About SoM: Founded in 2002 by Sarah McLachlan, SoM is a registered charity that provides free, high-quality music education and mentorship to over 1,100 children and youth annually across Vancouver, New Westminster, and Edmonton. Our goal? To build inclusive, barrier-free communities where young people can find their voice through music.
Learn more about us: www.sarahschoolofmusic.com
Position Overview
The Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SoM) is looking for a Student Services Assistant to support day-to-day operations and enhance the student experience at our Vancouver location. This role is central to maintaining a welcoming, supportive, and well-organized environment for students and families during programming hours.
Reporting to the Student Services Coordinator, and working closely with the Program Team, this role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with youth and families from diverse backgrounds, is exceptionally organized, and thrives in a dynamic, music-centered environment. This position's hours are: Monday to Thursday, approximately 2:00PM to 7:00PM (24 hours/week during the Program Year 43 weeks per year)
Key Responsibilities:
- Welcoming students and families at arrival and acting as a key point of contact
- Supporting front desk and teaching staff with general administrative tasks
- Maintaining a clean, organized, and welcoming student lounge environment
- Creating and facilitating optional activities for students during downtime
- Serving snacks and ensuring food areas meet safety and cleanliness standards
- Incorporating music and creativity into the lounge and student spaces
- Preparing and organizing classroom materials and program resources
- Supporting health and safety protocols, including emergency preparedness
- Troubleshooting minor facility or student-related issues as needed
- Ensuring smooth daily operations and transitions between program blocks
- Having a thorough working knowledge of the following systems: Jackrabbit, Google Docs/Sheets, Gmail, Dropbox, and Discord.
- Answering phones and relaying messages to staff in a timely manner.
- Collaborate with Program and Operations teams to ensure consistent outward-facing communication and messaging, including writing monthly email updates, maintaining relationships with families, students and staff.
Qualifications
- At least 1 year of experience working with youth in educational or community settings
- At least 1 year of administrative experience, ideally in a front-facing or service-oriented role
- A warm, energetic, and empathetic approach to interacting with students and families
- Excellent communication and time management skills
- Experience juggling multiple priorities with grace and flexibility
- Ability to take initiative and work both independently and as part of a team
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
- Experience with tools like Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, and Discord (asset)
- A genuine passion for youth development and belief in the power of music
- Comfort with light physical duties (e.g., moving chairs, tidying spaces
Requirements:
- First Aid Certification (Emergency or Standard + AED)
- Ability to pass a vulnerable sector check
- FoodSafe Certification (or willingness to obtain)
Interested?
If you’re excited by what you have read, we would love to hear from you! We’ve included the “wish list” of our ideal candidate above, but we realize that everyone comes to the table with a different background and skill set. If you are excited about the prospect of working for us, and can demonstrate that you can do most of what we’re looking for, we would welcome an application from you.
Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SoM) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive and safe work environment for people of all backgrounds.
While we thank all applicants, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Posting closes at the end of day on August 30, 2025.
All applications must be submitted through indeed.com and should include the following:
- A resume outlining your most relevant experience
- A cover letter, telling us a little more about you and why you are interested in joining the SoM team
- Anything else that you think demonstrates why you would be a great addition to our team
Why Join Us?
SoM is an inclusive, dynamic, and rapidly growing organization dedicated to providing accessible music education to youth. By joining our team, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the future of music education and youth wellness while working in a collaborative, innovative environment.
You’ll love it here because...
- Your role will be creative, varied and challenging. You’ll be encouraged to set your own goals, and achieve them in the way that you best see fit
- You’ll be a part of creating a culture which is truly diverse and inclusive, where everyone can be themselves, and be empowered to thrive in the work that they do.
- You’ll be working in an environment where your contributions will be valued and recognised. We will support you to grow your career with us, we’ll have regular, ongoing conversations with you about your performance and development needs.
- We’ll support you to find a working arrangement that is right for you, and that enables you to find a balance between personal and work commitments.
- Your work will be making a real difference; helping us in our mission to strengthen the well-being of children, youth and adults 55+ by providing barrier free access to the transformative power of musical learning, expression and community.
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: $19.77 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Work from home
Work Location: In person
