Co-op Internship Coordinator (18-Month Contract)

“Immediate Hiring Opportunity”

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 Co-op Internship Coordinator to report to the Sr. Manager, Drinking Water Programs. Please note this is a full-time, 18-month contract opportunity.

Preference for this position will be given to candidates who can reliably commute to our Creemore, ON office two days per week, with the remaining three days being a work-from-home arrangement. Qualified remote candidates will also be considered.

Start Date: End of April 2025

Wage: $55,000 - $63,000 per annum

Water First supports progressive labour policies, including:

• Flexible hours
• Health benefits
• Defined benefit pension plan
• Generous paid vacation 

Under the direction of the Senior Manager of Drinking Water Programs, the Co-op Internship Coordinator will oversee a diverse group of 10-12 Drinking Water Interns participating in a 15-month paid internship program. This role involves remotely supervising interns daily while collaborating with the project manager and training team. Responsibilities include planning and coordinating training workshops, managing administrative tasks, and ensuring Water First maintains healthy collaborations with participating First Nations communities' leadership and local water treatment plant operators.

Responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:

Intern Coordination:

• Assisting with intern recruitment in collaboration with the Water First Project Manager and Community leadership
• Serving as the primary point of contact for interns, water treatment plant operators, and community representatives
• Working with local supervisors to monitor intern attendance and performance
• Supporting local supervisors with appropriate work assignments and professional development
• Communicating challenges (attendance issues, workplace concerns) to the Water First team
• Managing timesheet tracking and in-plant hour documentation
• Conducting periodic in-person visits to interns in their home communities
• Communicating training schedules (both in-person and online) to interns and their supervisors
• Participating in weekly project meetings
• Contributing to program reporting for communities and funders 

Training Workshop Management:

• Coordinating logistics for in-person training workshops (venue, catering, travel, accommodations)
• Assisting with planning in-person workshop activities, including equipment needs and field trips
• Supporting interns with Ontario Water Wastewater Certification Office (OWWCO) exam paperwork
• Collaborating with communities to integrate Elders and Knowledge Holders into the curriculum
• Arranging for Elder and Knowledge Holder participation, including honorariums and travel coordination
• Overseeing intern expense form completion and submission
• Identifying additional professional development and networking opportunities for interns 

Indigenous Community Collaboration:

• Developing projects in collaboration with community partners
• Supporting student recruitment, training, tutoring, and ongoing engagement with project partners and community members (e.g., band office managers, water treatment plant operators, environmental/lands and resources staff, Chief and Council, etc.)
• Representing Water First in public and community relations, presentations and other public speaking engagements as needed
• Working with the Communications team to promote Water First’s work 

Raise Organizational Awareness:

• Contributing to initiatives that raise awareness about our work and/or engage donors to build greater support for the organization in coordination with Communications and Fundraising 

The ideal candidate for this position will possess the following:

• A high school diploma is required
• Related degree, diploma, or certification in one or more fields: drinking water or wastewater treatment, water engineering, hydrology, water chemistry, aquatic ecology and/or environmental science
• Minimum of 2 years of technical field and/or workshop facilitation experience
• Experience with Indigenous community engagement is a requirement
• Previous people leadership experience is a must-have
• Basic accounting skills
• Strong interpersonal communication skills with internal and external stakeholders
• Strong organizational and project management skills and the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail
• Expert-level writing and verbal communication skills
• Emotional maturity
• Ability to be extremely effective independently
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint) and Google Suite
• Ability to travel to Indigenous communities approximately 25% of the time to provide program support
• Must be resourceful with the ability to troubleshoot challenges as they arise in remote locations
• Class G Ontario driver’s license or another provincial equivalent with a clean driving record
• Strong cultural sensitivity and awareness
• A willingness to continually expand one’s professional skill set, learn on the job, take on additional responsibilities as required and respond to and thrive in a dynamic work environment
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and dedication to the mission of Water First
• Candidates must have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada under relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations 

Preference will be given to candidates who possess the following:

• Water and/or wastewater operator certifications
• Experience in drinking water, wastewater, surface water sampling, monitoring and laboratory testing
• Experience in coordinating community projects and working with multiple stakeholders
• Experience with ArcGIS mapping software

We would love to hear from you if you want to learn more about this exciting opportunity! 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.