Project Manager - Governance and Community Integration

Our Client Organization
Nanaimo Social Prescribing Collective
The Nanaimo Social Prescribing & Narrative Medicine Summit Integration Project is a community-based initiative focused on strengthening whole-person-centred health and well-being in Nanaimo.

Key Terms
This initiative uses a few terms that may be unfamiliar. Before diving into the details below, here is what they mean in plain language.

Narrative Medicine
Understanding the human story behind health. It’s about listening deeply to what matters to the person, not just what’s wrong with them.

Social Prescribing
Connecting people to community resources, like arts, exercise, or social groups, to improve health in ways that a prescription bottle can’t.

Mission Statement
The Client’s initiative is rooted in the principles of social prescribing, narrative medicine, and the question, “What matters to you?” It aims to support stronger connections between healthcare providers, community organizations, recreation and arts partners, local government, educators, and community members.

The initiative recognizes that while social prescribing pathways may exist, successful follow-through depends on strong community awareness, coordination, and engagement. By helping community partners understand how they can support the existing pathway, the initiative seeks to build a more sustainable, connected, and person-centred approach to health and well-being.

Project Summary
The client organization is seeking Volunteer Project Manager support for this initiative across two distinct phases. This first phase (not subject of this posting) is delivery of a presentation for the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Recreation & Health November Summit. This project builds on that work after the conference by supporting broader city-level collaboration and the development of a shared social prescribing governance system for Nanaimo.

This project focuses on broader partner engagement and collaborative system development. It will also focus on bringing together a wider group of city-level partners, regulators, small businesses, healthcare and primary care representatives, community organizations, social services, recreation and parks, arts and culture, education and research partners, Indigenous partners, and people and families with lived experience.

Throughout the project, the Volunteer Project Manager will lead day-to-day planning, meeting coordination, multiple stakeholder engagements, risk identification and mitigation, and regular status communications to keep the progress on track.

Project Objectives
The goal of this project is to develop a governance system that lasts well beyond this project.
Success looks like:
Design and formalize the long-term multi-party governance and operating model for Nanaimo’s social prescribing pathway
Formal, multi-party commitment from city-level partners through an MOU or comparable agreement
Broad, genuine representation – health, community, government, and lived-experience voices – in how the initiative is governed
A practical 2027 roadmap that gives partners a clear path forward after this project ends

Key Deliverables
The Volunteer Project Manager will support the delivery of the following:
Project Charter
Stakeholder and Partner Engagement and Communication Plan
Memorandum of Understanding or Collaboration Framework for Multiple Parties
RACI Matrix for Nanaimo Social Prescribing Program Partner
Recommendations for Governance Structure, Partner Roles, Resources, and Operating Processes
Risk Register and Risk Management Plan
Regular Project Status Updates
High-Level Schedule for Continued 2027 

Required Qualifications
Minimum 8 years of project management experience
Strong project planning, coordination, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills
Experience supporting community-based, nonprofit, healthcare, public sector, education, or social impact projects is desired
Ability to work with diverse stakeholders, including healthcare practitioners, academic partners, community organizations, volunteers, Indigenous partners and community members
Strong communication, meeting facilitation, and relationship-building skills
Ability to clarify ambiguity, define scope, and support practical decision-making
Strong organizational, planning, and risk management skills
Experience developing multi-party governance frameworks or Memoranda of Understanding is an asset