Applied conservation / environmental research

Position: Community Conservation Coordinator - 1-Year Contract
Organization: rare Charitable Research Reserve
Location: Cambridge, Ontario

Who You Are

You have a passion for research and environmental stewardship and want to work towards a greater good by contributing to a diverse team. You understand that your success is only as good as the whole, and you contribute in a humble way while thinking big. You wish to improve stewardship outcomes and research quality, while engaging and educating people about environmental values. You have high expectations for yourself and your work and a healthy appetite for risk and experimentation while willing to learn from failure. You are someone who enjoys being independent and the freedom to develop yourself over being micromanaged.

Who We Are

We are a community-based urban land trust and environmental institute that stewards over 1,550 acres of land in Waterloo Region/Wellington County. The lands we live on, work on and derive benefit from were taken away from the original stewards, and it is our goal to restore that connection and to work towards building ethical, reciprocal relationships. This includes learning about and acting on our responsibilities as settlers and unlearning our cultural and historical biases. Most of the land currently in our care is located within the Haldimand Tract, which is territory of the Onkwehon:we peoples of the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit Anishinaabe First Nation. In addition, we steward land at the border of the Upper Canada Treaty No. 3 and Treaty 19 which is also territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We honour and respect the sovereignty of these First Nations and their ancestors.

Conservation is our priority, and our goal is to make the environment more relevant in peoples’ lives through environmental research and education. Modelled after an academic institute or research lab, the culture we strive for is a casual work environment that is positive, supportive, collegial and often experimental. As a registered charity, we are not working towards making the biggest profit for a corporation but working towards finding the best ways on how we want to live sustainably. You can find more about our culture and values, who we are looking for and what you can expect in the Frequently Asked Questions section at: https://www.raresites.org/about/careers#jobs

The Role

Reporting to the Conservation Scientist, the Community Conservation Coordinator will deepen public engagement in conservation by connecting community science with two main areas of responsibility: ecological monitoring and research; and restoration and land stewardship.

Ecological monitoring and research play a key role in understanding the health of lands protected by rare, developing new best practices in conservation and in environmental education. Supervised by the Conservation Scientist and assisted by seasonal Research staff, the Coordinator will recruit, train and coordinate community volunteers to help implement long-term ecological monitoring programs tracking key ecological indicators (e.g., birds, snakes, butterflies, forest trees, salamanders). When required by specific projects, the Coordinator will also help engage community volunteers with specific rare-led and external research and arts initiatives directed by the Conservation Scientist. To further deepen community conservation engagement, the Coordinator will additionally plan and execute one large BioBlitz event and one year-end data presentation and volunteer recognition event. To support ongoing research and land conservation efforts at rare, the Coordinator will also be the lead organizer for a prescribed burn of a tallgrass prairie restoration site scheduled for early spring 2027.

In parallel, the Coordinator will assist the Land Relations team in restoration and land stewardship projects at rare. Throughout much of the year there are volunteer activities related to land stewardship once or twice a week, and can include such diverse groups as community members, corporate volunteer groups, high school or university students, etc. Volunteer activities include invasive plant removal, tree and shrub planting, and collection of native seeds for propagation. We also seek to expand volunteer events to rare properties outside of Blair.

By linking science, stewardship and community engagement, the goal of this role is to advance rare’s efforts in conservation and research while laying the foundation for a more inclusive, resilient conservation movement.

Responsibilities

1. Community engagement with ecological monitoring and research

• Assist the Conservation Scientist in developing a schedule for annual ecological monitoring programs (e.g., birds, snakes, butterflies, forest trees, salamanders).
• Coordinate with the Conservation Scientist and seasonal Research staff to help run annual ecological monitoring programs, including equipment prep, volunteer coordination and training, in-field data collection and data entry.
• Coordinate with the Conservation Scientist to integrate volunteer engagement into research and art projects as needed.
• Plan and carry out at least one large BioBlitz event.
• Plan and carry out an end-of-year data presentation event and Research volunteer recognition event.
• Coordinate the planning and execution of a prescribed burn planned for the Blair Flats tallgrass prairie restoration program at rare in early spring 2027.

2. Community engagement with restoration and land stewardship

• Coordinate with the Conservation Technician and seasonal Land Relations staff to run volunteer stewardship events on rare properties.
• Plan and carry out a Land Relations volunteer recognition event.

3. General

• Manage Research and Land Relations department volunteer lists, including adding new volunteers to the lists; communicating with volunteers regarding upcoming volunteer opportunities; creating sub-lists for specific programs based on volunteer interest (e.g., snake volunteers); tracking volunteer engagements and hours; and managing volunteer forms.
• Work with the Conservation Scientist, Planning Ecologist, Conservation Technician and Communications and Community Engagement Officer to advertise volunteer opportunities and recruit additional volunteers.
• Assist with general rare events, where appropriate.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Demonstrated applied conservation research experience, for example through a completed university degree (undergraduate, MSc or Ph.D.) or other equivalent post-graduate experience in Conservation, Environmental Science, Ecological Monitoring, Biology, Ecology, Geography, Forestry or related fields.
• Minimum 3-years of experience in environmental research, monitoring or land management, preferably in Southwestern Ontario, or comparable qualification.
• Familiarity or expertise with southern Ontario wildlife and vegetation and non-native invasive species, including identification proficiency with one or more taxonomic groups which may include birds, snakes, butterflies, salamanders, turtles, vegetation, etc.
• Applied field experience and familiarity with environmental monitoring, potentially including specific protocols (e.g., EMAN, VSP, OBBN, etc.) or general areas of application (e.g., wildlife surveys, vegetation surveys, soil sampling, etc.).
• Experience collecting, managing and analyzing ecological data.
• Strong interest in learning more about settler responsibility, settler–Indigenous relations and contributing to Indigenous resurgence and reconciliation.
• Ability to be highly organized with good record-keeping.
• Ability to liaise, negotiate and work with diverse groups of collaborators and partners and colleagues, demonstrating humility, respect and diplomacy.
• Demonstrated experience in problem solving and good judgement.
• Demonstrated time-management and organizational skills.
• Flexibility with changing priorities and ability to remain focused to meet targeted timelines.
• A valid class G driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle to travel between sites and attend meetings and learning opportunities.
• Ability to work independently in the field in all weather and in off-trail terrain conditions, carrying gear and equipment up to 50 pounds.
• Requirement of all staff be fully vaccinated (at least two doses) against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

Preferred Skills and Qualification

• Administrative/management experience coordinating staff, research teams, volunteers, etc. - including excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Experience with public environmental outreach and education.
• Experience running or participating in prescribed burns.

Don’t meet all requirements?

We don’t expect you to be perfect, but we want you to have confidence in your own ability to progress. We appreciate that non-traditional career paths may have developed your competency and alternate combinations of education and experience might be considered. If we decide to hire you, we want you to succeed and we will support and train you in areas that need developing. Conferences, training and mentorship by more experienced colleagues and volunteers are all considered part of your work and encouraged.

Work Environment

• A hybrid work model, responsibilities for this role are carried out primarily in our office and on site, and remotely when possible. This position requires in-person visits with researchers and other staff/volunteers and presence for field work. Tuesdays are in-office collaboration days.
• Required to work outside of regular office hours to accommodate event schedules which is adjusted by flexible tracking system for time worked.
• Invitation for voluntary participation on the JEDDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization and Inclusion) committee.
• We operate across different sites, many of which are not accessible by public transit.

Compensation

• This is a 52-week temporary salaried full-time 35 hours per week position with additional benefits, as outlined below.
• The salary is fixed at $45,600 annually.

Additional Benefits

• Additional days off – beyond your annual vacation leave. In 2026, there are 10 extra paid holidays in addition to statutory holidays. Similar days off will be set for 2027.
• 15 paid Personal Days
• 3 paid Volunteer Days to support community organizations/programs
• Overtime in lieu of regular working hours (70 hours/pay period) accrued at time and a half
• Possibility for flexible hours, easy to manage using the organisation’s HR portal (BambooHR)
• Opportunities for training, mentoring and professional development
• Support for taking initiative and pursuing aligned personal interest projects as time permits
• Monthly team building and social opportunities, including outings, lunches and being together on the land
• Dogs are welcome to visit the office in accordance with related policies
• Free employee parking

Anticipated Start Date: July 6, 2026
Deadline for Applications: June 10, 2026

We expect you to have all prior obligations and any degrees completed by that date.

How To Apply

Email applications to: jobs@raresites.org

Provide cover letter and resume compiled in one PDF attachment. Materials in the body of the email, submitted through third party platforms or any additional documents, will not be considered.

Include the name of the position in the email subject line.

Applications can be addressed to: Dr. Mike McTavish

No phone calls or outreach through social media or other channels please. Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.

As part of our commitment to racial justice, reconciliation, and equity building, we welcome individuals from marginalized communities including Black people, Indigenous people, people of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+ and self-identifying women candidates to apply for this position. We encourage people with disabilities to apply. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

We are dedicated to removing bias from our hiring process. For this reason, we have implemented an anonymous review component in our recruitment process. What does this mean? We will be removing your name, address, and e-mail address and any other potential identifying information from your application/resume prior to it being reviewed by the hiring manager, during the first stage of the recruitment process. You can help this process by submitting an application that is plainly formatted with no head shots or other excessive identifying information. If you are selected for an interview, the full information you provided will become available to the hiring manager only at that time. Note that we do not use artificial intelligence or automated decision-making systems in our recruitment, screening, decision-making or hiring processes.

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