Who are we?
Credit Valley Conservation is one of Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities dedicated to protecting, restoring and enhancing our local natural environment. We care for the Credit River, its streams and tributaries from the headwaters in Orangeville to the shores of Lake Ontario in Mississauga. We are scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, environmentalists, stewards, planners, foresters, recreation experts and much more. We create connections between people and nature, knowledge and action. We inspire appreciation for the role of nature in keeping people connected, healthy and happy. We’re leaders and explorers. We are professional and we’re inspired. We know our stuff, and we work every day to make a difference.
Who are you?
You want to be part of an organization with an environmental goal. You get up every day and go to work with purpose. You accept that you may not change the world, but you’ll try to make an impact in your corner. You like to partner with skilled people across many professions. It’s as natural for you think about the outdoors as it is to think out of the box. You’re passionate, responsible and approachable. You do what’s right, not just what’s easy. You care, and it shows.
Why work for us?
- Our team is passionate, caring, and inclusive.
- We find time to have fun and celebrate successes.
- This role provides full-time hours, with a flexible work schedule based on programming needs, including working from home on occasion.
- We offer professional development opportunities such as peer-to-peer job shadowing.
- You will be mentored by a team of experienced outreach and stewardship specialists.
- We offer competitive public sector pay.
- You will know your co-workers by name and make fast friends. You will like being at work.
- We are members of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) pension fund.
- CVC staff have free access to our parks and discounts on recreational equipment rentals.
Summary of Functions
Reporting to the Senior Coordinator, Community Outreach, this position will support and provide leadership at Community Outreach, Education and CVC Foundation team corporate and community stewardship events. This role will regularly support our stewardship site assessment, preparation, and maintenance programs.
This position primarily supports preparation and delivery of community stewardship events that reach diverse audiences, including families, community groups, and businesses. Activities include loading/unloading trailers, driving trailers, event preparation on-site, including laying out of planting stock, and guiding and mentoring event participants.
Crew Leaders will support the assessment of planting sites to determine survival. They will physically prepare and maintain sites using gas-powered equipment, like brush saws and trimmer mowers, to remove tall herbaceous plant material. The successful candidates will assist with various administrative and asset management tasks such as data entry and analysis, communications and social media support, and equipment inventory.
Candidates should have an interest in nature and working outdoors, be suited for hard physical work outdoors, and possess experience engaging the community. They should have a positive attitude, be detail-oriented, willing to take on new tasks and be keen to motivate program participants with positive enthusiasm. This role requires the candidate to work on a close-knit team and independently at times. As a CVC representative, candidates should have strong organizational and problem-solving skills and experience in the environmental field.
CVC is committed to the health and safety of all its employees, program partners, and program participants. Crew Leaders will be expected to assume responsibility for the safety of volunteers, co-workers, and themselves.
Eligibility Requirements
- College or University degree/diploma in Environmental Restoration, Environmental Sciences/Studies, or a related discipline.
- Experience and comfort working outdoors in a variety of conditions.
- Work experience related to environmental stewardship and/or restoration.
- Capable of identifying common flora and fauna and interpreting nature.
- Strong customer service and communication experience including public engagement.
- Comfortable in leading and managing volunteers.
- Able to work occasional evenings and most weekends in spring and fall.
- Ability to lift approximately 50lbs of equipment/materials repetitively each day.
- Comfortable operating gas-powered equipment and small motors (strong asset, training provided).
- Experience driving larger vehicles, trucks and trailers (strong asset, training provided).
- Valid Class ‘G’ Ontario driver’s license (condition of employment).
- Ability to get to/from remote offices where public transit is not available.
- Driver’s abstract (condition of employment).
- Standard First Aid & CPR C (condition of employment).
- Police reference check with vulnerable sector screening (condition of employment).
Summary of Major Tasks
- Implement and support citizen science, stewardship and restoration events for participants.
- Lead participants safely through stewardship activities to create a positive event experience.
- Represent CVC while working alongside participants and community partners.
- Support stewardship site maintenance, site preparation and assessments.
- Assess past planting sites using digital data collection tools.
- Support administrative tasks such as social media, data entry, survey analysis, and reporting.
- Prepare, maintain, load, deliver and set-up equipment and plant material at stewardship sites.
- Other duties as assigned.
Additional Information
Training for Success
Our staff training helps equip employees with the skills and knowledge they need to perform their jobs, improve their performance, and expand their skillsets and portfolio. In-depth training will be provided to the successful candidates in the following areas:
- Event planning and implementation
- Volunteer management and public engagement
- Driving trailers and larger vehicles
- Data collection using digital collection tools
- Assessing tree health and survival ratings
- Small engine operation experience including water pumps, brush saws and cutters
- Database entry and usage (Microsoft Access database)
- Preparation and maintenance of planting sites using brush saws and other equipment
- Best practices for tree and shrub planting
Other Information
- This position generally works 35 hours, Monday to Friday with frequent Saturday work during the spring and fall, and occasional evenings.
- Successful candidates will work out of our Head Office (Mississauga) and Warwick (Caledon) locations with occasional work from home.
- This position requires strenuous physical labour in all weather conditions for site maintenance, preparation, assessments, and outreach events.