Sustainability & Grants Manager

About Vive

Vive is a high-growth trajectory, sustainable agtech firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Mississauga, ON. Our Made in Canada, patented Allosperse® nanotechnology helps farmers do more with less. By bringing the power of Precision Chemistry™ to agriculture, Vive is connecting the lab to the field, enabling growers to cut costs and reduce their environmental footprint. We are fully commercial with established distribution across the US, and our products were used on two million acres in 2022.

We were recently selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the Government of Canada’s Global Hypergrowth Project, and we are well on our way to becoming Canada’s leading anchor agtech firm. We’ve received several awards for innovation, been named the SDTC Changemaker of the Year, and ranked #196 on the list of the fastest-growing companies in the Americas. With over 100+ patents, and a vision of having a Vive solution on every acre of cropland globally, we’re looking for passionate, growth-minded individuals to join us on our journey!

Our core values (G-CROP) are the foundation of everything we do, and are a guiding force for all the exciting and unique experiences you’ll have when working with us.

• We are GROWER-focused

• We succeed through COLLECTIVE genius

• We are passionate about building something REAL

• We are all confident and adaptive OWNERS

• We are PRECISE, data-driven, and science-based

If you’re looking to build something real with a team of smart, confident, and adaptive owners (and like to have LOTS of fun along the way), keep reading to learn more about the Grants & Sustainability Manager role and the role you will play in helping us reach our goals!

Mission

Your core mission is to:

1. Position Vive as Canada’s leading sustainable agtech company and demonstrate the positive impact Vive’s technology and products have on its stakeholders and the environment. You will spearhead Vive’s sustainability metric development and reporting with a data-driven approach through coordination with Vive’s agronomists, field trial managers, and consultants among others.
2. Generate over $10M CAD annually in non-dilutive funding. You will do this by owning the end-to-end grants process, optimizing for grants that have the highest likelihood of success and largest funding amounts.

Interacts with:

• Internally – all employees
• Externally – funding agencies, vendors, consultants, investors, board, shareholders and the public

Accountability - in your first 12 months you will...

• Spearhead Vive’s sustainability initiative – position Vive as Canada’s leading sustainable agtech company by leading data-based projects and reporting on results internally and externally
• Bring in >$10M annually in grants – build a funnel of funding sources representing $10M in funding, and build a grants tracking system

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Own Sustainability initiative (with General Counsel and Sustainability Committee)

• Drive Vive’s sustainability strategy by managing sustainability initiatives across the organization

• Source and apply data (field trial data, publicly available information, sales data) and feedback (from employees, investors, and customers)

• Engage and manage vendors and consultants, develop metrics, identify benchmarks, and collect data

• Understand, review and present complex data for all levels of audience

• Report on Vive’s sustainability initiatives and progress internally and externally, including to funding agencies, investors, government, customers, employees, board of directors, shareholders and the public

• Engage with, and serve as a member of, sustainability focused organizations and groups, and stay up to date with recent developments

Own end-to-end Grants/Non-Dilutive Funding process (with VP Research & IP)

• Identify and apply to current and upcoming grant programs for which Vive is eligible

• Maintain relationships with program administrators to stay on top of program status and have them review draft applications to optimize for success

• Implement a project management system or calendar to manage applications

• Coordinate with internal SMEs to complete applications (or EOIs/LOIs)

• Submit applications on time

• Follow through on status of applications

• Track disbursement of funds

• Follow up with agencies/programs to report on how funds are spent as agreed to meet goals

• Update Finance and Executive team on status of grants

Skills & Experience

• Sustainability experience (preferably in an agricultural or scientific setting)

• Able to read, understand and apply scientific data such as field trial results and regulatory documents to support sustainability initiatives and reporting

• Relevant experience in a similar role, especially in a sustainability context, and/or working with Canadian funding agencies (eg, EDC, SIF, SDTD, IRAP, SR&ED, BSUP, PIC, SCAP)

• Able to represent the company externally to various groups including investors, funding agencies, industry groups, suppliers and customers, among others

• Hands-on experience with productivity applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail clients, and presentation software

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel required

• Superior time and project management skills, multitasking skills, and the ability to prioritize tasks with minimal supervision in a rapidly changing environment

• Excellent writing skills, including proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation

• Education: post graduate degree preferred (if no experience working at a funding agency)

• Experience in agriculture strongly preferred

Requirements

• Valid passport and ability to travel as needed across the US and Canada
• Valid drivers’ license and good driving record

Compensation

• Base annual salary commensurate with experience

• Standard benefits package (medical, paramedical, dental, vision, drugs)

• Starting at 3 weeks vacation + 1 day more per year of employment, up to a maximum of 25 days per year

• 4 extra long weekends per year (Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving)

• 3 paid personal days per calendar year

• Employee stock option plan

• Discretionary annual performance bonus

• Group RRSP/DPSP plan (up to 3% matching)

• $400 annual Health & Wellness allowance

• Free onsite parking

Interview Process

1. Preliminary phone screen with Chief of Staff to assess mutual values fit and interest and experience match
2. Onsite or virtual interview with VP Research & IP for grant management experience review
3. Onsite or virtual interview with various members of Sustainability Committee for sustainability experience review
4. Onsite or virtual interview with Chief of Staff and/or CEO
5. Completion of short project to gauge approach to the role (should take 1-2 hours)
6. Reference check
7. Offer