The Ottawa Peace and Environment Resource Centre seeks a committed and conscientious individual to serve as Communications Coordinator of our small grassroots organization.

The Peace and Environment Resource Centre (PERC) is a long-standing group celebrating thirty years of work to educate, empower, and support our community in the areas of peace, social justice, and the environment.

As the sole staff person, the Communications Coordinator will serve part-time in a key role to manage organizational and project communications tasks central to our grassroots administration and program, supporting and coordinating volunteers to fulfill our mandate. This position reports to the Board of our small organization and works in collaboration with our Editor.

The Communications Coordinator will provide pivotal support to our flagship program, the Peace and Environment News (PEN). The PEN is a volunteer-produced community paper covering topics of social justice and sustainability.

Applicants must be committed to advancing PERC’s mission of supporting an equitable and sustainable society as demonstrated through community involvement, engagement, and outreach. The successful candidate will be expected to work with integrity, dedication, sound judgement and leadership. This position is an opportunity to do meaningful communications work relating to environmental and social justice awareness and action.

This contract is for $5000 for the first year, with room to grow with successful fundraising efforts.

The position offers flexibility within a framework; the Communications Coordinator shall provide a regular presence at our Glebe office and be responsive in communications to fulfill tasks and timelines, with flexibility in hours according to workload.

The ideal candidate is:

excited by community networking and communication
passionate about education, communication, and community-based journalism as a means to further social justice and sustainability
excited by grassroots, volunteer-based community groups such as OPIRGs
committed to learn and grow with our organization for at least 1 – 2 years
motivated to take initiative to grow the position through fundraising and programs

Due to the part-time nature of the position, candidate must be able to successfully manage this role and honour PERC timelines and priorities alongside any other work, volunteer, or academic commitments. We welcome applications from those at the beginning of their career.

Ideal skillsets and abilities:

experience/education/interest in the ENGO sector; non-profit experience a strong asset
fundraising (grant/proposal-writing/reporting, direct mail campaigns) a strong asset
volunteer coordination experience a strong asset
journalism skills and training or equivalent a strong asset
exceptional organizational abilities – good time management and task prioritization
high computer literacy and familiarity with Google Docs, Dropbox, Microsoft Office, Social media and website management an asset (Facebook, Joomla Content Management System)
ability to take initiative and work independently as well as with others

Key Responsibilities:

Manage professional communications on behalf of the PERC and its projects, including general email and phone communications, and representing PERC at key community networking events and capacity-building opportunities
Manage PERC website, including updating content, maintaining backups, and planning for revamp
Lead social media presence, ensuring that all public communications adhere to PERC mission and mandate as well as observing protocols and guidelines for charities
Provide basic IT management, with support from Board and recruiting volunteers as needed
Lead and liaise with PEN edition partners, including assisting Editor and Editorial Committee in gathering articles, sourcing photography, providing layout suggestions, and some writing assistance
Work with and report to the Board of Directors, attending meetings upon request
Research and celebrate PERC history, such as past projects and partners, and legacy events
Lead distribution and promotion of the Peace and Environment News, including recruitment and support of volunteer distributors
Manage online PEN promotion through PERC website and social media
With support from the Board of Directors, lead member communications, such as annual Donate-a-Day Campaign direct mail campaign and member stewardship (member communications by mail and email, thank-yous, member engagement)
With support from Board and partner organization, assist with fundraising and special projects as needed, eg. grant proposal writing/reporting

Of note: Successful fundraising efforts may lead to an expanded role with new or renewed programs.

Application instructions:

Please provide a CV, cover letter and contact information for three references in a single word document or pdf file (please name the file with your firstname_lastname).

Send application as one attachment to the attention of Diana Brushey at:
perc@perc.ca
with “PERC Communications Coordinator” in the subject line.

Deadline: 5 pm Sunday July 12

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will take place in late July.

Expected start date: training to begin last week of July or first week of August.