner organizations to align recruitment with operational needs.
- Proactively prepare for, attend, and promptly follow up on meetings with Mercy Ships International colleagues to discuss direction and volunteer crew needs.
- Provide inputs for the creative content for new recruiting materials and campaigns (videos, brochures, banners, etc.).
- Organizing, participating in, and promoting webinars and other recruitment functions and activities.
- Provide input and advice on the effectiveness of volunteer recruiting channels and budgets.
Volunteer Screening & Selection
- Conduct initial follow-up contact and informational interviews to understand each volunteer’s motivation, strengths, and availability.
- Provide initial candidate screening to ensure they meet role-specific qualifications or suggest alternative roles.
- Collaborate with Mercy Ships International resource managers and leaders to deeply understand the organization’s programs and identify present and future volunteer needs.
- Provide feedback to Mercy Ships International on volunteer questions related to role descriptions for volunteer positions, outlining specific tasks, time commitments, and required skills.
- Engage in activities that match and place volunteers with positions based on their skills, experience, availability, within the context of the faith-based organizational culture.
Onboarding & Deployment
- Support the pre-deployment orientation, including faith-oriented values (especially for longer-term volunteers), cultural sensitivity, and operational readiness.
- Help provide or direct volunteers to the right colleagues to address questions about logistics, such as visas, medical clearances, travel plans, and orientations.
- Complete the Mercy Ships Canada processes necessary to facilitate role changes or transitions when volunteers seek new challenges or require adjustments.
Mercy Ships Canada Volunteer Crew Staffing and Administrative Services
- Consult with and collaborate with team members to prioritize work, including planning and follow-up to address critical volunteer needs and build the talent community.
- Maintain current knowledge of Mercy Ships Canada's volunteer crew staffing regarding Mercy Ships' departments, policies, and procedures regarding minimum commitments, volunteering requirements, and position requirements.
- Update, refine, and provide input on volunteer policy and procedures, and on business processes, including the Canadian volunteer crew guidebooks, forms, and documents.
- Maintain detailed records of volunteer recruitment and placements and proactively provide feedback and insights to implement new business processes.
- Assist Canadian volunteers in developing their service budgets, coordinate travel arrangements, and confirm insurance requirements.
- Work closely and collaboratively with staff to monitor the overall volunteer crew fundraising efforts on behalf of Mercy Ships Canada and serve as the "voice" of the volunteers regarding fundraising needs and strategies within the organization.
- Complete a variety of administrative tasks in collaboration with MSCA colleagues to support Canadian volunteers in fulfilling their service commitments, such as providing information and records necessary to coordinate the payment of monies to Mercy Ships International related to the volunteer crew program or reimbursable expenses to Canadian volunteers.
- Contribute to the completion of MSCA's reporting requirements related to the status of the volunteer recruitment goals and perform data-driven analysis of recruitment and volunteer crew staffing efforts.
Volunteer Support Advocacy & Retention
- Act as a central point of contact for volunteers, addressing queries, concerns, and challenges with empathy and professionalism.
- Model and help foster a positive and inclusive environment that reflects the values of a Christian faith-based surgical charity by doing so in a welcoming manner where potential volunteers from a linguistically diverse and pluralistic society feel valued, respected, and empowered to consider serving on the organization’s world’s largest civilian hospital ships.
- Maintain ongoing communication with volunteers (especially longer-term), offering emotional and practical support during their assignments by directing them to the right organizational resources.
- Celebrate volunteer contributions through recognition initiatives, newsletters, social media highlights, or appreciation events.
- Implement continuous feedback mechanisms to enhance the volunteer experience continually.
What We are Looking for Qualifications & Experience
- A bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, marketing, communications or a related field such as healthcare. Alternatively, a combination of education and relevant work experience will be considered.
- Experience in a related healthcare role or professional roles with directly transferable skills in recruitment, volunteer placement, coordination, or similar advisory functions—ideally within a cross-cultural, nonprofit or healthcare sector environment.
Key Skills & Competencies
- Excellent cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills to engage, inspire, and build relationships with potential volunteers and candidates.
- Ability to work collaboratively and independently, manage time effectively, prioritize tasks, and meet recruitment targets.
- Strong self-leadership, organizational and administrative skills.
- Core human resource competencies, including cross-cultural communications, adjusting to workforce planning needs, a willingness to adopt new human resources business processes and technology.
- Use analytical insights to monitor and gauge progress on volunteer crew program organizational transformation initiatives.
- English and French proficiency is highly desired.
Personal Attributes
- Passion for international development or humanitarian work that is deeply aligned with the organization’s Christian faith-based mission.
- Proactive and solution-oriented, with a strong desire to invest in people and improve volunteer recruitment and staffing processes.
- Effective interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, including the ability to have potentially challenging conversations, particularly during the volunteer vetting process, to help applicants make informed decisions.
- Ability to work remotely or in a hybrid environment, collaborating across different regions and time zones while maintaining focus and self-direction.
- A willingness to apply a growth mindset to address challenges with legacy applicant tracking systems (ATS) and recruitment databases, and adapt to new business processes for effective volunteer placement and management.
Additional Requirements
- Able and willing to work in a Christian-faith-based charity to proactively promote and support the mission of Mercy Ships and volunteer crew program.
- Acts in ways that demonstrate understanding and respect for people from all cultures and faith perspectives, while also honouring a commitment to Mercy Ships' values.
- Satisfactory criminal record check (required upon hire).
- Legally able to work in Canada.
Working Conditions
- Virtual Team meetings relate to the volunteer crew program community, recruitment groups at the International Support Center in Texas and members of other national offices.
- Travel: Some overnight travel will be required.
- 40-hour workweek: 8-hour shifts Monday to Friday with some flexibility to organize work schedule around the office hours of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (in the time zone where the person is located) after the completion of a probationary period.
- Mercy Ships Canada's working conditions are aligned with the relevant provincial Employment Standards Acts.
- Salary in a range from $65,00 to $75,000
Languages
- English
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