International Institute for Sustainable Development ,Project Manager Jobs in Canada

IISD’s Resilience Team works on embedding risk management in
development planning so that people, economies and ecosystems are able
to thrive in a context of growing uncertainty and change. The
Program’s current work covers three themes: 1) Climate Adaptation,
which focuses on reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate
change; 2) Environment, Conflict and Peacebuilding, which seeks to
promote better ecosystem management and resource governance to move
conflict-affected societies from fragility to resilience, and 3) Food
Systems, which supports the development of climate resilient and
socially inclusive agriculture value chains. The Project Manager will
work primarily on the Climate Adaptation thematic area, although work
in the other thematic areas is anticipated.

Position description

An outgoing, motivated and highly-organised individual is being sought
to manage the new National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, or
NGN, for which IISD is serving as the Secretariat. The Candidate will
spend at least 70% of his/her time managing the Network, particularly
in its first year of existence, and should therefore be an excellent
planner, organizer, communicator and multi-tasker with knowledge of
climate change adaptation specifically and sustainable development
more broadly. The remainder of the Candidate’s time will be spent on
developing and supporting policy research projects and communications
activities for the Resilience Program.

Tasks

The Project Manager will be responsible for the following tasks
related to managing the NAP Global Network:
• Internal Network communications: Developing and running systems and
protocols to facilitate communication between the NGN Secretariat, the
Steering Committee, Working Groups and other NGN partners. This will
include managing a virtual communication platform to organise periodic
meetings and providing regular updates to Committee members.
• Membership and contact management: Developing a contact database of
journalists, policy makers, researchers, and other important
audiences, as well as identifying targeted channels to reach these
audiences;
• External communications and outreach: Developing cutting edge
communication strategies for the Network. This includes developing and
maintaining the Network’s online presence via its website and social
media, as well as producing press releases and other outreach
materials.
• Research and issue tracking: Conducting and managing targeted policy
research related to national adaptation planning processes; following
and summarizing news and events pertaining to the NAP process
specifically and climate change adaptation generally;
• Meeting organisation and facilitation: Assisting with the
organization of conferences and workshops, e.g. identifying and
inviting participants, developing agendas, facilitating sessions, and
producing workshop reports.
• Project management: Preparing and presenting project reports, such
as regular donor reports and updates, in collaboration with IISD’s
corporate service teams (i.e. publishing, accounting.).

The Candidate will also be responsible for the following tasks more
broadly, as a member of IISD’s Resilience Team:
• Project development and implementation: Design, fundraise for and
manage research and capacity building projects in the area of
adaptation and risk reduction
• Research: Undertake policy research on issues related to risk
reduction, resilience and climate adaptation on project led by other
IISD personnel or the Candidate
• Project management: Manage projects in cooperation with other IISD
personnel, including but not limited to controlling budgets, managing
donor relationships, supervising IISD personnel and external
consultants, and supporting the fundraising efforts of the Resilience
Team and IISD more broadly
• Partnership building: Develop and maintain a network of partners
including individuals from intergovernmental organizations,
governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and
academia
• Team outreach: Support development and distribution of communication
products of the Resilience team, undertake country missions and
represent IISD at international conferences and events
• Undertake other tasks as required

Qualifications

The Project Manager will possess the following qualifications:
• A minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent in relevant social or
natural sciences
• At least three years of relevant work experience in the field of
climate change adaptation and/or sustainable development
• Fluent written and spoken English and ability to work (read, write,
speak) in French or Spanish or both
• Work experience in developing countries
• Ability to travel overseas on a regular basis
• Experience in field research and participatory planning processes,
particularly in developing countries, a significant advantage

Skills and Attributes

The Candidate should have the following set of skills:
• Knowledge of climate change adaptation / climate risk management
• Clear capacity to effectively develop and implement communication
strategies and ability to communicate policy issues and research
findings to different audiences via different platforms
• Solid understanding of development policy processes, particularly in
developing countries
• Demonstrated organizational planning skills, including ability to
coordinate meetings and events
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills
• Excellent writing skills
• Computer literacy – Microsoft Office applications, knowledge of
database packages, and experience in handling of web based
communications and management systems
• Ability to design, fundraise for and implement policy-oriented
research projects, from start to finish
• Positive work attitude and ability to work in an international
research team and independently
• Flexibility to take on tasks ranging from highly complex to basic in nature
• Results-focused, ability to work under tight deadlines, prioritise
tasks, and work quickly and accurately

Starting date: April 1, 2015 (estimate)

Application procedure:

Please send a CV (no longer than two pages) as well as a covering
letter (one page) to Human Resources:
employment@iisd.ca
quoting “Project Manager, Resilience” in the subject line. Electronic
applications are preferred; there is no need to provide hard copies.

Application deadline: March 5, 2015

IISD is committed to equal opportunity. Compensation is competitive
and will be commensurate with experience. Candidates must hold
appropriate work authorization for Canada. Although we appreciate
receiving all applications, only those candidates we wish to interview
will be contacted.