Community Engagement Project Lead and Facilitation

Job Category

Job Profile

Job Title

Department

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Community Engagement Project Lead and Facilitation

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

Working in the Wildlife Restoration Ecology Lab under Dr. Adam Ford, and in partnership with the Wildlife Science Centre at Biodiversity Pathways, the Community Engagement Project Lead is responsible for working with Indigenous communities, government, and industry for the purpose of building and leading collaborative biodiversity monitoring and applied science initiatives. These initiatives will include a breadth of ecological topics including understanding local community wildlife monitoring needs, development of collaborative monitoring programs, data management, reporting, support of implementation of wildlife support measures, capacity building with communities, and fostering dialogue and improved understanding of community values. This is a highly collaborative position that will involve sensitive discussion around the collection, use, and weaving of scientific knowledge and Traditional Knowledge. Work will be remote or potentially hybrid.

Work Performed

Facilitates Collaborative Programs

Leads and facilitates the development of biodiversity programs with Indigenous communities.

• Works with Indigenous communities, other stakeholders, and the scientific community to characterize the information needs of communities.
• Works with Indigenous communities to scope, frame, and implement the collaborative buildout of biodiversity monitoring.
• Fosters new and maintains ongoing relationships with multiple external project collaborators.
• Supports Indigenous communities in developing funding proposals.
• Facilities co-learning environments with Indigenous communities to inform dialogue about opportunities and limitations associated with the use of existing data and knowledge products.
• Where appropriate, develops a collaborative vision and understanding within and among Indigenous communities.

Leads and Manages Biodiversity Programs

Provides leadership and expertise related to the planning and implementation of multiple biodiversity programs across a breadth of topics that vary over time.

• Develops and manages project work plans that support Indigenous community monitoring initiatives.
• Ensures the successful completion of work plans on time and on budget through effective project management, including tracking deliverables and interdependencies, breaking down and prioritizing tasks, ensuring open lines of communication across the project teams, and coordinating frequent team meetings and discussions.
• Supports clarification of project roles and responsibilities, identification of resources and delegation of tasks.
• Develops collaborative relationships with appropriate collaborators and service providers (e.g., contractual agreements with contractors).
• Coordinates independent scientific review of Indigenous community project products as required.

Directs and Undertakes Project Work

Works independently, with senior leadership, staff, and project collaborators to conduct necessary project work.

• Working with individual Indigenous communities, supports some or all of the following: proposal writing, project planning, training, delivery, data management and analysis, project performance and control, and reporting.
• Supports logistical planning and field delivery (e.g., protocol development, site selection, training, data upload and checking).
• Schedules, organizes, and facilitates project meetings, including tracking and following up with project team members on action items.
• Maintains project documentation.
• Identifies issues and leads teams through problem-solving.
• Critically reviews existing literature, including academic journals and other sources, for information needed to design and implement projects.

Supports Knowledge Dissemination

• Facilitates reporting and knowledge sharing with Indigenous communities, stakeholders, and scientists.
• Provides project summaries.
• Communicates strengths and limitations of data products.
• Communicates project outcomes in written and oral form to Indigenous communities, non-technical and technical audiences.
• Supports communication and reporting initiatives.
• Organize, analyze, recommend and discuss scientific and Traditional Knowledge results with First Nation collaborators, staff and stakeholders, including interpretation and applications of data to natural resource management using presentations, reports and publications.
• Accurate documentation decisions and implementation actions.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Given the high-profile and external partnership aspects of this job, significant credibility, and reputational implications if the quality of work isn’t excellent

• Team productivity will be reduced;
• Poor management skills will result in toxic work environment; and
• Pose significant credibility and budget implications when products are not on time or on budget.

This position is the leading role interacting with communities to establish long term trust between communities and an organization. Consistency, honesty, and integrity are critical to building, maintaining, and where necessary, restoring trust with communities.

This position works with a high level of independence and oversees multiple budgets. Budget decisions over $2,500 will normally involve consultation (documented by email or other written documentation with the supervisor).

Supervision Received
The Community Engagement Project Lead will be supervised by Engagement Unit Lead.

Supervision Given

The Community Engagement Project Lead will not supervise full time or casual employees

Minimum Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of three years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading efforts or projects with some independence
• Excellent organizational, writing, and interpersonal skills;
• Strong people management and communications skills;
• Demonstrated ability to build active working relationships with multiple partners and collaborators.
• Knowledge and understand of data sovereignty for Indigenous Nations
• Experience working on multidisciplinary teams;
• Multiple portfolio and project management experience;
• MSC in wildlife ecology, environmental social sciences, or other related discipline
• Background in Traditional Ecological Knowledge.