POSITION SUMMARY:
Are you inspired by working with individuals and communities to help them minimize their environmental footprint? Are you interested in helping people better understand the importance of measuring their building’s energy use in order for them to better manage and develop sustainable energy conservation strategies? Are you interested in the links between environmental stewardship and faith communities in the Ottawa area?
The GSS Energy Benchmarking Program (EBP) is looking for one or two creative, engaged, and environmentally minded youth to join our dynamic team from Aug. 15th, 2020 – Feb. 15th, 2021 for 30 hours a week. Work will largely be done from home but this is dependent on ongoing public health regulations due to COVID-19. Reporting to the Program Manager (& Coordinator) for the EBP, the intern will be responsible for tasks

which may include but are not limited to:
Data entry and data analysis (qualitative and quantitative) with our databases;
Assist with creating geovisualizations (maps), data visualizations and storymaps using ArcGIS or QGIS and conducting spatial/geographic analysis;
Assist in producing engaging content for our newsletter, website, external media sites, presentations and workshops (virtual or otherwise);
Participating in EBP projects, and working with faith based communities to strengthen existing networks and maintain connections with key community partners;
Represent the organization as part of the Ottawa Energy Collective Impact initiative that is working collaboratively to address climate change issues across the City through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and conservation;
Assist in program delivery activities.
The intern will be given opportunities to work on many different aspects of the Energy benchmarking program, and may work with a number of Faith Communities within the Ottawa area. Benefits of this work term include: on-the-job training in GIS skills and geographic analysis, research and analytic skills training alongside research ethics training; basic training in research translation and knowledge exchange; training in data visualization and data storytelling; basic project management experience. The position entails a flexible schedule to accommodate one’s school and personal life.

QUALIFICIATIONS:
Creativity, imagination, and the ability to take initiative and bring fresh ideas to the GSS team.
Knowledge of ArcGIS or QGIS software and/or principles and practices of GIS and geographic analysis, various geographic databases, and mapping would be useful.
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Excellent organizational skills – prioritize tasks, follow timelines, & meet project deadlines.
Ability to effectively work in teams and independently
Ability to research projects and present conclusions to the team.
Ability to problem-solve and make decisions – critical appraisal skills.
Knowledge of MS office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Ability to use web conferencing services such as Zoom.
Interest in learning new research and analytic techniques.
Interest in learning about research translation and knowledge exchange.
Must be under the age of 30 and a Canadian citizen
Preference given to those that have completed a post-secondary degree (of some kind)
Nice to have
Familiarity with the faith based community sector and/or the environmental NGO sector would be an asset.
Knowledge of multiple languages would be useful, bilingualism (French and English) will be considered an asset.
Background in Design/ Knowledge of software for data visualization would be useful.
Having a valid (class G2 or G) Ontario driver’s license would be useful.

ABOUT GSS Ottawa:
Greening Sacred Spaces (GSS) is the longest-running program of Faith & the Common Good, a national, interfaith charitable network dedicated to assisting and inspiring religious congregations and spiritual groups of all backgrounds to take collective action in creating more sustainable communities. At its heart GSS is a practical program that assists faith communities with both the educational and spiritual dimensions of greening, as well as, the “how to” side of green audits, retrofits, and the general reduction of a faith community’s footprint.
Greening Secret Spaces adheres to equitable hiring, employment and promotion practices and is committed to an inclusive workforce that reflects the diversity of the Canadian population.

Please send your CV & a cover letter for the internship to:
rbankey@faithcommongood.org