EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Position: Executive Director
Organization: Iron & Earth
Location: anywhere in Canada

OVERVIEW

Date posted: October 8, 2020
Closing date: November 18, 2020

Job type: Full time staff position
Start date: December 2020

Compensation: $35/hr at 40 hr/week
Contract timeline: Permanent position

INTRODUCTION

If you are excited to help forge a prosperous energy transition for our country and you have experience in the fossil fuel industry, don't miss this exciting opportunity to work with Iron & Earth!

We are hiring a new Executive Director to take our organization to new heights. Our organization is poised for growth and recently emerged from our startup phase. With a solid foundation now in place, we require an exceptional leader who can begin to scale our organization's initiatives.

The Executive Director will have a lot of flexibility to design their own strategies and work schedule. We’re seeking candidates with an inspiring vision for Canada's energy future and a passion for building community and empowering fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers to build and implement climate solutions.

The Executive Director provides oversight, overall management, planning, vision and leadership for Iron & Earth’s work including strategy, finance, resource development, human resources, constituency and stakeholder engagement, communications, and board development. The Executive Director employs an empowering approach when collaborating with team members to nurture an environment of shared responsibility and accountability for the organization’s work.

ABOUT IRON & EARTH

Iron & Earth formed around the lunchroom tables of the oilsands during an oil price crash, which resulted in over 100,000 oilpatch employees losing their jobs between 2015 and 2017. We realized that our trade skills were transferable to the renewable energy industry and recognized the urgency of diversifying into these technologies. Beyond the financial benefits, we were excited about the opportunity to help build a more sustainable energy future. So, in Spring 2016, we launched Iron & Earth to create a better future for ourselves, our coworkers, and the planet. Since then, we have built a membership of over 900 fossil fuel industry workers passionate about our vision and have carried out a wide range of initiatives.

Iron & Earth is a worker-led not-for-profit whose mission is to empower fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers to build and implement climate solutions. Our top-level goal is to help ensure a prosperous transition towards global carbon neutrality by 2050.

Our vision is that fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers will play a leading role in building the infrastructure and nature-based solutions required to reach global climate targets. Our vision of Iron & Earth’s role in realizing this future is that by 2050 we will have empowered thousands of worker members to establish chapters, develop projects, deliver training programs, shape policies, and host and participate in climate solution-related events around the world.

We recognize that the new economy must be grounded in a recognition of Indigenous peoples’ right to be self-determining over their own lands and resources, in accordance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and strive to work toward a new economy that reflects this principle.

ABOUT THE JOB

This opportunity is perfect for a current or former fossil fuel industry worker who has an inspiring vision of how Canada’s traditional energy sector workforce and businesses can be mobilized to build a prosperous net-zero future. The core mission of the Executive Director is to maximize the positive impact of Iron & Earth and the extent to which Iron & Earth fulfills its vision, mission, pillars and values. The top-level-goal for the Executive Director is to provide effective leadership while deepening the organization’s impact through its four key pillars.

Executive Director responsibilities:

• Develop and implement strategies to effectively scale the organization
• Support the entire organization to successfully complete all current deliverables related to our range of initiatives
• Develop innovative initiatives to help fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers diversify into climate careers
• Secure funding to ensure resources are in place to continue the resilience and scalability of the organization
• Work alongside the new Iron & Earth Industries CEO to develop and launch a social enterprise to scale the delivery of our training programs and generate revenue for our nonprofit activities
• Support National Chapter Director to strengthen and expand our chapters across the country and eventually internationally
• Lead Iron & Earth’s Climate Career Portal development
• Lead Iron & Earth’s Net-Zero Pathways program development
• Act as a spokesperson for Iron & Earth at key events and with news media
• Engage with decision-makers and elected officials to advocate for Iron & Earth’s policy priorities
• Engage with stakeholders to establish strategic partnerships
• Manage project budgets

REQUIRED AND PREFERRED APPLICANT QUALITIES

Mandatory skills & experience

• Experience in the fossil fuel industry, whether it be a white or blue-collar background
• Ability to carry out the mission, objectives, and activities included above
• Experience in a leadership position of a nonprofit or related organization
• In-depth knowledge of nonprofit governance and general management best practices
• Demonstrated ability to secure funding for organizations doing social purpose work
• Accounting, finance and project management skills
• Track record of building or leading effective teams
• Enjoy building and supporting teams
• Personal values aligned with our organization’s mission, goals and philosophy
• Empowering leadership approach
• Exceptional written and communication skills
• Understanding of oil and gas, renewable energy industries and political landscape in Canada
• Understanding of the importance of community building during the current energy transition
• Enthusiasm about contributing to a work environment that continually seeks to take decolonial and nonracist approaches to everything we do
• Exceptional written and communication skills
• Must have access to a computer and reliable internet connection

Additional skills and experience preferred

• Experience collaborating with Indigenous communities
• Experience with campaigning, community organizing, or union organizing
• Experience organizing events
• Experience leading media relations
• Experience with Google Suite and other digital tools
• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications or related field
• Experience in a startup
• Entrepreneurial experience
• Experience in government relations and stakeholder engagement

We especially encourage and welcome Indigenous candidates to apply.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Salary and hours

Compensation: $35/hr at 40 hr/week.

Location

Remotely based with some opportunities to meet with members and team members in-person, pending COVID-19 restrictions throughout the period of the contract.

How to apply

If you are interested in this position and meet the requirements, please:

• Send us your resume and cover letter by midnight on November 18, 2020, to info@ironandearth.org in one PDF titled "Last name_first name_application" and the email title "Executive Director"
• In your cover letter, please tell us about how your experience in the fossil fuel industry inspires you to support workers to build and implement climate solutions. Please also describe the skills and experience you would bring to this position's mission, objectives, and activities.

We will consider applications continuingly until the posting closes on November 18, 2020.

We thank all applicants for your interest in our organization and the time spent on your application; however, only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS MOMENT IN TIME FOR OUR ORGANIZATION IN THIS BLOG POST!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!

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READ MORE ABOUT OUR WORK BELOW

OUR INITIATIVES

The Executive Director will be responsible for ensuring the success and growth of our five initiative types:

1. Chapters
2. Campaigns
3. Programs
4. Projects
5. Events

We are currently hiring a National Chapter Director to lead the scaling of our chapters and campaigns, as well as a CEO to lead the scaling of our projects and programs. The Executive Director will work closely with them, and our existing core team in this work.

1 - Chapters

Chapters are the core of our organizing model and our ability to achieve scale because they provide a hub for relationship building between workers and supporters who align with our vision and strategy. Chapter members identify challenges and/or opportunities that Iron & Earth is uniquely positioned to address in the community or region. Chapter members then design and deploy campaigns, projects, programs, or events tailored to address the identified need or opportunity. These regional contexts and solutions can often only be understood and developed at the local level. Chapters also support the scaling of national initiatives, through regional involvement in national campaigns or helping scale proven project and training program models.

Trainees during a solar energy training program organized by Iron & Earth East

2 - Campaigns

Our campaigns support our membership to form worker-led policy solutions on timely issues related to our mission. We then use these membership driven solutions to advocate for the policy changes needed to ensure our members and industry can thrive during the complex transition.

3 & 4 - Projects and programs

We deliver a range of sustainable energy training programs to rapidly upskill fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers into climate careers. These training programs are often integrated with hands-on sustainable energy installations. We also develop sustainable energy projects, ranging from sustainably powered greenhouses to utilizing oil well sites for solar energy.

Trainees during the Louis Bull Solar Daycare project

5 - Events

Our events provide an easy way for chapter members to meet each other and gain new knowledge about developments in sustainable energy and other sectors focused on addressing climate change. Our chapters regularly host Shop Talk Nights that help bring workers and supporters together to build relationships and to network with industry stakeholders.

 

OUR CORE INITIATIVES THROUGHOUT 2020-2022

OUR CURRENT FOCUS AREAS:

1. Scaling of our chapter model in both current and new regions
2. The Renewable Skills Initiative - Phase 2 which will include working in partnership with the Louis Bull Tribe to deliver four sustainable energy training programs
3. Establishing Iron & Earth Industries as a social enterprise to scale the delivery of our sustainable energy training programs in remote and Indigenous communities
4. The Prosperous Transition Campaign which includes interviewing hundreds of workers and releasing a report with workers perspectives on climate action policies
5. The RenuWell project which will include completing a pilot project by December 2021 to utilize brownfield sites for solar energy projects (multi-stakeholder initiative)
6. The Climate Career Portal which will provide a platform for connecting workers in transition with the resources, training and employment opportunities they need
7. The Net-Zero Pathways Program which will be a program to introduce fossil fuel industry workers and stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of the net-zero transition

SCALING OUR INITIATIVES

1 - Chapters

We aim to establish chapters in every province in Canada and many other countries where fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers can benefit from our work. At a minimum, these chapters will host regular events and ideally, each chapter will run campaigns and develop/deliver their own projects and/or programs.

2 - Campaigns

We will continue to run campaigns that reshape public perspectives, media narratives, and energy policy. These campaigns will continue at a national level and increasingly at a regional level as we increase the capacity of our chapters.

3 & 4 - Projects & Programs

We are currently developing three project types which may prove to be scalable: Renewable Skills, RenuWell, and 365 Greenhouse projects. We have recently developed three training programs which we will begin to deliver, and scale, starting in 2021. We intend to develop additional project and program models, while scaling the projects and programs that prove impactful.

5 - Events

We plan to support each of our chapters to host regular Shop Talk Nights to build and maintain a community base of engaged members and supporters. We would also like to organize more Speaker Series tours across Canada and in other countries.

We will build our core team and capacity to ensure we can have a presence at all major sustainable energy related events and conferences. In particular, we hope to have a role in all major just transition related events and conferences.

Lorsque vous enverrez votre candidature, merci d’indiquer que vous avez vu cette offre d’emploi sur le site GoodWork.ca.