Job Opportunity

Position: General Operations/Personnel Manager
Organization: rare Charitable Research Reserve
Location: Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo Region, Ontario

Who You Are

Do you love people, well-organized systems, supportive workplace practices and the day-to-day operations that help a charitable organization run well? Then you're in the right spot! You are someone who is personable, with strong experience in personnel management, general operations, policy, compliance and internal capacity building in a not-for-profit environment. You foster meaningful relationships working as part of a team and community of various backgrounds while also being able to independently get things done.

You have high expectations for yourself and your work, while also being willing to learn from failure. You have an interest in continued learning and making the world a more sustainable place.

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 with an appetite for taking risks. 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.

The Role

Reporting to the Executive Director and overseeing the Administrative Coordinator, the General Operations / Personnel Manager is a senior operations and people leadership role responsible for human resources, administrative infrastructure, governance support, legal and policy compliance, IT coordination, records management, facilities administration and general operations.

This role works closely with the Financial Controller to ensure that operational decisions are aligned with organizational budgets, policies and reporting needs. The role ensures the organization operates effectively, ethically and in compliance with all applicable legislation and charitable obligations. It also ensures that staff, volunteers, the Executive Director and the Board are supported with the systems, policies, processes and information they need to do their work well.

Key responsibilities are divided into the following categories:

1. People Operations and Internal Capacity Building

• Leads inclusive, accessible and equitable recruitment, hiring, orientation, training and performance management processes for staff and volunteers.
• Drafts and manages employment and service contracts in compliance with organizational policies, Employment Standards Act (Ontario) and other applicable legislation.
• Oversees administration of compensation and benefits, including extended health benefits, vacation, personal days, lieu time and other leave provisions.
• Administers employment grant programs, including Canada Summer Jobs, from application through reporting and compliance.
• Supports a healthy workplace culture by ensuring personnel practices align with organizational values, equity commitments and legal requirements.
• Supports rare's Justice, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization and Inclusivity initiatives by preparing agendas and hosting monthly meetings and coordinating education.
• Provides guidance to supervisors and staff on personnel practices, documentation, conflict resolution, performance concerns and workplace accommodation processes.
• Develops and maintains employee records, templates, orientation materials and internal processes that strengthen organizational capacity.

2. General Administration, Governance and Compliance

• Supervises administrative staff and volunteers.
• Coordinates and oversees preparation of materials for Board, committee meetings and the Annual General Meeting, including agendas, staff reports, minutes and supporting documentation.
• Acts as a resource to the Board on matters related to charitable objectives, bylaws, governance and compliance.
• Manages organizational insurance policies and liaises with insurers and brokers, as needed.
• Leads the development, review, updating and implementation of organizational policies and procedures.
• Oversees and coordinates legal matters and proceedings, working with external legal counsel, as required.
• Manages records retention systems for both physical and digital records, ensuring compliance with legal and best-practice standards.
• Works with the Financial Controller and Executive Director to ensure that administrative and governance processes support responsible financial and operational decision-making.

3. Operations, Facilities, IT and Systems

• Provides leadership and oversight for project management related to facilities development and capital projects, supervising the Gardens and Facilities Coordinator, as applicable.
• Oversees and manages the facilities rental program.
• Serves as the primary liaison with IT providers and other major vendors on significant operational issues including the integration of artificial intelligence.
• Continuously evaluates and improves administrative systems, including coordination with outsourced IT support to ensure platforms meet organizational, fundraising, security and compliance needs.
• Supports operational planning across departments so that priorities, timelines, staffing capacity and resources are understood and coordinated.
• Maintains strong administrative infrastructure to support hybrid work, internal communication, document management, staff planning and organizational continuity.
• Supports risk management, emergency response planning and operational problem-solving across sites, facilities, meetings and events.

Qualifications and Experience

• Post-secondary education in human resources, business administration, management, nonprofit administration or another related field, or equivalent demonstrated skill in general management.
• Preferably, at least 10 years of experience in human resources, people operations, general operations or administration, including experience in a charitable not-for-profit organization.
• Strong knowledge of Ontario employment legislation, workplace health and safety requirements, accessibility requirements, personnel management best practices and policy development.
• Demonstrated experience leading recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, compensation and benefits administration.
• Experience overseeing employee functions, policy development, organizational compliance, governance support and records management.
• Demonstrated understanding of general operations management principles and their application to not-for-profit organizations.
• Experience supervising staff and volunteers and supporting managers through sensitive HR or operational matters.
• Experience coordinating with external vendors, IT providers, legal counsel, insurers or other professional service providers.
• High level of integrity, discretion, confidentiality and commitment to equity, inclusion and organizational values.

Key Competencies

• Must love variety in work and working with people.
• Excellent people and communication skills, authenticity, interest in equity and inclusiveness and creating internal capacity and processes that reflect these values.
• Ability to plan, direct and set realistic goals.
• Ability to manage and supervise others, including volunteers.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines in an appropriate manner.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent record-keeping abilities to retain organizational history and good management tools in all areas of administration and organizational record-keeping.

• Ability to solve problems creatively and to handle emergencies in a capable manner.
• Interest in learning about and implementing AI technologies in a responsible and appropriate way.
• Ability to work in a collaborative team environment where everyone's goals and progress are understood and considered.
• Ability to create and foster a hybrid work environment that motivates staff to attend the office, as needed, while ensuring they are on track when working remotely.
• Ability to work independently, produce ideas and have appropriate communication with others.
• Ability to collaborate with a keen interest to push boundaries and seek unconventional or non-traditional partnerships.
• A valid driver's licence and access to a vehicle to travel between sites, facilities, meetings and conferences, as necessary.
• We are a health-conscious environment, and it is recommended that staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
• Police record and credit check prior to hiring may be required.

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 experienced colleagues and volunteers are all considered part of your work and encouraged.

Compensation Package

• Salary range is $62,000-$90,000 annually.
• This is a part-time role typically working 30 hours per week Monday to Friday, with some flexibility in scheduling and some additional work required occasionally on evenings or weekends to support Board meetings and key organizational activities.

Additional Benefits and Work Environment

• Hybrid work environment, subject to operational needs - with Tuesdays being in-office collaboration days.

• Vacation, personal time, volunteer days and organizationally set additional days off will be provided on a pro-rated basis for a 30 hour/week role.
• Excellent group benefit package, including Extended Health and Dental, AD&D Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Employee Assistance Program and Health Spending Account.
• Overtime in lieu of regular working hours accrued at time and a half, where pre-approved.
• Casual, welcoming work environment.
• Opportunities for training, mentoring and professional development.
• Support for taking initiative and pursuing aligned personal interest projects as time permits.
• Frequent 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: September 14, 2026
Deadline for Applications: Applications accepted until end of day Monday, August 24, 2026.

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: Stephanie Sobek-Swant

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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