Associate Director - Learning and Community Engagement

University of Victoria; Victoria; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Victoria, Canada, seeks an Associate Director of Learning & Community Engagement. This role focuses on fostering engagement with Indigenous communities and educators while developing educational resources for various audiences. Duties include building partnerships with community organizations and monitoring programs. The ideal candidate will hold a doctoral degree and have extensive experience in outreach, engagement, and project management. This role requires strong leadership and communication skills to work effectively across diverse cultures.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in education and outreach.
• 5+ years of experience engaging with Indigenous communities.
• 5 years of supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead ONC’s engagement in Indigenous communities.
• Oversee educational resources using ONC data.
• Build community-based monitoring programs.

Skills

Strong knowledge of Indigenous communities' history

Excellent interpersonal skills

Demonstrated organizational skills

Exceptional written communication skills

Networking skills

Education

Doctoral degree in Science, Social Science, Indigenous Studies or related discipline

Job description

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) is a world‑leading organization supporting ocean discovery and innovation. ONC operates infrastructure that monitors the west and east coasts of Canada and the Arctic to continuously deliver data in real‑time for scientific research, societal benefits and technological innovation. ONC infrastructure supports ocean research within and across disciplines ranging from geophysics, oceanography, marine acoustics, marine ecology, geochemistry to microbiology facilitated by the co‑location, at every observatory site, of sensors serving multiple fields of research.

The observatories supply continuous power and Internet connectivity to a broad suite of scientific instruments located in coastal and deep‑ocean environments. The strategically located instruments and big data management enable evidence‑based decision‑making on ocean management, public safety and environmental protection and address key scientific and policy issues. Along with national and local governments, ONC also works in collaboration with educators, students, communities, and Indigenous peoples on ocean monitoring initiatives along all three of Canada’s coasts.

ONC is a Major Science Initiative funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and is governed as a not‑for‑profit society that operates world‑class innovative cabled observatories on behalf of the University of Victoria.

ONC’s Engagement & Knowledge Mobilization division provides a suite of services that leverages ONC’s infrastructure, in‑house expertise, scientific data, and network of partners to collaborate and prioritize the knowledge needs of end users of the facility. The division creates a bridge that connects data and knowledge to action and change, broadening the impact of ocean science to provide benefit to society and industry.

The Learning & Community Engagement department seeks to grow and support ONC’s community user base, focusing on Indigenous communities (including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit); formal and non‑formal educators and students from K‑12 through post‑secondary; social scientists and community‑engaged researchers; and participants in local monitoring programs. Collectively, the members of the department serve as ONC’s primary liaisons with these community users, working externally to grow collaborations, partnerships, research and monitoring programs, and learning initiatives and working internally with other operational teams in ONC to ensure that the needs of community users are met.

Mandate / Core Purpose of Role

Reporting to the Director of Engagement & Knowledge Mobilization (Director), the Associate Director Learning & Community Engagement’s (ADLCE) mandate is to lead ONC’s organizational commitment to meaningful, ongoing engagement in Indigenous communities; develop and oversee engagement strategies that support community priorities; create formal and non‑formal educational resources that use ONC observatory data; enhance capacity in Indigenous communities for ocean science and monitoring; act as a liaison to the social science research community; build community‑based monitoring programs; and contribute to strategic planning and funding initiatives.

• Lead ONC’s organizational commitment to meaningful, ongoing engagement in Indigenous communities; engagement strategies developed by the Associate Director support the priorities identified by communities and their leaders;
• Oversee the creation and delivery of formal (K‑12 through post‑secondary) and non‑formal educational resources for youth and adults that make use of the data from ONC observatories and raise awareness of the importance of the ocean in the global climate context;
• Working with external community partners, create opportunities to enhance capacity in Indigenous communities to engage in ocean science and monitoring;
• Act as a key liaison to the social science research community and support science‑oriented community‑engaged research;
• Build community‑based monitoring programs which link large‑scale climate data to local observations and instrument measurements; foster training, capacity building, and partnership initiatives which maximize Indigenous and coastal community participation in monitoring; and,
• Contribute to organizational strategic planning related to the department’s key user groups and collaborate with the Director to seek funding for specific initiatives.

Unusual Working Conditions

• Work may involve travel nationally and internationally to promote ONC, meet with participants, coordinate with related projects, and explore new areas of research enabled by ONC infrastructure. Destinations may also include small communities accessible only by boat or float plane on the coast and snowmobile in the Arctic.
• Travel schedules are often unpredictable due to changing weather conditions and community circumstances which necessitates a high degree of adaptability, stress management, and problem solving.
• This role operates in a fast‑paced environment with multiple priorities, tight deadlines, and a high standard of quality assurance, requiring strong judgment and effective crisis‑management skills. The nature of the work may involve periods of elevated pressure. ONC supports employee well‑being by providing a safe workplace and access to appropriate supports and resources.

Education

The successful candidate will have a doctoral degree in Science, Social Science, Indigenous Studies, or a related discipline. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered.

Required Experience

• At least five years of experience in education and outreach.
• At least five years of experience or equivalent working in or engaging with Indigenous communities, community organizations and diverse audiences and in building partnerships with such communities and organizations.
• Five years of supervisory experience.
• A minimum of five years financial and project management experience, including funding applications.
• At least five years of experience conducting research in a community‑engaged setting.
• Experience communicating ocean science and applying ocean science in education and outreach.
• Familiarity with educational pedagogy for K‑12 and post‑secondary audiences.

Key Job‑Specific Competencies

• Strong knowledge of Indigenous communities’ history, culture, social circumstances, political issues, and protocols.
• Knowledge of environmental and climate issues facing Indigenous and coastal communities.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to work with confidential and/or sensitive issues and strong conflict management skills.
• Demonstrated networking skills and the ability to collaborate on large research projects.
• Demonstrated organizational and project management skills.
• Demonstrated understanding of recent advances and innovations in ocean technologies, data delivery, the Internet, social media, and education approaches.
• Excellent communication skills and demonstrated ability to translate complex data and science concepts to a wide range of users across cultures and backgrounds.
• Strong team leadership, supervisory experience and an aptitude to operate as an effective tactical as well as a strategic thinker.
• Excellent organizational, analytical and creative problem solving skills.
• Ability to manage and prioritize projects/work to meet deadlines; ability to adapt to changing circumstances, consider various courses of action, understand implications of alternatives and undertake or recommend next steps.
• Exceptional written, communication and presentation skills and the ability if effectively interface with senior management, funders and Indigenous and community leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise judgement independently.