The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley is committed to building a workplace where everyone can succeed and belong. As a Signatory to the Bow Valley Workplace Inclusion Charter, we are committed to ensuring a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team environment, and to considering applicants who identify as part of an equity-seeking group including people of colour, Indigenous people, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, youth, and people with disabilities. We value a wide range of skills, experiences, and backgrounds and encourage all qualified candidates to apply. We encourage applications from equity-seeking groups, and wish to eliminate barriers for applicants: if you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know and we will work hard to make this accommodation if our capacity permits it.

Volunteering

The Biosphere Institute does its best to provide volunteer opportunities for individuals interested in advancing environmental stewardship in the Bow Valley. We are somewhat limited by our staff capacity to manage volunteers, and therefore we are regretfully not always able to accommodate all expressions of interest.

We do offer several specific volunteer opportunities that are linked to ongoing projects. These include the Wildlife Ambassador program, which typically recruits new volunteers in March, and attractant management initiatives such as apple-picking and buffaloberry removal. We will post these specific volunteer opportunities on this page as they are available.

Current volunteer opportunities include:

  • Share and Repair Fair, Sunday 20 October, 2024 - CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP

  • Building for Sustainability Symposium, Sunday 27 and Monday 28 October, 2024

  • Community Square Dance and Fundraiser, Friday 15 November, 2024 - CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP

Community square dance and fundraiser

Friday 15 November, 2024

Join the best party in town AND do some good in your neighbhourhood! You can help the Biosphere Institute at our annual square dance and fundraiser in one of three ways: before the event (rounding up silent auction items), at the event selling silent auction items or helping with setup/tear down.

As a volunteer, you will receive a free ticket to the square dance (valued at $50). Depending on your role, you are encouraged and welcome to break when the dancing is happening!

Contact Tanya at resource@biosphereinstitute.org with any questions.
Please sign-up for the slot of your choice at the link below.

Part-time Financial Controller, Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley

Posted 20 June 2024


The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley seeks to contract a part-time Financial Controller to help us deliver on the work described below. 

Relevant deadlines:

  • This is a continuous intake process. We’ll hold interviews with suitable candidates during July 2024.  We’ll interview virtually, through Zoom 

  • Work and onboarding will commence during the summer months

We are an incorporated Alberta society with federal charitable status, with the mission of ‘empowering community leadership to address environmental challenges.’  Our team of six works out of our office in Canmore, Alberta. You can learn more about our organization here.  Our financial management practices include an external audit of our finances annually. 

The successful candidate will report to and work with the Executive Director, and with our Bookkeeper, who also works on contract to our organization. Responsibilities would include the following:

  • Quarterly processes including planning reviews, review of staffing and grant allocations, adjustments, financial forecasts, and supporting the Executive Director in his reporting to the Board of Directors

  • Banking and investment oversight, cash flow management.

  • Oversight of payroll function.

  • Annual processes including year-end financial statement preparation for external audit, charity return, compiling annual report data, T4s, etc. and supporting the team’s budget development 

  • Provide advice from time to time, and oversight, of our existing financial management systems, policies, and procedures, proposals and reporting to funders, and other financial matters



Other relevant information:

  • The successful candidate will be a Chartered Professional Accountant or hold equivalent accounting qualifications

  • Past experience in working with non-profit groups and non-profit accounting will greatly assist you in obtaining this position. 

  • We will consider applications from any qualified Canadian candidate; residence in the Bow Valley is not essential for this position

  • The work schedule will be flexible and we anticipate that this work will occupy an average of ten hours per month.

  • Remuneration for this position will be negotiable, and commensurate with experience.  



To apply for this position:

In your cover letter, please be specific in how your abilities and work experience qualify you for this position.  

Application submission via e-mail is preferred, however alternative methods of submission such as in-person and video will be accepted. 

If you are applying by email please send your cover letter, resume, and work references as a single pdf to Gareth Thomson (Gareth [at] biosphereinstitute.org), with ‘Application for Financial Controller position’ in the subject line of the e-mail message. Receipt of submissions will be acknowledged.

Relevant deadlines:

  • This is a continuous intake process. We’ll hold interviews with suitable candidates during July 2024.  We’ll interview virtually, through Zoom 

  • Work and onboarding will commence during the summer months

be the first to know:

We can also keep you informed of upcoming volunteer opportunities via our Volunteer Mailing List. Please use the form below to sign up and thank you for your interest!