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Assistant, Outreach and Partnerships & Communications Units

The CEC Secretariat, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is seeking a qualified and dedicated individual for a full-time position as Assistant to support the Outreach and Partnerships Unit & Communications Unit. The candidate must be legally eligible to work in Canada (Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident Status).

This position reports to the Head, Outreach and Partnerships Unit and to the Head, Communications Unit, while collaborating with all CEC Secretariat unit teams.

The successful candidate will be providing administrative assistance and coordination support to the Outreach and Partnerships Unit and the Communications Unit for the implementation of both units’ scope of work. The work primarily relates to the units’ administrative support, budget monitoring, contracting services and procurement, organizing meetings and events, and information and data management. In addition, this position will assist both units in the effective delivery of their workplans and strategies and in providing support to all CEC units.

You should apply to this position if you are interested in being part of two dynamic teams, working for an international organization and supporting the protection of the North American environment  and are committed to our core values of integrity, transparency, inclusiveness, collaboration and excellence.

Key responsibilities

Administrative support for the units 

• Assist the units in their workflow and support for the CEC and its constituent bodies, particularly other units within the Secretariat, as well as with communication with external individuals, whether general public or collaborators and partners.
• Support team activities associated with strategic priorities, tasks and deliverables as they relate to core functions as well as emerging priorities.
• Facilitate the unit-specific processes for editing, translation and translation review of documents and materials, including publications and public-facing content as needed.
• Coordinate travel arrangements for the units, completing all required administrative tasks, including processing post-travel expense claims.
• Assist with processes for producing and/or printing communications and outreach materials with vendors, shipping items for meetings and events, including coordination with relevant CEC teams.

Organization of meetings and events 

• Assist in drafting and sending out meeting invitations, agendas and other required documentation and coordinate attendance details for all relevant meetings and events and support the preparation of meeting materials, including financial assistance, when necessary.
• Assist in scheduling and supporting meetings according to needs and staff requests.
• Attend meetings, when necessary, and assist with the coordination of logistics to ensure timely and smooth meetings and events, which may involve meeting materials and documentation, remote participation, presentations, and interpretation services. When CEC Meeting Services is attending, collaborate with them to ensure processes are followed.
• Follow specific Outreach and Partnerships Unit procedures when engaging with collaborators and partners.

Budget monitoring and contract-related activities 

• Liaise with the Administration Unit on unit-related expenses.
• Assist with the preparation of quarterly reports, as required.
• Prepare contracts and/or amendments and enter them in the budgetary system.
• Assist with internal and external processes for invoicing and budget management.

Contracting services and procurement 

• Compile and review all relevant administrative documents for internal contract approval process (e.g., justification memos, proposal evaluations, CVs, etc.).
• Collaborate in the development and drafting of terms of reference, including fees and expenses, prepare amendments, track budget implications and follow internal processes for budget and contracting approval and closure.
• Facilitate procurement processes, including initial research, compiling comparable products or services, procuring materials, liaise with relevant vendors and/or focal points.
• Contact consultants and service providers, when necessary, in order to support administration of the contract (e.g., verify contact information, confirm form of payment, discuss status of billing or payment).

Information and data management 

• Contribute to the units’ performance measurement, analytics, metrics tracking and internal and governmental reporting activities.
• Maintain and update the contact databases, including the CEC engagement management software (Borealis) and assist with platforms like the QR code creator, Survey Monkey, Notion, Slido, Meltwater, Buffer, media outlets, etc., and lists of collaborators and partners and media, as required.
• Provide support in compiling engagement and performance data (e.g., survey results, communications records, meeting participants lists and social and traditional media) and support basic data analysis.
• Assist with internal intranet and public-facing website information management, including maintaining updated content, aligned with industry best practices, particularly for accessibility, and for maintaining up-to-date content in the CEC publications library and tools and resources.
• Serve as the primary focal point for general CEC email inbox accounts.
• Assist with unit-specific file management needs for common drives and cloud-based solutions.

Attributes and qualifications

The successful applicant will comply with the following requirements:

• Post-secondary college degree/certificate in administration or a post-secondary diploma (CEGEP) in administration, or a related field, or a combination of education and experience deemed equivalent in the field of administration with past experience and/or interest in communications, public affairs, international relations, environmental science or related fields.
• Minimum of three years’ experience working in a similar field and/or position.
• Knowledge of administrative procedures and office-related financial transactions.
• Knowledge of accounting and budgeting procedures/terminology and contracting processes.
• Knowledge of computer office tools and programs.
• Knowledge of communications and/or public engagement, and strong writing skills, is an asset.
• Strong organizational, time-management and priority-setting and planning skills.
• Ability to meet timelines under pressure and to assist others in solving logistical problems.
• Ability to work with limited supervision with clear instructions provided.
• Interpersonal and communication skills, discretion and judgement.
• Adaptability and flexibility in a dynamic, multicultural environment.
• Excellent computer skills (e.g., advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and web-based collaboration software).
• Ability to work overtime on a limited basis (e.g., prior to and during events), and to travel between the three countries, as required.
• The official languages of the CEC are English, French and Spanish. Strong proficiency in the CEC languages is an asset.

The work is carried out in accordance with the: Environmental Cooperation Agreement, Chapter 24 of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, CEC Council Resolutions and recommendations and the CEC Headquarters Agreement with Canada and Quebec.

For this position, the gross salary range is from a minimum of CAD 48,000.00 to a maximum of CAD 54,000.00, based on a weekly schedule of 37.5 hours. In addition to the salary, the CEC provides benefits representing 25% of your annual salary, as provided in our benefits package, which also includes healthcare coverage, RRSP, RBC group savings and personal expenses.

Submit your resume and cover letter at email copassist@cec.org by 13 September 2024 (COB).The CEC promotes employment equity and encourages diversity.

No phone calls or email message inquiries will be accepted.

We appreciate your interest in the CEC and wish to inform you that only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Only the short list résumés will be kept on file for a year period and taken into consideration for any suitable vacancies during that time.