Program Assistant - Root for Trees

at  City of Edmonton

Job Number: 51327
The Program Assistant is a key public-facing role that maintains the daily operations of the Root for Trees program by facilitating volunteer planting events and guiding experiential learning about Edmonton’s urban forest and city-wide naturalization.
From mid-May to mid-October, Program Assistants collectively facilitate up to 25 planting programs per week. Staff also support public special events, such as National Tree Day. While most work hours involve facilitating plantings, Program Assistants are also responsible for additional program administrative and maintenance duties, such as data collection, volunteer communication, public inquiry response, and program material maintenance.

SKILLS REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS:

• Ability to provide effective supervision and leadership to volunteers
• Excellent customer service, communication, organization, prioritization and time management skills
• Strong administrative skills and ability to organize communications, manage personal and event calendars and maintain schedules
• Strong written, oral, presentation and web-based communication skills
• Ability to work both independently and cooperate well in a team environment
• Contribute to and enable a respectful and inclusive workplace
• Ability to use Google Suite including Google Documents, Google Sheets, Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Forms
• Alignment to our Cultural Commitments and Leadership Competencies (https://bit.ly/4brRrXm)
• Embracing a culture of equity, diversity, reconciliation and inclusion
• Alignment with the goals of the City Plan (https://bit.ly/3RZcCaA) and the Environmental Management System Enviso
• Applicants may be tested

Qualifications:

• Completion of the first year of a recognized Recreation Administration, Forestry/Agriculture, Horticulture/Botany, Biological Sciences, Education or related diploma or degree program
• Minimum of 1 year of direct experience leading recreational, environmental, cultural or educational programs and working directly with user group

• Effectively coordinate educational tree planting programs from initiation to completion. Instruct, organize and supervise volunteer activities while providing environmental education.
• Conduct quality control inspections to ensure plant material is planted to specifications.
• Handle, transport, and plant native plant material in variable terrain
• Safely operate City equipment, including trucks and trailers, throughout the city in a variety of circumstances
• Provide insights, feedback, suggestions and information to the program team regarding planning and implementation
• Maintain and distribute program materials and equipment used for program and event delivery
• Contribute to a safe working environment by adhering to, implementing and contributing to the development of OH&S policies
• Collect and maintain relevant data and statistics as required by supervisors
• Collect and distribute supplies, materials and equipment as needed for program delivery
• Respond to external and internal inquiries as required
• Support fieldwork, data, programming and events
• Participate in site visits and inspections as required
• Creation of social media content, newsletter articles, update web content and other related means of communications as required
• Participate in public engagement activities and events as required
• Be self sufficient and collaborative with administrative duties such as managing individual calendars, preparing time sheets, completing planting and inventory reports, contributing to budget reports, keeping records of volunteers and overall file structure organization
• Perform other related duties as required

Qualifications:

• Completion of the first year of a recognized Recreation Administration, Forestry/Agriculture, Horticulture/Botany, Biological Sciences, Education or related diploma or degree program
• Minimum of 1 year of direct experience leading recreational, environmental, cultural or educational programs and working directly with user groups