Project Manager, Climate Adaptation and Protected Area Initiative

About

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 200 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.

IISD’s Resilience Program is a multidisciplinary team of policy researchers who work with governments, civil society, communities, and businesses to help them manage risks linked to climate change, biodiversity loss, and conflict. Its work focuses on planning, people, and nature—preparing for a different or uncertain future, making sure different genders and social groups influence and benefit from investments in resilience, and harnessing the role of ecosystems to help communities manage risks.

The Position

The Project Manager will be responsible for managing multi-million-dollar grants from Global Affairs Canada to support climate adaptation in developing countries. The candidate will work as part of a program, with supervision, to contribute to the delivery of projects, the development of new projects, and support for research and outreach content. One of the projects that this role will manage is the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative. The CAPA Initiative seeks to promote natural solutions to strengthen climate resilience and protect biodiversity in and around protected areas and critical landscapes in the Global South. The CAPA Initiative’s intervention sites cover marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems and landscapes in Belize, Fiji, and the Greater Virunga and Kavango-Zambezi landscapes. The CAPA Initiative is jointly implemented with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Regional Office for Africa and its country offices in Uganda and Zambia, alongside the Fiji and Belize offices of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Scope:

• Oversee operational planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting on IISD projects and initiatives.
• Support donor and partner relations and contribute to fundraising efforts.
• Develop and contribute to project and proposal documentation.

Responsibilities:

Operations and project management:

• Responsible for the operational management of initiatives and projects, including work plan and budget development/adjustment, communication with stakeholders, contracting, evaluation, and reporting.
• Set up, track, and refine project finances with the support of the project management and accounting teams.
• Oversee, allocate, and approve project expenses for the appropriate budget in accordance with IISD’s policies.
• Plan and monitor timelines, milestones, delivery deadlines, resources, and outputs using project management tools and collaborate with team members to recommend optimizations.
• Prepare contractor agreements in collaboration with technical leads and the contracting team and track contractor deliverables and payments.
• Support the coordination of events, logistics, and team travel arrangements.
• Track outputs and ensure their inclusion in knowledge management systems and reporting.
• Feed accurate data on the project(s) into IISD-wide annual budget planning processes.
• Assist with the continued development and streamlining of IISD policies and procedures.

Donor relations and fundraising activities

• Contribute to the preparation of narrative and financial reports to funders.
• Assist with the development of funding proposals, including but not limited to coordinating the proposal development process, drafting text for inclusion in the proposal’s objectives and methodology section, and preparing descriptions of past projects and planned team members.
• Support other IISD personnel with the management of external relations, identification of new opportunities, and development of proposals.
• Review potential donor agreements for their compliance with IISD financial policies and procedures.

Communications and Outreach

• Actively maintain a network of project partners and contacts, including individuals from governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, and academia.

• Participate in the planning and organization of conferences, briefings, seminars, workshops, programs, and other initiatives hosted or facilitated by the program.

Other

• Contribute to the improvement of operational processes and document lessons learned for institutional learning purposes.
• Other tasks and responsibilities, as assigned.

Qualifications:

Qualifications (Essential)

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field.
• Availability to travel internationally.

Knowledge and Experience (Essential)

• A minimum of 5+ years of experience in project management.

• Experience in international development and working in developing countries.

• Experience managing grants from Global Affairs Canada.

• Relevant work experience in the field of nature-based solutions, climate change adaptation, and/or conservation.

• Experience developing and managing work plans, budgets, and milestones.

• A high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Excel) and experience in handling web-based communications and other project management systems.

• Experience working in fast-paced, multi-project environments.

Skills (Essential)

• Demonstrated organizational and planning skills, including an ability to coordinate meetings and events.

• Good communication skills and the ability to work interactively with stakeholders from different contexts, countries, and backgrounds.

• Fluent in written and spoken English; ability to work (read, write, speak) in French or Spanish would be considered an asset.

• Analytical capacity and ability to become familiar with new topics quickly.

Behavioural Competencies (Essential)

• Results-focused; able to work quickly and accurately to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of the results.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work comfortably across different cultures, commitment to inclusivity, positive demeanour, and ability to communicate effectively.
• A motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently and manage and prioritize multiple tasks.

Location: Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Montreal, or Geneva

Term: Full-time

Salary:  Canada: CAD 55,000–77,000, depending on location and experience

Geneva: CHF 76,000–96,000, depending on experience

Deadline for receiving applications: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the ideal candidate is identified.

Start date: As soon as possible

Application Procedure

All submissions must be in English.

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR.

• A CV (no longer than two pages)
• A one-page letter of motivation
• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional)

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for 1 year.

IISD has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires employees who are required or choose to be at an office or participate in in-person team events or in-person meetings/events to be fully vaccinated. Anyone unable to be fully vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or disability that prevents them from being fully vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+, to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants' advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.

IISD does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, colour, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status

Keywords

Project ManagerClimate AdaptationProtected Area InitiativeOperational planningProject managementDonor relationsFundraisingCommunicationsOutreachInternational developmentNature-based solutionsClimate change adaptationConservation