At A Glance
- Location: Ottawa, Ontario
- Hours: 35 Weekly (1.0 FTE)
- Contract: Full-time permanent
- Reports to: Director of Law Reform
- Office Requirement: Hybrid (2 days/week in office)
About Us
As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, our mission is using the law to defend nature, combat the climate crisis, and fight for a healthy environment for all. To achieve this, Ecojustice does three things:
We go to court - Our lawyers represent citizens, environmental organizations, First Nations, sustainable businesses, labour organizations, and any other groups that share our mission.
We push for better laws - Our experts testify in front of committees and make recommendations to strengthen environmental legislation.
We engage the public - Our work highlights environmental issues and changes the conversation, forcing our leaders to sit up and listen.
Our mission is why people join Ecojustice. People who choose to join us recognize that this planet is our most treasured inheritance, and it is our imperative to be good stewards for the generations who follow us. We believe in protecting the environment while having enough time off to enjoy it. If you are courageous, collaborative, and dedicated to the fight for a healthier environment, you will find your people here.
About The Role
This role sits within Ecojustice’s Law Reform team and supports the organization’s mission by advancing and defending environmental laws and policies across a range of environmental issues. You will work closely with our program teams, Nature, Climate, and Healthy Communities, help influence public policy, execute government relations strategies, and create advocacy campaigns that protect important legal frameworks and advance new legislative solutions. The role is intentionally flexible, responding to evolving priorities and supporting work where it is most needed.
You will engage regularly with federal and other decision-makers and partners, bringing a strong understanding of the federal political landscape and how legislation and policy move through government. The role requires balancing timely analyses and responses to government announcements and policy changes with longer-term strategic initiatives focused on developing stronger laws. This is a highly collaborative position with opportunities to contribute thoughtful analysis and turn insights into effective advocacy for innovative policy and legislative solutions that advance environmental protection and justice.
If you're passionate about environmental protection and have a background in government relations and campaign strategy, we invite you to join us in making a meaningful impact on our planet's future.
Responsibilities
As a Government Relations and Campaign Specialist, you will:
- Monitor political and public policy developments, identifying risks and opportunities to advance or defend environmental laws or policies
- Provide timely analysis and strategic recommendations in response to government announcements, proposed legislative changes, and emerging political developments
- Contribute to the development of law reform initiatives like policy and legislative analysis, drafting submissions, briefing notes, and contributing to strategy planning and implementation
- Design and execute campaigns that raise awareness, shift public opinion, and influence decisions on environmental issues
- Build and maintain productive relationships with government officials, political staff, and other key stakeholders
- Collaborate across teams and with external partners to coordinate advocacy efforts and align shared priorities
- Work to strengthen Ecojustice’s role as an ally of Indigenous communities by working in ethical relations with Indigenous partners, communities, and organizations and centering Indigenous rights and knowledge systems.
- Integrate considerations of reconciliation, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI-R) into government relations, policy, and campaign work
- Lead and contribute to coalition building and community relationship strategies
- Work closely with Strategic Communications to develop persuasive and creative advocacy materials including media and policy briefs, research reports, infographics and other campaign tools
Role Success
We are currently working to embed our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (JEDI-R) into all aspects of our organization. We recognize that strong candidates can come from many backgrounds.
Typically, this role requires around 5 years of progressive experience in government relations and public policy campaigning. We recognize that candidates with fewer years of highly relevant and direct experience to environmental government relations, policy, and campaign work may bring the depth of knowledge and context needed to succeed. Though we use years of experience as a benchmark, we welcome applications from candidates whose combination of skills, expertise, and lived experience equip them to excel in this role.
Requirements for this role include:
-
5 years of experience in government relations and campaign strategy ideally in the environmental sector or in other comparable sectors
- Experience building and maintaining strong, positive relationships with government officials
- Experience developing and executing campaigns involving coalition building and/or community-focused strategies
- Experience with media communications and public speaking
- Demonstrated knowledge of current environmental issues, legislative and political developments
- Deep understanding of legislative and policy making processes of governments and the role of non-governmental organizations, the public, coalition groups, and other actors in influencing those processes.
- Practical understanding of how JEDI-R considerations shape effective law reform, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement
- Bilingual in English andFrench is an asset but not a requirement
Our Commitment To Workplace Accessibility, Equity, and Inclusion
Ecojustice is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment and is responding to the calls for action to further reconciliation.
We encourage applications from people with relevant job-related skills and who come from communities that have been structurally marginalized based on race, religion, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. Members belonging to communities that experience marginalization can self-identify during the application process if they choose to do so.
Ecojustice strives to ensure that our online application system and recruitment process are accessible to individuals with different abilities and encourages candidates to contact [email protected] for any accommodation requests.
Great Reasons To Join Us
- Generous Time Off: Start with 4 weeks of vacation, increasing up to 6 weeks with tenure, plus an annual winter break.
- Extra Days for You: 14 public holidays (including National Indigenous Peoples Day), 2 floater days, and 4 paid hours each month for personal life admin.
- Comprehensive Benefits: 100% employer-paid extended health coverage, up to $2,000/year for mental health, $800/year for paramedical expenses, and $500/year for vision care
- Financial Wellness: 5% RRSP salary contribution after one year and a $500 annual wellness spending account.
- Hybrid Work Structure: 2 days per week in office with basic home office equipment provided and additional equipment reimbursement up to $500.
- Family Support: Employer provided Employee & Family Assistance Program. Parental leave top-up for both birthing and non-birthing parents.
- Inclusive Leave Policies: Flexible options for health, caregiving, volunteering, and life events.
- Recognized Excellence: Proudly ranked among Canada’s Top 100 charities by Charity Intelligence.
- Collaborative Culture: 99% mission alignment and 97% manager support ratings from internal surveys.
- Growth & Learning: Opportunities to advance justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation through ongoing training.
Our Commitment to Transparency
Transparency, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion are important to us. As a charity, our value proposition is that of a mission-based organization, offering high-value benefits, perks, and meaningful work. We benchmark base pay to the non-profit sector and relevant areas of expertise to ensure we are competitive and fair. Our current compensation structure ensures litigation practice salaries are benchmarked to the non-profit industry and relevant legal practices, this role is unionized and the salary is pre-determined in collective bargaining.
