Immediate for Hire

Are you looking for a place where you can help people, do meaningful work, and grow as part of a positive, collaborative team? Are you creative, enthusiastic, and excellent at building meaningful relationships? Join Water First, a passionate and growing organization supporting sustainable access to safe, clean water in Indigenous communities.

Water First is a Canadian charity that partners with Indigenous communities across Canada to help address the water crisis through education, training, and meaningful collaboration.

We seek a Communications Manager, reporting to the Director, Development & Communications.

The Communications Manager will develop and implement effective internal communications plans connecting all Water First team members to the organization's strategic objectives. As an internal cheerleader, they will support organizational culture by celebrating successes, improving communication across departments, and connecting the dots between people, priorities, and projects. The Communications Manager will also inform strategy and content for external communications. As a vital fundraising and communications team member, the Communications Manager will support campaigns, crisis communications and key projects. They will collaborate with departments to identify stories and content to highlight across all external platforms, specifically with donors through impact reporting. The role collaborates closely with Fundraising, Human Resources and the Water First management team.

We offer:

• A work-from-home/remote position
• Flexible hours
• Generous paid vacation
• Health benefits
• Defined benefit pension plan

Wage: $66,950 - $77,250 per annum

This is a hybrid work-from-home position. Candidates must be available to travel to the Creemore office, 10 Francis Street East at minimum two days per week.

We are open to fully remote as well, but candidates must be available to travel to the Creemore office as needed to attend critical meetings 3-4 times per year.

You'll thrive thanks to:

• Collaboration with and support from a small, close-knit team of communication and fundraising peers who want you to love what you do
• Opportunities to work with and learn from the entire Water First team of educators, technical leads, administrative staff and other contributors
• A leadership team that believes in - and invests in - ongoing professional development
• Positive stories of the impact your work has on the communities and individuals we partner with

What you will do

Lead internal communications strategy, channels and tools:

• Develop and implement communications plans that support Water First staff to meet strategic goals and continue to build a healthy and productive workplace aligned with Water First's Professional Values and Strands of Success
• Support Water First's management team to understand staff communications needs and develop resources for managers to communicate major initiatives with their teams
• Ideation, design and development of creative solutions to support internal communications based on best practices
• Write, design, and develop materials, effectively using the most beneficial channel mix to celebrate successes year-long and improve cross-department communications
• Ensure internal communications consistency and effectiveness by developing and following communication processes and guidelines
• Establish and track metrics that help enhance the internal communications strategy

Build and maintain strong internal collaborative relationships:

• Develop and nurture strong, collaborative relationships that deepen your role as a trusted communications partner
• Provide communications advice and coaching to support internal and external communications
• Lead collaboration with all departments and the management team to gather stories, staff feedback, and manage program communications working groups
• Manage and support an internal communications working group

Identify and support storytelling content for external audiences:

• Alongside other Communications team members: develop and implement a content strategy for Water First to ensure we are telling the Water First story to the right audiences, using the right formats, to support the organization's strategic objectives and focus areas
• Align storytelling and key messages with the social media and notable dates strategy, thought leadership, blogs, fundraising campaigns and materials, annual report, website, and media relations
• Manage and support content needed for donor impact reports, the annual report, and funding proposals
• Support Water First staff with resources and coaching to share their stories
• Track metrics for performance and engagement of different content and monitor KPIs regularly to inform content development and distribution
• Support internal and external crisis communications messaging
• Support communications planning for campaigns and key projects

What you will need:

• 5+ years of progressive communications experience, preferably in the non-profit sector
• Bachelor's degree in communications, Indigenous Studies, Marketing, or a related field, or a specialized diploma in communications combined with extensive experience
• An understanding of employee communications and best practices
• Evidence of professionalism, judgment, initiative, tact, discretion, confidentiality, diplomacy, and creativity
• Exceptional presentation, facilitation, and public speaking skills
• Strong interpersonal skills with a proven track record in building and maintaining relationships with many different stakeholders
• Understanding of and training completed in Indigenous historical and cultural awareness and of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility
• Willingness to continually expand one's professional skill set, to learn on the job, and to respond to and thrive in a dynamic work environment
• Exceptional digital skills (email and social media) and computer skills: Microsoft Suite and Google Suite
• Strong design and editing skills and experience with Adobe Creative programs
• Willingness to travel to northern Indigenous communities approximately 10% of the time to provide program and communications support for program delivery
• Collaborations with Indigenous communities would be considered a strong asset

If you are interested in learning more about this exciting opportunity, we would love to hear from you. Qualified Indigenous applicants are encouraged to apply.

Water First is an equal opportunity employer and employs personnel without regard to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical and or mental handicap or financial ability.

By following the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Water First Education and Training strives to ensure that all recruiting processes are non-discriminatory and barrier-free. If you require accommodation, please advise us before attending an interview.

While we appreciate all interest, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Candidates will be required to undergo a Vulnerable Sector security check as a condition of employment.

Water First's professional values:

Respectful / Challenge Seeker / Dedicated / Positive Attitude / Confident & Receptive

Learn more about Water First:

waterfirst.ngo / LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / TikTok / YouTube

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $66,950.00-$77,250.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Dental care
• Extended health care
• Paid time off
• Work from home

Flexible Language Requirement:

• French not required

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Creemore, ON L0M 1G0