Amended - Cooper/Carpenter (Historic Trades Specialist)

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AMENDMENT: Application date extended to Monday, March 10, 2025, 11:59 pm EST.

Ignite your passion for history and craftsmanship at Fort William Historical Park

Fort William Historical Park brings life to history for visitors from around the world utilizing hands-on demonstrations, workshops, living history reenactments, educational programs, and special events.

As the Cooper/Carpenter, you will play an important role preserving, and sharing traditional wood working knowledge and hand skills, teaching students and other guests about the role of the cooper and the carpenter, maintaining the heritage site including interpretive structures and exhibits, and keeping the 19th century spirit of adventure alive! Ready to shape the future by preserving the past?

Note: You need to be able to work evenings, weekends, and extra hours if needed.

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How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer  accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please  contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

• diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• accessibility
• Anti-Racism Policy

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About the job

As part of the dedicated team at Fort William Historical Park (FWHP), you will bring history to life and craft authentic period reproductions. Every day will be a new venture, filled with activities like:

• guide educational programs and workshops for visitors and school groups
• create accurate cooper and carpentry items
• demonstrate traditional techniques for an immersive experience
• join dramatizations, festivals, and special events
• preserve and maintain historic structures with the team
• train and mentor staff, students, and volunteers

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What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• you must have a valid Class G Ontario driver's license
• ability to obtain Class CZ Ontario drivers license
• ability to obtain forklift operators license

Artisan expertise

You can:
• demonstrate 19th-century coopering and carpentry at Fort William Historical Park
• use heritage and modern coopering and carpentry skills, techniques, and tools
• fabricate various wooden objects from raw materials
• master skills like wood and metal hooping, stave fitting, and firing casks
• use advanced hand and power tools

Living history and education skills

You can:
• act out and explain historical events and characters
• present educational workshops to staff and the public
• apply the Ontario school curriculum related to 1800s coopering
• use computer skills to prepare reports and program outlines
• develop and execute period coopering and carpentry programs
• take part in historical dramatizations, festivals, and outreach programs

Collaboration and team leadership skills

You can:
• effectively utilize team leadership skills
• collaborate effectively with colleagues
• plan and organize activities for seasonal staff
• review and ensure quality of work performed by staff
• research fur trade era topics, including coopering and carpentry techniques
• train and mentor staff, students, and volunteers in historical methods

Technical and manual skills

You can:
• follow detailed blueprints and plans with precision
• use correct tools and materials to build items
• shape wood using broadaxes, planes, and drawknives
• check and maintain tools and supplies

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Don't meet every qualification?

If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!

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What we offer

The Cooper/Carpenter position is part of a creative team of living history programmers in the Program Development and Implementation Department (PDI) at FWHP. The department is led by a manager with 32 years of interpretive experience who believes strongly in the spirit of collaboration and encourages those in the department to be inventive and experiment with new approaches to sharing history and culture with visitors to the site.

The Ontario Public Service is one of Ontario's largest employers. Employees work for a wide range of ministries, with offices in more than 70 cities across the province. We offer:
   • a career that can grow across ministries and job functions
   • flexible learning and developmental opportunities, including education and mentorship programs
   • many employee networks offering support for and education about underrepresented groups
   • tailored work arrangements, including opportunities like flex hours, self-funded leave and more

This role comes with a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes:
   • a defined-benefit lifetime pension plan (guaranteed, ongoing inflation-protected income after retirement)
   • group health, dental, life and disability benefits
   • a range of vacation and leave options
   • an Employee and Family Assistance Program, which provides confidential counseling services

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Additional information:

Note:

• In accordance with the Ontario Public Service (OPS), Employment Screening Checks Policy (ESCP), the top candidate(s) may be required to undergo a security screening check. Refer to the above to determine the screening checks that are required for this position.
  
  Required security screening checks along with your written consent, will be sent to the Transition and Security Office (TSO), Corporate Talent Programs Branch, Talent and Leadership Division to evaluate the results. If applicable, the TSO, with your written consent, will request and obtain any additional employment screening checks that were not obtained directly by you.
  
  A record under the Criminal Code and/or other federal offence record(s) does not automatically mean you will be ineligible for the position. The employment screening check(s) will only be reviewed and evaluated by the TSO for the purpose of making a security clearance decision. The details of an individual's employment screening check(s) will be considered in specific relation to the duties and responsibilities of the position being filled. Employment screening check records will be maintained by the TSO and kept strictly confidential.
• T-TM-225925/25

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Language requirements and assessment:
All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

Exigences en matière de langue et évaluation:
Toutes les offres d'emploi externes de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (FPO) sont affichées en français et en anglais. Consultez la section « Langue du ou des postes » en haut de chaque offre d'emploi pour connaître les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont évalués en anglais, la langue d'affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/français), vous devrez également passer un test de compétences linguistiques en français.