“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 a Communications & Development Specialist, reporting to the Director, Development & Communications.

The Communications & Development Specialist is focused on managing the organization's social media presence, engaging with our followers, and creating content for multiple audiences. They will collaborate with program areas to identify stories and content to highlight across all external platforms. The Specialist will also be the lead graphic designer responsible for creating marketing, program delivery and fundraising materials. As a vital member of the fundraising and communications team, the Specialist will support campaigns, key projects, and impact reporting to raise awareness and funds to support Water First.

We offer:

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

Wage: $57,680 - $71,050 per annum

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.

You'll thrive thanks to:

• Collaboration with and support from a small, close-knit team of communication and fundraising peers who want you to love what you do
• Opportunities to work with and learn from the entire Water First team of educators, technical leads, administrative staff and other contributors
• A leadership team that believes in - and invests in - ongoing professional development
• Positive stories of the impact your work has on the communities and individuals we partner with

What you will do:

Manage Water First's social media platforms:

• Plan, manage, implement, and monitor Water First's Social Media Strategy to increase brand awareness and engagement with our online community and see steady follower growth across all social media platforms, including Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and X (“Twitter”)
• Develop a strong understanding of target audiences and use this knowledge to effectively create and distribute content using Water First's brand voice and style
• Integrate social media into all fundraising and communications strategies, including 4-5 major campaigns throughout the year
• Engage with external influencers and support Water First Ambassadors
• Support external crisis communications messaging
• Create and implement paid social media campaigns
• Analyze and report on social media metrics
• Research and adapt to new social media platforms and trends as they emerge

Design of digital and printed documents, proposals, and marketing materials:

• Design documents, graphic-based funding proposals and all printed and digital marketing materials for the organization
• Connect with program teams regularly to understand needs and design materials used for program delivery or to support Indigenous community partners
• On-going development of digital materials and tools to support fundraising
• Collaborate with Editor & Copywriter and Communications staff each year to design the organization's Annual Report

Support storytelling content for external audiences:

• Connect with programs, communications, and fundraising teams to generate new meaningful content to engage followers and donors
• Create engaging and relevant social media content, including text, images, and video. Content will also be used in thought leadership, blogs, fundraising campaigns and materials, Annual Reports, website, and media relations
• Support Program Communications Working Groups to capture content and highlight Water First programming

What you will need:

• 3-5 years of progressive communications experience, preferably in the non-profit sector
• Post-secondary degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, or a related field, or a specialized diploma in communications combined with experience
• A dedication to the nonprofit sector and passion for our mandate, which can be demonstrated through your skills having worked in a dynamic environment
• Strong expertise 2-3 years of experience with managing social media on behalf of an organization, including Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and X (“Twitter”)
• Strong design and editing skills with 1 to 2 years of experience with Adobe Creative programs
• Knowledge of administrative and presentation software, including Zoom, Google Meet, Google Drive, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint/Google Slides
• The ability to troubleshoot technical issues
• Evidence of professionalism, judgment, initiative, tact, discretion, confidentiality, diplomacy, and creativity
• Evidence of creativity and the ability to come up with engaging content ideas
• Willingness to continually expand one's professional skill set, to learn on the job, and to respond to and thrive in a dynamic work environment
• Collaborations with Indigenous communities would be considered a strong asset
• Willingness to continually expand one's professional skill set, to learn on the job, and to respond to and thrive in a dynamic work environment
• A valid driver's license with a clean driving record
• Ability to travel to northern Indigenous communities approximately 10% of the time to provide program and communications support for program delivery
• A valid Social Insurance Number and be legally entitled to work in Canada under relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations

We would love to hear from you if you want to learn more about this exciting opportunity. We require candidates to submit a portfolio of work as part of the application process.

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.

Water First's professional values:

Respectful | Challenge Seeker | Dedicated | Positive Attitude | Confident & Receptive

Learn more about Water First:

waterfirst.ngo | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | YouTube