Summer jobs, Student jobs

Position: Conservation Technician Assistant
Type: age 30 & under / summer
Organization: rare Charitable Research Reserve
Location: Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo Region, Ontario

Who You Are

You have a passion for 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.

[img1]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

Eligibility - Funding

This is a paid position under the Government of Canada - Canada Summer Jobs Program. Requirements of funding state that the participant must:

• be between 15 and 30 years of age at the beginning of the employment period*;
• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the employment**; and,
• have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.

*The youth must be 15 years of age at the beginning of the employment period. The youth may be more than 30 years of age at the end of the employment period as long as the youth was 30 at the beginning of the employment period.

**International students are not eligible participants. International students include anyone who is temporarily in Canada for studies and who is not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person who has been granted refugee status in Canada. Youth awaiting a refugee status ruling, as well as those who hold a temporary visitor visa, youth visa or work visa are ineligible. As the objective of the CSJ program is to support youth entering the Canadian labour market, the temporary nature of an international student’s time in Canada does not allow for a long-term connection to the labour market.

The Role

Supervised by and reporting to the Planning Ecologist, while working in a team environment with all program advisors, staff and volunteers, the Conservation Technician Assistant is responsible for conducting regular community trail maintenance, assisting in the implementation of various restoration projects across the reserve and other related duties as required. Specific responsibilities may include:

• Trail monitoring and maintenance, including enforcing restrictions and reporting unauthorized uses of the property.
• Assisting with native plant propagation, including seed collection, seed sowing and general plant care.
• Mapping and managing a variety of invasive species.
• Ecological survey and characterization of habitats, including on newly acquired properties.
• Assisting in implementing restoration activities across the property as they arise.
• Data entry and other administrative tasks.
• Assisting with the collection and incubation of turtle eggs, as well as measuring and releasing hatchlings.
• Assisting with the care of our education turtle, Top Hat.
• Assisting other departments and at rare events, as needed.
• Potentially leading volunteer days.
• Attending regular staff meetings to report on progress.

Skills and Requirements

• Student or recent graduate from a post-secondary program related to any of the environmental or biological sciences.
• Experience working outdoors in all weather conditions including intense heat or precipitation.
• Able to hike for prolonged periods of time over rough terrain and lift/carry up to 50 lbs.
• We operate across different sites, many of which are not accessible by public transit. Valid G class driver’s license and access to a personal vehicle.
• Proficient with Microsoft office suite including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• A strong work ethic; ability to work well as an individual and as part of a team.
• Knowledge of flora and fauna of southern Ontario, including Carolinian species.
• Knowledge of invasive species and their management.
• Experience using tools and equipment such as a GPS.
• In addition to following all COVID-19 safety measures to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers, and guests, the rare Charitable Research Reserve requires all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

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. If we decide to hire you, we want you to succeed and we will support and train you in areas that need developing. Training and mentorship by more experienced colleagues and volunteers are all considered part of your work and encouraged.

Compensation Package

• This role is 35 hours a week between 8 to 16 weeks, depending on availability of funding. Some additional work may be required on evenings and weekends, periodically.
• rare is a certified Ontario Living Wage Employer and the hourly rate of pay is $23.00.

Work Environment

• Responsibilities for this role are carried out primarily outdoors in all types of weather.
• Flexible tracking system for time worked.
• Monthly team building and social opportunities including outings, lunches and being together on the land.
• Free employee parking.

Anticipated start date: May 2026 – pending funding approval.
Deadline for applications: Sunday, February 22, 2026

How To Apply

Applicants are invited to send their application to the following email address: jobs@raresites.org

Only documents, including a cover letter and resume, compiled into ONE PDF file attachment will be reviewed. Any application materials provided within the body (text) of your email or as separate documents will not be considered. Cover letters for this position may be addressed to Tom Woodcock. Please include the name of the position for which you are applying in the email subject line.

No phone calls or social media outreach 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. If you are selected for an interview, this information 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, or hiring processes.

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