Environmental politics & policy, sustainability and climate leadership

Position: Senior Fellow
Organizations: Environmental Leadership Canada and GreenPAC
Location: Parliament Hill / Greater Ottawa Region, Ontario

• Salary: $70,000 (commensurate with experience)
• Vacation: 3 weeks + paid office shutdown at year-end and 1 extra day around long weekends, May to September
• Benefits: $1,500 health/wellness benefit, 10 paid sick/wellness days
• Term: 18-month term, with possibility of renewal
• Hours: 37.5 hrs/day, 5 days/wk
• Reports to: Executive Director
• Start date: ASAP
• Language: Bilingual – required

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to hr@environmentalleadership.ca . Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca. Applications will be reviewed as received on a rolling basis.

About Us

Environmental Leadership Canada (ELC) (charity #762079549 RR 0001) aims to build a new generation of environmental leaders and boost the capacity of everyday Canadians who care about the environment to engage in our democracy and advocate for their communities’ concerns. We employ programs like political internships for youth and educational tools and events that connect people with environmental and political knowledge.

GreenPAC is a non-partisan non-profit that works to inspire, activate and amplify environmental leadership in politics. It raises the profile of environmental leadership during elections through programs like debates, builds cross-partisan political capacity and support for environmental progress through trainings, events and other forums, and works with ELC to empower emerging leadership.

ELC and GreenPAC are separate and independent organizations with a shared vision for the health of our planet to be a driving force in Canadian politics. ELC was founded with support from GreenPAC in 2023 and the two entities frequently collaborate in pursuit of shared objectives. The Senior Fellow will be employed by ELC, but seconded to GreenPAC for approximately 20% of their time.

Position Overview

The Senior Fellow position offers a unique work placement and learning opportunity for a politically experienced and environmentally knowledgeable individual. The Fellow is responsible for leading ELC’s efforts to support cross-partisan capacity building around environment and climate leadership, literacy and collaboration by parliamentarians and political staff. The Fellow will support Senator and MP environmental groups and caucuses (such as the All-Party Climate Caucus and Senators for Climate Solutions) to plan and hold meetings and communicate with members and external stakeholders. This part of the role (~ 80%) will be conducted as a placement within a Senate or MP office. (Note that ELC takes a cross-cutting view of the environment, including sustainability and health issues and Indigenous knowledge).

A work plan to guide the Fellow’s placement will be developed together with the Fellow’s host office and with input from the co-chairs of Parliamentary environmental groups. ELC will work with your host and partner offices to ensure you receive appropriate direction, support, feedback, access and learning. ELC will also support your learning and success with regular check-ins, mentorship, team and network connections, professional development opportunities, etc..

The Fellow will be seconded to GreenPAC (for ~20% of their time) and will be responsible for the planning and delivery of capacity-building and environmental literacy sessions and resources for interested parliamentarians and political staff. The Fellow will work remotely (i.e., at home) and report directly to GreenPAC for this part of the role.

We are looking for a candidate who is non-partisan, passionate about the environment, climate and politics, highly proactive, collaborative and organized, and who will bring sound judgment, relationship management, problem-solving skills, and creative ideas to the position. We are seeking an experienced candidate who is eager to deepen their learning and experience about environmental politics.

The successful candidate must be able to work full time, on Parliament Hill a minimum of four days a week, and effectively across party lines. You will be focused on education, convening, coordinating and supporting action and will never advocate or lobby for any particular policy position or solution in this role. Fluency in both official languages is essential.

What You Will Gain

• Deep knowledge about political and Parliamentary processes and systems
• Relationships with decision-makers and experts across sectors, parties and chambers
• Greater understanding of Canada’s cross-cutting environmental and climate issues and actors, and the opportunity to build public officials’ environmental literacy and support cross-party collaboration
• Facilitation, event management, executive coordination, and political acuity skills
• Personally-tailored mentorship, guidance, and professional development opportunities.

Responsibilities

For ELC: Supporting Environmental Groups & Caucuses (~80%)

1. Researching environmental issues and preparing briefing materials and resource and expert lists to inform public officials
2. Liaising with leads of cross-partisan environmentally focused caucuses and working groups on Parliament Hill to determine shared priorities, develop meeting agendas and support membership management
3. Conducting outreach to/building relationships with MPs, Senators and public officials to grow interest and membership in environmental leadership and working group participation
4. Building and maintaining relationships with external groups and experts (including ENGOs, community groups, academia, the private sector, youth, and diplomatic community) to facilitate knowledge sharing with public officials
5. Managing meetings and event logistics (e.g., venue, food, AV, guest speaker arrangements, attendee communications)
6. Supporting and coordinating shared follow-up actions (within cross-partisan bounds of the role)
7. Monitoring and publicly reporting (e.g., through newsletters and blogs, as appropriate) environmental work on Parliament Hill that the public can follow and engage in (e.g., committee studies, legislation, regulation, private members’ business, etc.), and noteworthy events outside government (e.g., major conferences, reports)

For GreenPAC: Planning and Delivering Capacity Building Events (20%)

1. Planning annual cross-partisan capacity building and knowledge sharing events for MPs and/or Senators and periodic events for political staff (e.g., lunch n’learns, 2-3 annually), including researching and gauging environmental leadership and literacy needs and interests
2. Creating handouts, guides, toolkits, briefs and other capacity building resources to support training and learning activities and events.
3. Researching and arranging guest speakers, such as former politicians or staffers and external topic experts
4. Managing event logistics (per #5 above)
5. Assessing the effectiveness of events and resources, adapting strategies, plans and tactics in response

As the Fellow is a new initiative and pilot project, these duties and responsibilities are subject to change in response to ongoing lessons learned. The Fellow will share responsibility for the overall monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting of the project’s activities.

The Fellow may also be responsible for other duties as assigned, including supporting communications and public events and liaising with funders.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Significant relevant professional experience (5 years min)
• Federal political knowledge and experience, such as political systems, processes and party positions on environmental issues (note - due to the cross-partisan nature of our organization/the role, candidates with corporate lobbying or partisan experience within the last 12 months are not well-suited for this role)
• Environmental knowledge and experience, including a grasp of key challenges facing Canada, environmental jurisdiction in Canada, interconnections between the environment and other priorities like Reconciliation and anti-racism
• Familiarity with the ENGO landscape; existing sector relationships are an asset
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently with minimal supervision
• Highly organized and attentive to logistical and administrative details to ensure effective support to environmental caucuses and groups
• Experience coordinating and building shared objectives and outcomes with diverse groups and actors
• Experience in the facilitation of workshops and capacity building activities with diverse stakeholder groups
• Experience or demonstrated ability to create shareable guides, resources, toolkits and/or briefs on environmental and climate-related topics and/or Canadian politics and policy issues
• Highly collaborative with strong listening and relationship management skills
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• Fluent in both official languages (required)

Additional Information

Both ELC and GreenPAC are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, and individuals with disabilities. If required, we will collaborate with applicants to provide accommodations during meetings and board functions, and are committed to making all positions accessible, welcoming, and inclusive for every team member.

As part of our ongoing efforts, both ELC and GreenPAC are actively working to ensure that every facet of our organization, including the team, board, advisors, and committees, reflects the diversity of the Canadian population. We are unwavering in our commitment to ensure our work actively contributes to dismantling systemic racism and oppression within the systems of government and legislatures where our focus lies. These structures have played a role in enabling the environmental harm that we are dedicated to repairing. By addressing issues at their root, we aim to foster positive change and contribute to a more equitable and just society.

Learn More about ELC: Twitter / LinkedIN/ Instagram

Learn More about GreenPAC: Twitter / LinkedIN/ Instagram

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to hr@environmentalleadership.ca . Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca. Applications will be reviewed as received on a rolling basis.