Director – Above Ground

Position: Director of Above Ground

Location: Home office, based in the Montreal/Ottawa/Toronto corridor

Term and hours: Permanent, 37.5 hours per week

Timeline: Apply now! Applications to be reviewed on a rolling basis, as we receive them. Interviews

will be scheduled on a similar basis.

Above Ground, a project on MakeWay’s shared platform, promotes respect for human rights

and the environment by multinational companies and their public sector partners. We shed

light on how Canadian business activity abroad contributes to human rights crises, from threats

to Indigenous peoples to the global climate emergency. We advance solutions to hold Canadian

companies to account for their impacts abroad, and to secure access to justice for the victims of

abuse. Above Ground produces research and analysis, facilitates collaboration and exchange,

and advocates for policy and law reform. Our team, which consists of 2.75 full time equivalent

staff positions, operates in a decentralized office.

MakeWay is a national charity and public foundation with a goal to enable nature and

communities to thrive together. MakeWay does this by building partnerships, providing

solutions, grants and services for the charitable sector across the country.

Above Ground seeks a committed, highly motivated advocate with proven fundraising and

management skills to lead our organization.

Core Responsibilities

× Strategy and planning: development, oversight and evaluation of organizational

objectives, strategy and programming.

× Team building and management: direct management support to three colleagues in a

decentralized office; team coordination; human resources management.

× Fundraising: development and execution of fundraising strategy; proposal and report

writing; donor relations.

× Research, analysis and advocacy: development and oversight of organizational research,

analysis and advocacy strategies; engagement with national and international decision-

makers.

× Collaboration: promotion and facilitation of collaboration with national and

international allies.

× Communications: oversight of organizational communications strategy; spokesperson.

× Financial management: budget development and management; financial

administration.

× General administration: regulatory compliance (lobbying; charity law); etc.

Qualifications

× Demonstrated passion for human rights and social justice, and a minimum of 5 years’

experience working on these issues.

× Graduate degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field. Legal education is

desirable.

× Proven fundraising skills with philanthropic foundations.

× Strategic thinking.

× Demonstrated experience exercising thought leadership.

× Excellent verbal and written English-language communications skills, including public

speaking capacity. Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with diverse

audiences.

× Demonstrated advocacy skills. Experience advocating for federal policy and law reform

is desirable.

× Strong analytical, research and problem-solving skills.

× Substantive knowledge regarding the environmental and human rights impacts

associated with Canadian multinational corporations, the policy and legal context in

which these companies operate and proposed accountability reforms.

× Demonstrated management skills. Experience managing a small team is highly desirable.

× Strong collaboration skills. Experience working in coalition is desirable.

× Fluency in additional languages, particularly French and Spanish, is desirable.

× Personable; sense of humour.

Location

Candidates based in the Montreal / Ottawa / Toronto corridor are encouraged to apply.

Candidates located outside of Ottawa must be available to travel to the capital for periodic staff

meetings, to engage with decision-makers and for other periodic work obligations, once it is

safe to do so.

Compensation and benefits

The director position is full-time and the successful candidate will be an employee of MakeWay.

The annual salary range is $65,000 – $70,000, depending on skills and experience. The director

receives an additional, one-time payment at the end of the year in lieu of a retirement plan.

This payment is worth 12% of the director’s salary less the cost of their extended health

package. Above Ground employees receive a generous monthly stipend for home office

expenses and receive four weeks annual vacation.

How to apply

Please submit your resume and a one-page cover letter that speaks to how your qualifications

fit the role to [email protected] with the subject line: Surname, First Name, Above

Ground Director. We will review applications as we receive them and will schedule interviews

with qualified candidates on a rolling basis.

For more information about Above Ground and MakeWay, please visit:

MakeWay is strongly committed to creating a diverse workplace environment and

we welcome and encourage applications from the communities we serve.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

MakeWay will provide accommodation during all steps of the hiring process, upon request, to

applicants with disabilities. Please advise us if you need any accommodation.

Our appreciation to all those who express interest in the position.

Only those applicants invited for an interview will be contacted.