Position Title: Research and Outreach Assistant – National Peatlands Policy Project
Position Type: Full-time
Program: Forests, Peatlands, and Climate Change (FPCC)
Term: 1 year (with possibility of extension)
Start Date: July 15, 2024
Salary: $50,000-$60,000
Position Location: Remote in Canada
Date Written/Revised: May 13, 2024
Reports To: Victoria Goodday, Policy Analyst, Natural Climate Solutions (Primary) and Lorna Harris, Director - Forest, Peatlands and Climate Change Program (FPCC)
Supervises (Direct supervision only): N/A
Position Contact: Victoria Goodday, Policy Analyst, Natural Climate Solutions
Benefits: 4 weeks' vacation, Paid sick and Personal emergency leave, Self-care days, Health and Dental care, Life insurance, DEIJA Team, Weekly Wellness sessions, Mentorship program.
Application Closing date: June 6, 2024 at 6pm ET
Position Summary
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada's national Forests, Peatlands, and Climate Change (FPCC) program focuses on connecting field-based science and policy development for forests and peatlands across Canada, with a particular focus on high-integrity forests and peatlands in boreal and subarctic regions. The program is also closely connected to WCS global conservation programs for peatlands and forests and other international peatland groups.
As part of our national-level work, WCS Canada is leading the development of a shared vision and strategic framework for peatland protection and management in Canada under its National Peatlands Policy Project. The goals of the project are to:
- draw on collective experience to produce a vision and strategy for the protection, restoration, and continued stewardship of peatlands in Canada;
- identify workable solutions to current peatland protection and stewardship challenges;
- produce policy recommendations – relevant to federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments – that support realization of the national vision.
The project involves research, collaborative workshops, and engagement with key players in the peatlands space.
We are seeking a Research and Outreach Assistant to support the execution of this project. The Research and Outreach Assistant will support the project lead (Policy Analyst) on various tasks related to the project's core activities, including policy research and the planning and execution of regional workshops and meetings to collect input on a strategic framework for peatlands from individuals and groups across Canada. They may also be involved in supporting various other research tasks related to other projects led by the FPCC program.
Position Objective
Support the implementation of the National Peatlands Policy Project and various other FPCC Program tasks and research projects, as required.
Principal Responsibilities
The Research and Outreach Assistant will work under the direction of the project lead (Policy Analyst) and in close collaboration with the FPCC Program Director on the following tasks:
- Lead project outreach and communications to raise awareness of and interest in the project amongst key individuals and groups.
- Complete desktop research on environmental law and policy applicable to peatlands at the provincial, territorial, federal, Indigenous, and global levels.
- Develop and maintain a relationship management database of key individuals and groups engaged in the national peatlands policy project.
- Organize workshop and meeting logistics including venue and date identification, registration, participant management and follow-up.
- Support research on case studies of peatland-related policy solutions.
- Support the development of project communications materials and knowledge products (e.g., policy briefs, funder reports, workshop output reports).
- Provide general research support to the FPCC Program, including on peatlands as well as other environmental policy topics.
- Support WCS Canada's goal of transforming WCS Canada's conservation practice through reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
- Contribute to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that promotes engagement and belonging.
Required Qualifications/Skills/Experience
- An undergraduate degree in a field related to environmental policy and/or peatlands (latter is preferred).
- Minimum 3 years combined experience (academic, professional) conducting research on environmental issues in Canada.
- Knowledge of the environmental sector in Canada related to peatlands (e.g., wetlands, conservation, climate change or natural climate solutions).
- Demonstrated organization and data management skills, with proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
- Experience in event management and coordination and related software (e.g., Eventbrite, Doodle).
- Strong demonstrated written communication skills with experience conducting outreach over email and preparing reports, briefing notes, and presentations.
- Strong demonstrated verbal communication skills with experience conducting outreach and communications activities over phone and virtual meetings.
- Ability to work both independently and within a team on multiple projects concurrently.
- A passion for the conservation of nature and wildlife.
Preferred Qualifications/Skills/Experience
- Knowledge of law and policy in Canada related to peatlands (e.g., wetlands, conservation, climate change or natural climate solutions).
- Experience reviewing and analyzing law and policy in Canada.
- Demonstrated ability to work remotely.
- Experience in workshop facilitation.
How to apply:
Please submit your CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in this position and relevant skills and experience.
For questions regarding the position, please contact Victoria Goodday at [email protected].
For questions regarding the application process, please contact Okechukwu Ezibe at [email protected].
Application Closing date: June 6, 2024 at 6pm ET
About WCS Canada
WCS Canada (www.wcscanada.org) was established as a Canadian conservation organization in July 2004. We are committed to championing accessibility, diversity, and equal opportunity. Our mission is to save wildlife and wild places by improving our understanding of and seeking solutions to critical problems that threaten key species and large wild ecosystems throughout Canada. We implement and support comprehensive field studies that gather information on wildlife needs and then seek to resolve key conservation problems by working with a broad array of actors. WCS Canada has a track record of our science being recognized as relevant, credible and legitimate by researchers, NGOs and agencies. WCS Canada is independently registered and managed, while retaining a strong collaborative working relationship with sister Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) programs in more than 60 countries.
Diversity and inclusion are core WCS Canada values. We value the diversity of the people we employ and work with and we strive to provide an inclusive and equitable workplace in which we recognize the unique characteristics, skills and experiences of all employees. We are committed to engaging our employees in our diversity, equity and inclusion work and together we aim to create a workplace where all staff feel they belong and can grow.
WCS Canada's programs occur on the homelands of Indigenous Peoples whose relationships various governments are described in historic Treaties, modern land claim agreements, and negotiations around unceded lands. We recognize and support Indigenous Peoples in Indigenous-led conservation initiatives as well as the international ecological and social commitments and responsibilities to Indigenous Peoples that Canada has signed, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Our commitment to collaboration with Indigenous Peoples ranges from provision of scientific advice to co-creation of research and conservation priorities. We respect Indigenous knowledge systems and include Indigenous ways of knowing in research and conservation programs. We engage in land use planning and impact assessment processes that affect Indigenous Peoples, seeking ways to advance conservation as well as opportunities to sustain the livelihoods and cultures of Indigenous communities. We seek to motivate positive conservation outcomes by supporting effective governance and decision-making processes by Indigenous communities, particularly by supporting Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas.
WCS Canada is committed to contributing to the field of conservation science and the professional development of its employees. Employees are encouraged to participate in professional societies and present their research at conferences and meetings, as well as participate in relevant workshops and training opportunities. Employees are likewise encouraged to mentor graduate students, participate in relevant graduate student committees, and pursue adjunct status with universities as appropriate.
remote work