Team Lead, Expedition

We are looking for a talented, energetic, proactive, professional, creative and generally awesome person to lead our Expedition team. Working alongside the Expedition Leader, the Expedition Team Lead ensures smooth preparations and successful execution of the expedition program, including SOI’s educational youth expeditions and expeditions for 3rd parties.

Do you have experience in successfully building and managing large multi-stakeholder projects, with a strong education focus being an asset

Are you able to put complex puzzles together, and change them on the fly?

Do you have the skill and creativity to translate the needs and objectives of partners, funders and donors into tangible program outcomes?

Are you motivated to make a significant contribution to the global journey towards a nature-positive world?

Are you looking to join an amazing team and contribute your energy and skills to developing the leaders of tomorrow?

Then we warmly invite you to apply for the role of Expeditions Team Lead.

Key tasks and responsibilities

• Manage planning and execution of Students on Ice ship-based expeditions, including but not limited to:
• Support Executive Director / Expedition Leader (EL) in the development of expedition itineraries:
• Once contracts are finalized, lead on liaising with shipping companies on relevant operational activities, not limited to: timelines, safety equipment, provisioning, docking and on-site requirements.
• In collaboration with the EL, calculate sailing times for all itineraries, connect with port authorities, and docks for ship arrival/departures.
• Liaise with relevant communities and groups for arrival and programming information and activities.
• Collaborate with the Education Manager on the development of place-based, experiential learning programming
• Provide on-site and distance support to the EL and shipboard teams during missions;
• Lead on the development of:
• Pre and Post Expedition Programming and Logistics;
• Contracts with suppliers (flights and insurance) and expedition staff;
• Acquisition of work permits for international staff;
• Off-season maintenance and storage of relevant expedition equipment, such as Zodiacs, Shipping Container and Mud Room, as well as their contents;
• Oversee the Expedition Manager’s role to ensure:
• All necessary permits are obtained, parameters respected and reporting completed;
• Educator recruitment, onboarding, and training, feedback and offboarding have occurred and facilitate positive engagement towards impactful educational programming;
• Any scientific or programming equipment is procured, utilized and returned.
• Oversee the Education Manager’s role:
• Development of all pre and post Expedition Programing
• The development and delivery of experiential learning program for each youth expedition
• Oversee the Expedition Coordinator & Expedition Assistant roles to ensure:
• A strong participant outreach strategy, recruitment, scholarship allocation, travel arrangements, and onboarding occur properly and in a timely manner.
• Oversee Seasonal Expedition Team members to ensure:
• Proper onboarding, training, and offboarding, so that they understand their role on the expedition team, the processes related to their position and how they fit into the bigger picture.
• Evaluate relevance and suitability of season team members to execute pre-determined tasks, or to return to be considered for other positions in the future.
• Participate in Expeditions as a member of the SOI Management Team.
• Reporting and Expedition Deliverables
• Monitor expedition team spending, as defined by the Chief Operating Officer’s budgets per expedition..
• Ensure all contracts and invoices are tracked and allocated to the appropriate expedition/funder.
• Support the completion of the final reporting to funders for each expedition, in collaboration with the Communications Team and the Partnerships Team.
• Managerial responsibilities
• Developing a strategy and annual work plans for the expedition team;
• Providing day-to-day leadership to the team;
• Developing and maintaining a project calendar outlining all expedition programs and key timelines;
• Prioritizing tasks to keep multiple initiatives moving in a timely manner, meet deadlines and manage gathering and creation of supplemental material required for proposals.
• Liaising with SOI Departments
• Oversee the collaboration with the EL and the Education Manager on the development of the youth education program for each expedition
• Communications & Marketing Team: Ensure content is prepared and accurate for: Application Roll Out, Expedition Landing Pages, Pre-Departure Materials and Final Reports.
• Partnerships Team: Support Scholarship outreach and scholarship allocation with relevant information. In some cases, liaise directly with Funders for specific programming details.
• Ensure open communication with other teams at SOI regarding expedition schedules, needs and allocation of staff time;
• Ensure annual expedition work plans are reviewed by team leads in relevant departments;
• Utilize feedback from other teams at SOI to further improve the expedition program.
• Liaising with external partners
• Maintain productive relationships with funders and partners to sustain opportunities for funding and collaboration opportunities.
• Networking and representing the SOI Foundation at conferences and events.
• Conducting prospect research and outreach to potential new partners.
• * General
• Contribute to the overall management, success and growth of the organization as a member of the SOI Foundation’s Management Team.
• Contribute to a collaborative and positive work environment by attending all-staff meetings, participating in SOI events, representing SOI at external events and conferences when applicable, and assisting with other duties as assigned.

Character profile & key competencies

• At least 7 years of relevant work experience, incl. managing a team;
• Demonstrated experience in developing and building long-term projects with many stakeholders and partnering organizations, a strong educational or capacity-building focus is an asset
• Curious, creative and resourceful;
• A people person with effective and demonstrated interpersonal and relationship-building skills;
• Self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit demonstrating a strong capacity to work independently and collaboratively;
• Organized and efficient multi-tasker with great attention to detail;
• Adaptable to change, diplomatic and patient with a positive outlook;
• Bilingual French/English or Inuktitut/English is an asset.

Please send all resumes and cover letters to [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

About SOI Foundation

The SOI Foundation is recognized globally for delivering life-changing polar expeditions. But that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our mission. Our planet is facing unprecedented challenges, making youth voices, ideas, and actions more important than ever. Through educational expeditions, cross-cultural experiences, science and outreach initiatives in the Arctic, Antarctica and places in between, the SOI Foundation inspires new perspectives, ideas, connections and collaborative solutions for a nature-positive world. The outcome is a global network that takes action and contributes to building healthy communities and a sustainable future for people and our planet.