“Immediate for Hire”

Are you looking for a place where you can help people, do meaningful work, and grow as part of a positive, collaborative team? Are you creative, enthusiastic, and excellent at building meaningful relationships? Join Water First, a passionate and growing organization supporting sustainable access to safe, clean water in Indigenous communities.

Water First is a Canadian charity that partners with Indigenous communities across Canada to help address the water crisis through education, training, and meaningful collaboration.

With significantly expanding operations and community partnerships, we are adding one new Technical Trainer and Project Coordinator position to our team, reporting to the Sr. Manager, Drinking Water. The Technical Trainer & Project Coordinator is responsible for supporting the delivery and expansion of our technical programming. Our Drinking Water Internship programs focus on addressing the gap in access to water science training in Indigenous communities by integrating technical training with hands-on, project-based learning in partner communities. Project development and delivery are done in collaboration with community and tribal council partners and aim to address specific community goals (i.e., strengthen technical abilities in a band office, recruit and train drinking water operators, and develop a network of water quality monitors).

Start Date: September 2024

Wage: $60,000 - $73,600 (Some flexibility based on the level of experience)

Water First supports progressive labour policies, including:

• A hybrid in-office/work-from-home position
• Flexible hours
• Health benefits
• Defined benefit pension plan
• Generous paid vacation

Preference for this position will be given to candidates who can reliably commute to our Creemore, ON office two days per week, with the remaining three days being a work-from-home arrangement. Qualified remote candidates will also be considered.

Responsibilities for this position include:

Coordinating and delivering water science-focused training sessions on:

• Fundamentals of water and wastewater operations, general water chemistry, water quality sample collection and testing, mapping and GIS, environmental water monitoring, career and employment training
• Facilitate technical training sessions in a respectful, hands-on, project-based manner to learners with diverse backgrounds

Project coordination:

• Create and adapt work plans, track deliverables, monitor budgets, troubleshoot, and adapt project plans in an anticipatory fashion
• Report back on project milestones and key performance indicators following program/project completion
• Utilize customer service software to track communications with community partners
• Respond to enquiries from community partners related to the content of work initiatives
• Coordinate daily work tasks (field-based and in treatment plant), exams, communicating with students and mentoring students
• Coordinate evaluations, internal/external reporting, permit applications
• Assist with program refinement, adding to our manuals and documenting for future program iterations
• Develop communications content to promote the organization and highlight the success of our programs
• Perform other project coordination duties as required

Indigenous community collaboration:

• Develop projects in collaboration with community partners
• Support student recruitment, training, tutoring, and ongoing engagement with project partners and community members (e.g., band office managers, water treatment plant operators, environmental/lands and resources staff, Chief and Council, etc.)
• Represent Water First in public and community relations, presentations and other public speaking engagements as needed
• Collaborate with the Water First Communications team to promote work

The ideal candidate for this position will possess the following:

• Related degree, diploma, or certification in one or more fields: drinking water or wastewater treatment, water engineering, hydrology, water chemistry, aquatic ecology and/or environmental science
• Minimum of 2 years of technical field and/or workshop facilitation experience
• Teaching or training experience with mature students (facilitating workshops with hands-on, project-based learning, developing curriculum, mentoring learners during work experience, etc.)
• Experience in drinking water, wastewater, surface water sampling, monitoring and laboratory testing
• Experience in coordinating community projects and working with multiple stakeholders
• Strong project management, research and data management skills
• Basic accounting skills
• Effective communication skills, both oral and written
• Regular access to a vehicle & willingness to travel to northern Indigenous communities approximately 25% of the time
• Class G Ontario driver's license or other provincial equivalent with a clean driving record
• Ability to work effectively from home and on the road
• Strong cultural sensitivity and awareness
• Strong editing and proofreading skills with a meticulous eye for detail
• Advanced experience using MS Office and Google Suite applications
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to work respectfully and collaboratively in a dynamic, multi-faceted team environment and independently
• A willingness to continually expand one's professional skill set, learn on the job, take on additional responsibilities as required and respond to and thrive in a dynamic work environment
• Candidates must have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada under relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations
• A vulnerable sector security check is required as part of the hiring process

The following are considered assets:

• Advanced/graduate degree in one of the fields of study noted above
• Experience with the operation of water and wastewater facilities
• Experience with ArcGIS mapping software
• Advanced knowledge of the regulatory landscape for water and wastewater operators in multiple provinces/territories
• Experience in designing water and wastewater-related training workshops
• Experience in data analysis and interpretation
• Demonstrated track record of leadership experience and supervision
• Experience with Indigenous community engagement

We would love to hear from you if you want to learn more about this exciting opportunity! Qualified Indigenous applicants are encouraged to apply.

Water First is an equal opportunity employer and employs personnel without regard to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical and or mental handicap or financial ability.

By following the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Water First Education and Training strives to ensure that all recruiting processes are non-discriminatory and barrier-free. If you require accommodation, please advise us before attending an interview.

While we appreciate all interest, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Candidates will be required to undergo a Vulnerable Sector security check as a condition of employment.