ONB Youth & Community Engagement Assistant

The Wildlife Conservation Society is hiring a full-time ONB Youth & Community Engagement Assistant for a term from May 12 to August 15, 2025, in Thunder Bay, ON. The role involves supporting youth programming and community events focused on conservation, particularly freshwater initiatives with Indigenous communities. Responsibilities include planning events, community engagement, and collaboration with various stakeholders. The position is hybrid, requiring presence in specific Ontario locations.
Position Title: ONB Youth & Community Engagement Assistant

Position Level: 4

Position Type: Full time, Term

Term: May 12 to August 15, 2025

Program: Ontario Northern Boreal (ONB)

Salary: $22.10/hour plus 8% vacation pay

Position Location: Hybrid, Moose Factory, Moosonee, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Cochrane, Kapuskasing or neighbouring areas

Date Written/Revised: April 23, 2025

Reports To: Allison McKenzie, Youth & Community Engagement Coordinator and Claire Farrell, Senior Program Manager

Supervises (Direct supervision only): N/A

Start date: May 12, 2025

Position Contact: Allison McKenzie, Youth & Community Engagement Coordinator

Benefits: Vacation pay, Paid sick and Personal Emergency Leave, Paid Holidays, Employee Assistance Program, Employee Discount Programs, Weekly Wellness sessions.

Application Closing Date: May 2, 2025 at 5pm EST.

Position Summary

This is a full-time, fixed-term summer employment position for a Youth & Community Engagement Assistant to assist with WCS Canada’s Ontario Northern Boreal (ONB) conservation program. The ONB landscape is focused geographically on the far north of Ontario. The ONB program activities include applied and field-based research on terrestrial and aquatic socio-ecological systems, often in collaboration with Indigenous communities; engaging with decision-makers to make scientific information more available for land-use planning, management, and best practices to improve outcomes for nature and people; and empowering and supporting the next generation of conservation professionals.

The Youth & Community Engagement Assistant will primarily support youth programming and community events related to freshwater programming, a collaboration with Moose Cree First Nation called Learning from Lake Sturgeon.

Responsibilities will include planning and facilitation of youth events, such as a youth site restoration and learning event in June and assisting the Youth Advisory Committee to the Learning from Lake Sturgeon project, with planning for an on-the-land environment and cultural workshops in August. Support of regular Youth Advisory Committee meetings will also be an ongoing responsibility.

The Youth & Community Engagement Assistant will also be responsible for community engagement. This will include website and social media updates, communication material preparation, and hosting a booth at the Gathering of Our People event in Moose Factory, ON.

Additional responsibilities may include assisting with future youth program planning, logistical planning, and note-taking, as well as assisting and learning from the ONB Freshwater research team (including WCSC staff, post-doctoral fellows, and partner organizations).

Position Objectives
• To support equitable and collaborative partnerships between WCS Canada and Indigenous communities in the ONB landscape by assisting with youth programming and community engagement.
• To collaborate and share knowledge about freshwater and terrestrial wildlife conservation issues within the ONB program, with other WCS Canada programs, and with partner organizations, on stewardship and education, to achieve positive futures for wildlife and wild places.
• To develop and improve youth programming and community engagement in the ONB landscape areas.

Principal Responsibilities
• Support WCS Canada’s goal of transforming WCS Canada’s conservation practice through reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
• Organize, facilitate, and participate in in-person events for youth and community, including but not limited to, the following:
• Youth Advisory Committee meetings, which occur every 2-4 weeks via Zoom.
• Site Restoration event near Kapuskasing, ON from May 26-29
• Gathering of Our People booth hosting and community sharing in Moose Factory, ON (typically the first week in August).
• On-the-land environment and cultural workshops near Moose Factory, ON in August.
• Develop positive working relationships with program collaborators and partners.
• Engage respectfully with local communities to advanced shared priorities for stewardship education.
• Coordinate travel, accommodation, and other logistics related to events and travel.
• Manage personal field expenses and expenses reporting.
• Organize and maintain field safety equipment.
• Contribute to outreach and communication efforts by taking photos, writing blog posts, etc.
• Contribute to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that promotes engagement and belonging.
• Other responsibilities related to activities within the Ontario Northern Boreal program as required.

Required Qualifications/Skills/Experience
• This position is funded through the First Nations and Inuit Summer Experience Program, and so applicants must meet the program requirements to apply for this position.
• Ability to work both independently and within a team on multiple projects concurrently.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Strong problem-solving skills, detail oriented, and resourceful.
• A passion for the conservation of nature and wildlife.
• Flexible schedule, with the ability to work weekends and evenings as required.
• Ability to travel for field- and community-based work.
• Ability to receive a clear Police Vulnerable Sector Check for work with vulnerable persons.
• Access to a personal workspace and stable internet connection.

Preferred Qualifications/Skills/Experience
• Experience working in a hybrid environment.
• Relevant trainings in working with youth and in wilderness environments (i.e. wilderness first aid, Anaphylaxis in Schools, etc.) are assets. Wilderness Advanced First Aid certification will be available for an interested applicant willing to travel to Thunder Bay early June with camping accommodations provided.
• Previous employment or volunteer experience working in a leadership position for youth.
• Previous experience in event planning, communications or education considered an asset.
• Work or volunteer experience related to environmental, science and stewardship.
• Experience with the following programs: Microsoft Suite, Canva, Meta for Business, SquareSpace, MailChimp, Zoom.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV with a cover letter explaining your interest in this position and relevant skills and experience.

For questions regarding the position, please contact Allison McKenzie at amckenzie@wcs.org

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Okechukwu Ezibe at oezibe@wcs.org

Application Closing Date: May 2, 2025 at 5pm EST.

WCS Canada is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to ensure that all candidates have a fair and equitable experience throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process, please contact Okechukwu Ezibe at oezibe@wcs.org or by phone at 437-770-2776. We will work with you to meet your accessibility needs in accordance with applicable legislation.

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.