Volunteer Opportunities

Sustainable Waterloo Region currently has the following openings:

• HR Manager
• HR Generalist
• Web and IT Manager
• Public Relations Manager
• Media Relations Lead
• Legal Advisor

If interested in a particular position, please send an email with a current resume and cover letter (optional) to Lucy.Ho@sustainablewr.ca, with the job title clearly marked in the subject line.

Job Purpose:
The HR Manager is responsible for ensuring the Sustainable Waterloo Region team is filled with happy, high-performing, healthy team members, and that the needs of the organization are met by the staff, volunteers and coops that work contribute to our collective success.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Overseeing the organization’s HR strategy, with support from Executive Director
• Communicating and working with other functional area leads as needed to ensure the HR team is meeting their needs
• Offering ongoing advice and mentorship to other HR team members
• Overseeing the recruitment & orientation of new staff and volunteers
• Supporting the Executive Director in meeting the training & development needs of all team members
• Managing Sustainable Waterloo’s coop hiring strategy
• Developing and maintaining relevant organizational policies
• Organizing internal team social events
• Working with Executive Director to recognize team members for their contributions to the organization’s success

Skills and Qualifications Required:

• College or university training related to human resources (CHRP designation preferred)
• Excellent communication skills
• Exemplary interpersonal skills and a genuine passion for building teams of like-minded people
• Experience and/or interest in mentorship and project management
• Passion for sustainability
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel, Outlook, and Word

Time commitment: Approximately 6 hrs per week, plus weekly team meeting & weekly HR meeting

Job Description:
The HR Generalist keeps the HR team running smoothly and supports all areas of the team.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintaining HR records (i.e. org chart, team contact information, etc…)
• Executing the volunteer onboarding/offboarding processes, and maintaining records of such
• Improving/streamlining processes and creating tools that simplify HR functions, in concert with other HR team members
• Ensuring the HR team’s file management is well organized
• Supporting the recruitment process as needed, including occasionally participating in interviews when able.
• Supporting orientation processes as needed
• Supporting ad-hoc projects, related to any one element of the HR strategy: recruitment, orientation, training & development, internal team support & morale, recognition, and legal/policy

Qualifications:

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Passion for community-led sustainability
• Advanced skill in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Outlook, and Excel
• Experience in a volunteer team environment an asset
• Knowledge of SalesForce CRM software an asset

Time commitment: Approximately 5 hrs per week, plus weekly team meeting

Job Purpose: The Web and IT Manager is responsible for ensuring the Sustainable Waterloo Region team is effectively employing web & IT solutions; focuses of the role include overseeing the web & IT strategy, and managing the web team.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee implementation of overall Web & IT strategy
• Lead the ongoing streamlining of processes & procedures
• Management of the web team, including:
• Ensuring web team volunteers are engaged and enjoying their experience
• Prioritizing web team projects
• Assigning people to projects to meet overarching strategy
• Leading team communication
• Fill gaps in responsibilities where required
• Ongoing communication with Executive Director & other functional area leads to align web strategy & priorities with that of the organization

Skills Required:

• Strong interest in working with and managing volunteers
• Superior knowledge of web programming, with a strong understanding of HTML, PHP, MySQL, Javascript, CSS
• General IT background and knowledge. Some experience in helpdesk environments is preferred.
• Some experience in user administration, especially using cPanel is preferred.

Time commitment: Approximately 5 hrs per week, plus weekly team meeting

Job Purpose:

The Public Relations Manager is responsible for the oversight, planning, resourcing and execution of all Sustainable Waterloo Region PR activity.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Developing, executing and maintaining an annual public relations plan and strategy
• Managing a team of 4-6 volunteers; ensuring they are engaged and working on projects they enjoy
• Working and collaborating with other functional areas, ensuring the PR team is meeting the needs of the wider organization
• Supporting all focus areas of the PR strategy as needed: social media, media relations, speaking engagements, award submissions, and media sponsorship

Skills needed to be successful in this role:

• Leadership – able to coach & motivate others to achieve their full potential
• Results-focused & comfortable being held accountable to team-based goals
• Previous experience in public relations
• Passion for sustainability

Time commitment: Approximately 5 hrs per week, plus weekly team meeting and biweekly PR team meeting

Job Purpose:

The Media Relations Lead is the primary liaison between media outlets and Sustainable Waterloo Region, managing these relationships and ensuring the organization’s story is widely communicated.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Supporting the development of the annual media relations strategy, a component of the overarching PR strategy and business plan
• Building and maintaining relationships with media outlets & representatives across Waterloo Region
• Responding promptly and fulfilling media enquiries and requests
• Managing the writing, editing, and approvals of news releases, and disseminating media releases to local and national media contacts
• Proactively researching and recommending media coverage opportunities, including pitching stories to appropriate local and national media

Skills needed to be successful in this role:

• Confidence building & maintaining healthy, strong, and reciprocal relationships with external stakeholders
• Experience and/or interest in project management
• Previous experience in public relations
• Passion for sustainability

Time commitment: Approximately 5 hrs per week, plus weekly team meeting and biweekly PR team meeting. Responsiveness in the 9-5 workday preferred, but not required.

Job Purpose:
The Legal Advisor is responsible for providing Sustainable Waterloo Region with ongoing legal aid counsel.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Tasks may include but are not limited to;

• Reviewing legal documentation with an eye to protecting Sustainable Waterloo Region’s interests (i.e. funding agreements, terms of references, partnership agreements, etc…)
• Creating and supporting existing Sustainable Waterloo Region legal documentation (i.e. RCI member service agreements)
• Providing ongoing guidance on Sustainable Waterloo Region’s activities as they relate to the organization’s legal obligations

Credentials Required:
While others will be considered, preference will be given to candidates with an L.L.B or J.D, and who are licensed to practice law in Ontario

Time commitment:

Fluctuates with needs, based on ongoing projects – as well as participation in weekly team meetings.