Tidal wetland habitat and natural hydrology restoration, Climate resilience

Position Title: Project Manager
Organization: TransCoastal Adaptations Centre for Nature-based Solutions
Location: St. Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

TransCoastal Adaptations: Centre for Nature-Based Solutions (TCA) at Saint Mary’s University is seeking a full-time Project Manager for the Making Room for Wetlands projects. Through these projects, tidal wetland habitat and natural hydrology will be restored through managed dyke realignment within multiple estuaries in the Upper Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. These projects will restore valuable tidal wetland habitat, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering carbon, mitigate riverine flooding and increase the resilience of the province’s dykelands.

Start date: April 2025
Salary: $65,000 - $69,450 commensurate with experience, plus benefits
Status: Full-time (35 hrs a week)
Duration: End Date June 1st, 2027, with possibility of renewal

The mission at TCA is to help build climate-resilient coastal communities and ecosystems by protecting, enhancing, and restoring natural processes through innovative research and collaboration, and by implementing nature-based adaptation solutions. The Project Manager will be based at Saint Mary’s University, reporting to Dr. Danika van Proosdij, Executive Director of TransCoastal Adaptations: Centre for Nature-based Solutions. They will join a dynamic, passionate and energetic team at TCA who are committed to applying innovative, nature-based climate change adaptation solutions on the ground.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Managing administrative and financial tasks including budgeting; liaising with the TCA Project Manager and financial and administrative units at Saint Mary’s University; tracking project milestones and  oordinating deliverables as outlined in the contribution agreement; management and accounting of the annual $2M+ Making Room for Wetlands budgets.
• Liaising and facilitating knowledge transfer with project partners, government officials and TCA members; liaising with government officials to acquire land for restoration/study sites and acquire final approvals for permits; negotiating with landowners and agents and presenting at stakeholder consultation events.
• Overseeing the day-to-day management of the Making Room for Wetlands projects including liaising with students, researchers and partners; ensuring that tasks and project deliverables are completed on time, within budget, according to university policies, and that contractual requirements are met; and providing administrative assistance to the Principal Investigators.
• Procuring, editing, and compiling up-to-date financial and project data in a timely manner and in accordance with reporting requirements to report on financial and administrative progress and compiling required reports to funders on a quarterly basis.

PROFILE

We are looking to hire a dedicated and flexible professional who thrives in a dynamic, academic environment and who strives to support the success of the project and the research team. The Project Manager will be knowledgeable about nature-based solutions and committed to and passionate about the environment.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Completion of post-graduate education in a related field such as geography, environmental science, environmental management, earth sciences, planning, communications, or related field; or equivalent experience;
• Minimum 2 years of related experience in large project delivery, and coordination of a multidisciplinary research team
• Experience developing and delivering financial reports and managing budgets for large projects (>$1M), including reporting to funding agencies and the distribution of funding to researchers
• Experience in land purchases and/or negotiations;
• Experience working with government departments;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and engage diverse stakeholders and rightsholders including NGOs, rural landowners, planners, scientists, First Nations communities and decision makers;
• Demonstrated experience in relationship building and engagement;
• Must have strong written and oral communication skills;
• Must have strong organizational and time management skills;
• Must be highly motivated, independent and hard-working;
• In-depth understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation in coastal regions;
• Experience working with First Nations Communities is considered an asset; and
• Must be a Canadian citizen or legally entitled to work in Canada.

APPLICATION

To apply:

If you are interested in this position, please send a cover letter describing your background and fit to the position, along with a resumé or CV and list of references, merged into one document, via email to Dr. Danika van Proosdij, dvanproo@smu.ca and please copy the Centre Operations Officer, Madison Marshall, Madison.Marshall@smu.ca 

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Application deadline: Open until filled. We will begin reviewing applications on March 3rd, 2025. We thank all applicants, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
At Saint Mary's University, equity and diversity are integral to excellence and enrich our community. As an institution committed to fostering an environment of inclusion and respect, we welcome applications from women, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons/visible minorities, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity and others who might contribute to the growth and enrichment of our community. Applicants are encouraged to self-identify. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process, please contact Talent Acquisition at hr@smu.ca