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.