Job Description

Child and Nature Alliance of Canada (CNAC) JOB OPENING
Executive Director

Compensation: $120,000
Vacation: 20 days/year
Sick & Family Leave: 12 days/year [cannot be rolled over into new calendar year]
Location: Remote, managing work across all time zones. Some travel within the country will be required each year. Candidate must be based in Canada.

Mission:

To foster meaningful and reciprocal relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous beings, ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for generations to come.
Vision
CNAC’s work contributes to a balance between our relationships with the Land, knowledge, and one another.

About CNAC:

At the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada, relationship with the Land is at the heart of what we do, and this Land is Indigenous Land.

We are a national organisation based in a settler-colonial state built upon the appropriation of Indigenous Lands, the decimation of Indigenous peoples, the enslavement of Black and Indigenous peoples, the indentured servitude of East Asian and South Asian peoples, and the discrimination and oppression of many more. To ethically speak of connection with the Land we must tell the truth about its colonization, and honour and centre Indigenous sovereignty. We have a responsibility to restore and protect the fundamental right of the Land and all people to build relationships that honour history, identity, and collective well-being.

Reciprocal relationships with the Land are essential for the well-being of all.

Indigenous knowledge systems, lived experience, and research confirm that personal and sustained connections with the natural world are vital for the Land and people. Yet, access remains inequitable, shaped by the dominant white-settler worldview that treats Land as a resource to be extracted from rather than as a living being. We seek to shift this paradigm by fostering reciprocal, cross-cultural relationships with the communities and participants we serve. This excerpt is taken from our new strategic plan** – which is our response to the climate in crisis, and represents our commitment to expanding opportunities for all people to connect with the Land for the benefit of the Land, and current and future generations.

In 2025, CNAC will enter a foundational year of transition. This period will focus on transitioning away from white-settler leadership and toward Indigenous leadership, and organizational restructuring, strengthening our capacity for long-term impact. This intentional pause will allow us to nurture our community-guided mission and our relationships, building a strong foundation for the future.

We must work together.

CNAC’s new strategic plan has been developed in consultation with core and facilitation team members, Elders Annie Smith St Georges and Robert St Georges, and external partners in Indigenous early learning, camping and recreation, public elementary education, early childhood education, forest/nature school, and professional learning. Over the course of 6 months, through Zoom discussions, anonymous surveys, and one-on-one conversations, CNAC community members shared their ideas, hopes, and concerns about who CNAC could be and what CNAC could try to accomplish over the next few years. During that consultation, our community shared their vision for an Executive Director who embodies care and compassion for:
● The Earth: e.g. they are personally connected with the Land; able to say no when the Land is not respected and/or prioritized.
● Others: e.g. they are able to find, nourish (resource), and draw out (illuminate) others’ gifts; able to inspire/motivate others through trust; good listeners; willing to celebrate others; able to hold space for others; able to build, work in, and make decisions with diverse communities; able to say no and hold boundaries that promote the health and safety of the team.
● Self: e.g. they are self-aware, can identify and take care of their own needs, can identify and be humble/flexible about biases; self-motivated, can ask for help/sees self as worthy of help/care, able to be vulnerable; able to say no and hold boundaries that promote their health and ability to support the team.

Job Overview

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the incumbent in this position will be responsible for overseeing the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. The Executive Director is the voice of the organization and ensures the overall excellence in delivering programs that carry out our mission and fulfill our vision.

Detailed responsibilities will include:

Leadership and Governance:

● Invite strategic input from the CNAC Board in order to realize the vision and mission of the organization
● Identify, assess, and inform the Board of Directors of internal and external issues that affect the organization
● Provide regular updates to the CNAC Board
● Work to foster a culture of collaboration between team members, leadership, and the board
● Be a spokesperson for the organization
● With Board, ensure CNAC’s legal and governance compliance
● Represent the organization at community activities to enhance the organization’s community profile
● Working with the Board, draft organizational policies for approval and implementation; informed by the staff team, review existing policies on an annual basis and recommend changes to the Board as appropriate
● Prepare materials for the Board as needed or requested

Operational planning and support:
Working collaboratively with the leadership team:
● Develop an operational plan aligned with the new Strategic Plan
● Ensure that the operation of the organization meets the expectations of its communities, and funders
● Support the day-to-day operations of the organization

Program planning and support:

Working collaboratively with the leadership team:
● Support the planning, implementation and evaluation of the organization’s programs and services
● Ensure that the programs and services offered by the organization contribute to the organization’s mission and reflect the priorities of the communities we serve
● Support the day-to-day delivery of the programs and services of the organization to maintain or improve quality
● Support the planning, implementation and evaluation of projects
● Inspire innovation, community-responsiveness, and creative risk-taking in program development and service delivery

Human resources:

● Determine staffing requirements for organizational management and program delivery
● Ensure human resources policies, procedures and practices align with organizational culture
● Maintain and inspire a wholistic, optimistic, healthy and safe work environment in accordance with all appropriate legislation and regulations, and organizational culture
● Support the leadership team with recruitment
● Support leadership team with new team member orientation and training
● Formalize a professional growth and accountability process that reflects organizational culture and values for all team members on an on-going basis
● Hold annual reviews of leadership team members, aligned with organizational culture and values
● Coach and mentor staff as appropriate to empower professional growth
● Address staff performance issues when needed, utilizing appropriate and effective methods; make staffing adjustments when necessary, following proper and legally sound procedures.

Financial planning and management:

● Work with the leadership team and the Board (Finance Committee) to prepare a comprehensive budget
● Work with the Board to secure adequate funding for the operation of the organization
● Research funding sources, oversee the development of fundraising plans and write grant proposals to increase the funds of the organization
● Participate in fundraising activities as appropriate
● Approve expenditures within the authority delegated by the Board
● Ensure that sound bookkeeping and accounting procedures are followed
● Administer the funds of the organization according to the approved budget and monitor the monthly cash flow of the organization
● Provide the Board with comprehensive, regular reports on the revenues and expenditure of the organization
● Ensure that the organization complies with all legislation covering taxation and withholding payments

Community relations and advocacy:

● Communicate with community partners to keep them informed of the work of the organization and to identify changes in the community served by the organization
● Establish good working relationships and collaborative arrangements with community groups, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, funders, politicians, and other organizations to help achieve the goals of the organization

Risk management:

● Identify and evaluate the risks to the organization’s people (clients, team, leadership, volunteers), property, finances, goodwill, and image and implement measures to control risks
● Ensure that the Board of Directors and the organization carries appropriate and adequate insurance coverage
● Ensure that the Board and staff understand the terms, conditions and limitations of the insurance coverage

* In addition to these responsibilities, each staff member may be asked to participate in or lead a variety of initiatives on an as-needed basis.

Experience and Education:
● The CNAC Executive Director will be an Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis) Person with experience leading work on and with the Land, and/or demonstrates a deep relationship with Land. We invite you to self-identify in your resume/application.
● Demonstrated understanding of the complex challenges that Indigenous people in Canada face, including sovereignty, treaties, rights and identity.
● Minimum of 5 years of senior management experience in a nonprofit organization, including experience in fundraising, financial management, and program and staff development. Provincial or national oversight is considered an asset.
● French/English bilingualism is considered a strong asset.
● Previous experience with expanding programs, growing and marketing new offerings.
● Proven ability to develop revenue-generating programs is considered a strong asset.
● Proven leadership and management skills.
● Proven ability to secure multi-year funding.
● Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
● Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders.
● Strong financial acumen and experience in budget management.
● Ability to think strategically and develop innovative solutions.
● Embodies CNAC’s community vision for an Executive Director (above in the introduction).
● Post-secondary education is considered an asset. Lived experience is also strongly considered as equivalent.

Application Process:

Child & Nature Alliance of Canada is partnering with BES Executive Search. Applicants are guided through what BES calls ‘The BES Experience’—a thoughtful, candidate-centred process that meets candidates with support and care at every point of the search process. Interested applicants are invited to apply by clicking HERE, or may share their expression of interest in their own unique format by emailing Helen Mekonen and Jason Murray at [email protected].

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), applicants living with a disability will be provided with accommodation throughout the search process. Should accommodations be required, please make Helen Mekonen aware by emailing [email protected].

Interview Process:
*Please note: all interviews will be held in English*

Fair and equitable compensation is important to realize access and inclusion. To reflect this value and acknowledge the real labour involved in moving through an interview process, BES will be providing an honourarium to shortlisted candidates in the amount of $100, to be accepted in cash or donated to a registered charity of their choosing.

Required languages: English

Education level: Post Secondary

Required skills: Please see description.

Closest intersection: Canada wide