Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada’s equivalent to REI, started something called The Big Wild, which “celebrates Canada’s large wild expanses: our forests, lakes, free-flowing rivers and stunning coasts. It’s an online community of people who are passionate about that wilderness. And it’s people working together to ensure at least half of our wilderness is protected forever.”

Right now, they are seeking a Program Director for the Big Wild, “an experienced strategist and communicator who can help create Canada’s most engaged and effective online community for wilderness conservation.”

As the Director of thebigwild.org, you will head up the Big Wild’s efforts to expand our community’s size and effectiveness by developing online activities and promotions, leveraging other MEC outreach channels (including our stores, email and partnerships), engaging members in outdoor activity challenges (the Big Wild Challenge) and strategizing around conservation campaigns, social networking and other collaboration tools. Your leadership will help build a large-scale community that demonstrates support for the vision of protecting at least half of Canada’s public land and water, and for specific conservation initiatives and campaigns.

This is truly an amazing opportunity for someone looking to make a mark for a really great company. MEC and Vancity are like sisters in the Vancouver area, large-scale co-operatives looking to be prosperous businesses while remaining true to their ideals.

Here’s the full deal:
Posting #09-001
Program Director of thebigwild.org
Closing Date: March 27, 2009
Status: FT One Year Contract, possibility for extension
Location: Vancouver Head Office, Sustainability and Community Department

Purpose: Mountain Equipment Co-operative seeks an experienced strategist and communicator who can help us create Canada’s most engaged and effective online community for wilderness conservation. The Big Wild is an innovative conservation initiative founded by MEC and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS): it’s an online community that brings Canadians together to enjoy our wilderness and help keep it wild. By combining conservation community expertise with MEC’s nationwide network of almost three million members, we can build a community that inspires a new constituency of Canadians to care about and act on behalf of our wilderness.

As the Director of thebigwild.org, you will head up the Big Wild’s efforts to expand our community’s size and effectiveness by developing online activities and promotions, leveraging other MEC outreach channels (including our stores, email and partnerships), engaging members in outdoor activity challenges (the Big Wild Challenge) and strategizing around conservation campaigns, social networking and other collaboration tools. Your leadership will help build a large-scale community that demonstrates support for the vision of protecting at least half of Canada’s public land and water, and for specific conservation initiatives and campaigns.

What you’ll be doing:
Setting the community’s strategic direction and goals in consultation with the Steering Committee, and implementing strategy, plans, programs and services to increase online activity
Developing plans for promotional and outreach activities, materials and partnerships, and executing those plans in collaboration with our team
Ensuring the Big Wild platform’s technical excellence and responsiveness to community needs. Includes setting the trajectory for platform development and maintaining the development roadmap
Managing the operations and growth of the Big Wild human resources (team of a part-time moderator, technical contractors, communications and conservation support), achievement of milestones, contracts, budgeting and ongoing reporting
Leading communications and marketing for The Big Wild, including marketing, public relations and responses to public inquiries
Identifying and acting on opportunities to collaborate with organizations such as other non-profit organizations, businesses and schools
Coordinating with key staff at CPAWS and MEC to build internal and external partnerships, support and audience
Establish the Big Wild as an inclusive entity that exists beyond founder organizations (later priority after the initial phase of community building)

What you need to do it well:
A passion for social media or online community, and a relentless fascination with how you can harness it to the issues you care about
A broad interdisciplinary background that includes experience in business/entrepreneurship, online technology and nonprofits or advocacy organizations
At least two years of experience related to online community, social media, blogging or social networking
Excellent communications and writing skills, including marketing and outreach experience
At least two years of experience in project management, preferably including experience managing web sites or projects
Knowledge of and passion for wilderness conservation and outdoor recreation in Canada (professional experience in this field is not a requirement)
Demonstrated ability to manage teams (including staff and contractors) and to develop effective stakeholder relationships
An established network of relationships with conservationists, recreationists, environmentalists and social media influencers
An entrepreneurial spirit and experience in successful completion of the development phase in a new venture, major project or organization.
Experience in coalition/organization building and funding an asset
Oral fluency in both official languages (French/English) highly desirable, written fluency an asset
Infectious enthusiasm that begins with one symptom: your desire to be part of making The Big Wild a bold new force for conservation

Please submit resume with covering letter stating job posting number addressed to jobs [at] mec [dot] ca