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.

We seek an Internship Trainer & Coordinator to report to the Sr. Manager, Drinking Water.

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.

Start Date: January 2025

Work from Home / Remote: Hybrid/Remote

Wage: $60,000 - $67,000. There is some flexibility based on the level of experience

Water First supports progressive labour policies, including:

• Flexible hours
• Health benefits
• Defined benefit pension plan
• Generous paid vacation

Under the direction of the Senior Manager, Drinking Water, the Internship Trainer & Coordinator is responsible for supporting the delivery and expansion of our Drinking Water Internship. Our Drinking Water Internship programs address 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 young drinking water operators, and develop a network of water quality monitors).

Responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:

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:

• Follow work plans, track deliverables, monitor budget items, troubleshoot, and adapt project plans in an anticipatory fashion
• Report back on project milestones and key performance indicators following program/project completion
• Work with project managers to respond appropriately to enquiries from community partners related to the content of work initiatives
• Coordinate daily work tasks and mentor interns
• Assist with scheduling and planning workshop schedules, exams, tutorials, etc.
• Coordinate workshop evaluations and internal/external reporting
• Assist with program refinement, adding to our manuals and documenting for future program iterations

Indigenous community collaboration:

• Assist in developing projects in collaboration with community partners
• Supporting intern recruitment, training, tutoring, and ongoing engagement with project partners and community members (e.g., band office managers, water treatment plant operators, etc.)
• Represent Water First in public and community relations, presentations and other public speaking engagements as needed

• Work with the WF Communications team to promote the workwe do

The ideal candidate for this position will possess the following:

• Related diploma or certification in one or more fields: drinking water or wastewater treatment, or environmental science
• A secondary degree in one of the fields above would be preferred
• A minimum of one year of technical field and/or workshop facilitation experience
• Teaching or training experience with mature students (facilitating workshops with hands-on, project-based learning, mentoring learners, etc.)
• Experience in drinking water, wastewater, and water sampling
• Experience in coordinating community projects and working with multiple stakeholders
• Experience working in collaboration with Indigenous communities
• Advanced MS Office and Google Suite experience
• Experience with ArcGIS mapping software would be considered an asset
• Basic budgeting and accounting skills
• Regular access to a vehicle & willingness to travel to northern Indigenous communities approximately 25% of the time
• Class G Ontario drivers 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
• A willingness to continually expand ones professional skill set, learn on the job, take on additional responsibilities as required and respond to and thrive in a dynamic work environment
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and dedication to the mission of Water First
• 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

If you are interested in learning more about this exciting opportunity, we would love to hear from you! 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.