Role Summary

TAF is seeking an engaged and policy active individual to support and help build out TAF’s policy and advocacy team. This role will help tackle one of, if not the largest issues of our time. We are looking for someone to help realize the goal of making the GTHA net-zero by 2050.

This is a full-time, two year contract with potential for extension. Starting salary: $45,000-$55,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Reporting to the Climate Policy Manager.

About TAF

TAF is a regional climate agency with a $90 million endowment fund to invest in innovative low-carbon solutions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and scale them up for broad implementation. We are experienced leaders and we collaborate with stakeholders in the private, public and non-profit sectors. We advance the most promising concepts by investing, providing grants, influencing policies and running programs. We’re particularly interested in ideas that offer benefits in addition to carbon reduction such as improving people’s health, creating local jobs, boosting urban resiliency, and contributing to a fair society.

 We are a registered non-profit, with a Board of Directors appointed by the City of Toronto, made up of City councillors and citizens.

Working at TAF

Talk to our staff and they will tell you that working at TAF comes with amazing advantages. We’re on the leading edge of urban climate change solutions and our work makes a tangible difference. We build meaningful relationships with all kinds of stakeholders – from thought leaders advancing new concepts and approaches to the people who implement change on the ground. Join our dedicated and collaborative team to contribute to the value and impact of our work.

Building an inclusive community with a shared purpose is critical to our work and mandate. We are Equalx30 signatories and believe that teams work best when the people within them are diverse in background and approach, including diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, and all the other fascinating characteristics that make us different.

Virtual Office Update: TAF staff are currently working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic and we have no way of knowing when we’ll return to our downtown Toronto location.  We are open to hiring candidates from different locations, provided you have relevant knowledge of the region, and ideally live within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. We expect that all staff will need to meet in person on occasion when we can safely return to our office.

Perks

• Comprehensive extended health, vision and dental benefits package after your first year of employment

• Support for virtual office during pandemic, such as hardware and stipend for internet and other expenses

• Flexible work hours and work from home options

• Starts at three weeks vacation per year

Position Responsibilities

Under the direction of the Climate Policy Manager, you will work with the policy team and across TAF’s various departments to develop and advance TAF’s policy goals. These goals and objectives have real world impacts and requires candidates who are organized and able to argue effectively to vastly different audiences. TAF works with municipalities across the GTHA, with elected officials and civil servants across ministries and departments both Federally and Provincially. This results in dynamic work that varies from short briefing notes, to budget submissions, to providing feedback to other E-NGO initiatives, and creative problem solving.  

• Your work will be focused on these key activities:

• Low-carbon policy research and analysis: Research and assess key low-carbon policy opportunities at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Assist in preparation of policy submissions, background papers, and other communications materials around select policy issues.

• Communicating the multiple benefits of low-carbon policies: Working with TAF staff and external service providers, coordinate the assessment and communication of potential benefits of key policy options, including emissions reductions, economic benefits, and other societal benefits.

• Stakeholder engagement: Liaise with key stakeholders Canada-wide, coordinate and support outreach events such as webinars, workshops and conference presentations, and build consensus on key policy issues.

• Project management: Coordinate TAF’s climate policy work, including meeting management (scheduling, agenda preparation, note-taking), tracking and reporting against budgets and work plans, and developing and monitoring project timelines and milestones.

The kind of candidate we’re looking for

• Completed an undergraduate degree in public policy, political science, environmental studies, planning, or a related field (graduate degree is an asset)

• Research and analysis experience in environmental and/or energy policy

• Experience in public engagement and working with civil servants and elected officials of different levels is an asset

• Excellent communicator with demonstrated ability to translate complex policy and finance concepts into clear and compelling messages, both written and verbal

• Experience incorporating the perspectives of multiple communities in the consideration of impacts and outcomes of a decision-making process

• Experience in project management and/or stakeholder engagement

• Ability to work remotely and  independently as well as in a team;

• Demonstrated passion for climate action or urban sustainability issues an asset.

We strive to build a team that reflects the diversity of the community we work in, and encourage applications from all groups, including women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, people identifying as LGBTQ2S*, people with disabilities, and others with skills and knowledge needed. If we can make this easier through accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing jobs@taf.ca.