Specialist, Wilder Canada Action Plan Training

The Calgary Zoo•Calgary, AB

2d•CA$57,713 - CA$68,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Join our team at the Wilder Institute and help grow conservation impact across Canada! The Wilder Institute is seeking a permanent full-time Specialist, Wilder Canada Action Plan Training who will be responsible for creating and delivering wildlife conservation training programs to support Wilder Impact Fund (WIF) applicants and grantees in their implementation of conservation translocation programs. The WIF supports wildlife conservation translocation projects for Canadian plant and animal species-at-risk, with the goal of preventing species extinctions and reversing population declines while empowering diverse groups to take action for wildlife. These training programs will empower groups with the tools and skills they need to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate conservation translocation programs (i.e. capacity-strengthening). The Specialist will also support impact reporting and other WIF communications and may assist with other grant administration tasks. This role will play a key part in shaping capacity-strengthening and training strategies to maximize the impact of conservation translocation efforts across Canada.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a field related to Wildlife Conservation, Biology, Zoology, Botany, Horticulture or other relevant discipline is required.
Minimum 5 to 7 years of relevant experience in a field related to Wildlife Conservation, Conservation Education or other relevant discipline (with a relevant Bachelor’s degree), OR 3 to 5 years of experience (with a relevant Master’s degree).
A valid driver’s license is required.
Project management skills and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively to achieve results is essential.
Ability to work effectively both in office and remotely with teams and partners from across the country.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with internal and external collaborators.
Willingness to travel regularly across the country as needed to deliver training workshops and build/maintain relationships.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.
Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a field related to Wildlife Conservation, Biology, Zoology, Botany, Horticulture or other relevant discipline is desirable/advantageous.
Experience leading or contributing to a species recovery-focused program is preferred, along with technical expertise in conservation translocation and inclusive conservation.
Experience in conservation planning processes (e.g. Conservation Standards) along with strong facilitation skills is preferred.
Experience in developing and delivering training/capacity-building programs is preferred.
Experience in conservation program evaluation is also desirable.
Demonstrated cultural competency and experience in working with diverse communities, including Indigenous communities, is an asset.
Familiarity with grantmaking or conservation funding processes is an asset.
Expertise or certification with data management and security, particularly in the context of OCAP principles, is an asset.

Responsibilities

Leverage own conservation knowledge and expertise in species conservation, such as conservation planning, management of plants and/or animals in human care, monitoring methods and technologies (including animal capture, handling, marking, and tracking) and/or adaptive management, to develop conservation training programs.
Create, coordinate and deliver in-person and virtual training workshops to WIF program applicants and grantees (approximately 4-5 per year).
Lead needs assessment to understand and prioritize training and capacity-strengthening needs across grantees, applicants, and the broader community of potential collaborators.
Collaborate with Wilder Institute (WI) and external experts to develop priority capacity-strengthening resources, ranging from technical training in areas such as population management in human care, adaptive management and use of technology, to planning and administration skills.
Provide technical expertise and advisory support to WIF applicants and other WI conservation projects.
Conduct research on conservation training and capacity-strengthening best practices and integrate these principles into the WIF strategy, with particular emphasis on accessibility and inclusion in delivery methodologies.
Incorporate best practices in inclusive and community-led conservation (including valuing diverse knowledge systems and considering the human dimensions of conservation) into training modules.
Develop reporting frameworks to monitor training and capacity-strengthening outcomes and integrate these learnings for continuous improvement of training offerings.
Build strong relationships with applicants and grantees to better understand their training needs and deliver tailored or co-developed offerings.
Research and engage potential external training offerings, as required.
Cultivate collaborative relationships across internal WI teams to support knowledge-sharing and capacity-strengthening.
Foster a network for connection, mentorship, learning and impact among grantees and conservation-focused organizations.
Assist in the collection and analysis of annual impact and financial reporting data.
Contribute to communications and fundraising efforts by gathering stories of impact, meaningful content, and indicators of progress for funder reports and outreach.
Support the creation and refinement of internal policies, procedures, and guidelines for training and capacity-sharing/strengthening delivery.
Other tasks supporting operations of the Conservation & Science department as required.
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.