Northern Program Specialist

at  MakeWay

Northern Program Specialist – Full Time, Permanent
Located in Yellowknife, NT
Salary: $86-89k (dependent on experience) + Northern Living Allowance
Are you an organized person who enjoys building relationships and establishing connections? Do you value and want to contribute to Indigenous and community work that supports land stewardship, sustainable livelihoods, leadership, and culture? Are you an independent thinker with a drive to make positive change?
We are looking for a new team member who is eager to learn and grow within the role. The Northern Program Specialist will help facilitate social, economic, and environmental solutions led by northern people and communities. This position will provide direct support and advice to a northern portfolio of environmental stewardship, social justice, and cultural revitalization projects.
MakeWay builds partnerships and solutions that help nature and communities thrive together. Our people, projects, and partners are located across the country. The Northern Program Specialist is part of a team of Indigenous and northern staff that lead MakeWay’s Northern Program, which operates in the three territories and four Inuit regions. The Northern Program is focused on supporting Indigenous-led land and water stewardship, language and culture revitalization, sustainable community livelihoods, and emerging northern leaders. This position is located in our shared office space in Yellowknife, NT.
If our values align with yours and you want to learn, grow, and develop within a supportive team that shares knowledge and cares, then we want to hear from you! Join us and make a difference.

EXPERIENCE YOU BRING:

• A deep appreciation for the North and its people.
• Understanding of northern Indigenous history and aspirations.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Some general financial oversight skills.
• Knowledge of charity regulatory environment and reporting requirements, fundraising, grant development and reporting.
• Comfort working with a diversity of small organizations and community initiatives.
• Strong computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• A drive to develop solutions that fit outside of the box.
• A deep appreciation for traditional foods!

Project Support

• Provide a portfolio of northern projects with day-to-day support including grants management, preparation of contracts, financial review, and timely and informative responses to support requests.
• Assist projects with achieving commitments to funders, including ensuring timely and satisfactory submission of funding proposals and reports.
• Review and administer contractual arrangements.
• Collaborate with the Finance team to ensure effective financial management of projects.
• Actively manage risk to MakeWay and its projects through day-to-day issue identification and problem solving.
• Work with projects to monitor and track political activity, fundraising activity, and other charitable reporting requirements.
• Facilitate intake and orientation of new projects.
• Support projects during the recruitment process, when needed.

Community Relationships

• Support existing and explore new streams of charitable work in partnership with communities, with a focus on the NWT.
• Liaise with community partners to understand how best to support their environmental, cultural, and economic aspirations and programming.
• Work with community partners to ensure that grants and other supports are effectively delivered.
• Organize knowledge sharing events and exchanges.
• Support timely and accurate grant docket management, including proposals and reporting.
• Record management using MakeWay’s database software.
• Participate in all aspects of team workflow, including shared accountability for revenue and expense management, and delivering of outcomes.
• Help manage large multi-year programmatic budgets with support from the Finance team.

Other Responsibilities

• Communicate the regional and issue-based context of the MakeWay Northern Program’s initiatives and projects.
• Provide logistical oversight for meetings and events.
• Work to develop and implement improvements to MakeWay systems and processes.
• Provide assistance in managing MakeWay’s Yellowknife shared office space.