One Sky Job Opening - Program Director

Job Posting - Program Director

November 8, 2007

Are you interested in working for a young, ambitious, fast-moving, non-profit organization? Are you interested in sustainable living, the environment, leadership, international cooperation and human rights?  Would you enjoy living in a small town nestled in the Northern coastal mountains of B.C. with spectacular wilderness opportunities? Would you enjoy being plugged in to an exciting world of international travel and international projects that range from working in West Africa and Peru to working on leadership development with young social change agents?

One Sky is looking to replace our program director for a period of one year while she is on maternity leave.  There is a strong possibility of an extension into a related job position after one year. We are looking for someone with strong project management skills to assume the responsibilities of several international projects (Peru, Sierra Leone, Nigeria) as well as oversee our domestic and local programming including an internship program. We require someone with international project experience who is willing to explore alternative philosophical approaches and models to both environmental sustainability and international cooperation. At One Sky we enjoy exploring the nexus between theory and application. We are keen to humbly and enthusiastically try new concepts yet we also recognize the complexity of the subject matter. Candidates who are convinced they know how to solve the world's dilemmas (if we just do this or just do that) need not apply. Candidates with a background in integral theory or experience with applications in integral sustainability are particularly encouraged to apply. We need someone with a sense of humour, with a sense of purpose, who is good with narrative and financial report writing, is very capable in cross cultural communication and can see how important it is to run a non-profit efficiently, professionally and ethically.

You will join a qualified and dedicated team working out of our own sustainable office building. If you care that your computer is powered by solar panels, the office hot water is generated by the sun, that there is a bicycle program operating in the backyard and if it matters to you that we recycle, that we run a resource centre and that visitors come to talk about energy issues and if it does not bother you to be interrupted at work because our internship program is running a leadership and conflict resolution workshop (just when you were hoping to get some books done) and finally if you noticed that this is a run-on sentence and you are squirming to fix it this might be the job for you.

However, you will need to be qualified because we run a demanding environment! People love to work here and we are proud to run a tight ship with meaningful results. While it is true that we close shop when there is more than 20 cm of new snow (so everyone can go skiing) and we encourage people to lead balanced, healthy lives, we are also a highly motivated team that manages close to a million dollars of programming every year in some of the most demanding places and environments in the world. We work in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, Peru and El Salvador. We facilitate several networks and run local energy, internship, and leadership programs. At times you will wonder how it all gets done and it will make sense to you that we needed to hire someone skilled, intelligent, dedicated and fun to replace the person who dreamed much of this up.

If you intend to apply, don't be modest! The competition can be intense. We read cover letters, we look for details and we search for soul - you will be an important part of a team that cares about each other and cares about the world. We will be looking for hard skills but we are not spring chickens when it comes to the desire to work with good people. Expect to be asked questions about your personality type, why you really want to work on sustainability issues and what keeps you busy in your spare time. Life is short - this is not just a job, it is a perspective on the world. The pay is not great and probably never will be but the hometown is outstanding, the One Sky community and work has meaning and you will be challenged on many fronts to perform. It is a job with heart.

You will not be inheriting faulty programs and we are not looking for someone to rescue anything. You will be supported in your work yet have an enormous amount of independence and decision-making. All of the current programs are up and running and have institutional history. We run a fiscally sound shop with a refined set of books on par with the best non-profit, financial systems out there.  Our funders have independently audited us, we undergo an annual financial audit and we have a discerning board of directors with an experienced executive director. Sound interesting? To apply you must:

Be a nice, friendly person whom we would like to work with everyday and whom we trust to represent our philosophy and organization in a variety of contexts locally, nationally and internationally.

Be able to think outside the box.

We like the idea of diplomas and degrees in environmental studies, international development or related studies but what really matters to us is can you run a project- and can you prove it through experience?

Be confident and capable with confusers, the usual software, e-mail and the internet.

Background in integral theory an asset. Spanish is an asset and any experience in West Africa or Latin America would be an asset.

Be eligible to work in Canada and in excellent physical and mental health in order to travel and work in other countries under demanding conditions.

You have experience in managing budgets cumulatively totaling several hundred thousand dollars in non-profit environments where we wring every last penny out of a dollar spent. You have demonstrated solid relationships with funders including strong narrative and financial reporting skills, and establishing new funding relationships. You are committed to achieving project deliverables at the highest possible standard and are willing to go the extra mile.

You value and are good at building relationships with diverse groups of people, whether with community members in Smithers, BC involved in a local food security project, farmers in Sierra Leone, project officers in the Canadian government, or low-income people walking through our door looking for a loaner bike for the day. 

You have great people management skills. You can balance a need to get results with mentoring interns and giving them room to learn through experience. You are willing to sit down and help a young person find their path without telling them what to do. You are enthusiastic about mentorship and innovative approaches to leadership development.

You are used to working under strong leaders, and can find a balance between expressing your opinions and listening to the opinions of others, taking guidance and integrating your own experience, skills and knowledge. You are comfortable both receiving and giving feedback.

This is a full time position. The salary will be commensurate with experience. To apply send us a resume or C.V. and a really good covering letter explaining who you are, why you want to work for us, why you are interested in living in Smithers, what you do for fun and anything else pertinent that might make us want to interview you. Send your application to .  Unfortunately, due to the large volume of applications that we receive, we will only get back to you if you have been selected for an interview.

The deadline to apply is December 7, 2007.
The position will commence January 15, 2008
For more information on One Sky visit us at http://www.onesky.ca