Manager, Forests and Climate

ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION:

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) is a non-profit leader dedicated to advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. A key driver of SFI’s success is its ability to engage diverse communities to deliver across its 4 pillars: Standards, Conservation, Community, Education. At SFI, we aim to foster a culture where everyone feels valued, empowered, and supported in advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations.

To facilitate informed decision-making and to make the case for the value of sustainability, SFI is working to quantify, grow, and communicate the conservation benefits of sustainable forest management – specifically the connection between sustainable forestry and outcomes important to key sustainability topics such as climate change, biodiversity, fire, and water. SFI Conservation pillar activities support the interpretation and implementation of SFI standards to document and expand their conservation and resilience outcomes for forests, nature, and people. To ensure objectivity and credibility, SFI engages in diverse collaborations across a broad range of research, academic, and conservation interests to help define, guide, implement, and measure Conservation pillar activities and outcomes. 

ABOUT THE ROLE:

We are seeking a passionate, dedicated natural resource professional, with a desire to work on our Team to identify and implement strategies that promote, achieve, and measure the conservation outcomes of SFI-certified sustainable forest management in Canada. Communication and attention to detail are keys in this role, especially communicating complex scientific information to technical and semi-technical users, engaging our focal audiences, and tracking key project deliverables and timelines. The ideal candidate will have a strong science communication and forestry skillset, as well as a deep desire to connect with and help people. Reporting to the Chief Conservation Officer (CCO), the Manager, Conservation Research and Practice, provides critical support across SFI Conservation Programs in advancing conservation outcomes of the SFI Standards. The Manager functions as a convener of collaborative efforts and provides project-level management of a breadth of work across the United States and Canada. This role is funded by a grant from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund and will support the SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative.

In this role, you will: 

Provide support to the CCO, and collaborate closely with members of the Conservation team, including the Director, Conservation Research and Practice; the Sr. Manager, Conservation Programs; and the Sr. Coordinator, Forest and Climate Projects.

Identify and deploy best available science, as described in the SFI standards, particularly in relation to Indigenous engagement, climate smart forestry, fire resilience, and biodiversity.

Provide conceptual, logistic, and delivery-driven support to grant-funded projects including knowledge transfer efforts such as workshops, webinars, fact sheets, and engaging with partners.

Support the development of new proposals in response to funding opportunities and conference presentations.

Support interpretation of technical reports and scientific literature about focal conservation themes.

Provide support to Certified Organizations in the interpretation and implementation of the SFI standards that lead to positive conservation outcomes.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Provide conceptual, logistic, and delivery-driven support to grant-funded projects.  

Track activities, timelines, and deliverables and take responsibility to meet deadlines or communicate challenges with deadlines.

Communicate with grantees about grant deliverable timelines and reporting requirements.

Coordinate with the SFI Finance & Operations team on grant reimbursements and reporting. Support the Chief Conservation Officer in management of grant budgets.

Proactively communicate key information with advisory committees and stakeholders, such as events, collaboration opportunities, project results, and conservation practices.

Organize workshops and events in support of conservation outcomes. 

Support knowledge transfer efforts to ensure relevancy, utility, and credibility of Conservation pillar programs and activities.  

Work with the Conservation team to organize, develop, and deliver data, tools, guidance, and training for the SFI community, including a network of SFI Implementation Committees that builds capacity to achieve and measure conservation outcomes of SFI standards.

Create informative briefings, presentations, and knowledge transfer materials (e.g., infographics) in partnership with various colleagues and partners internal and external to SFI.

Engage in partnerships to utilize such information, ensure the relevancy and applicability of this work to achieving and demonstrating the conservation objectives of the SFI standards. This will include periodic presentations, development and execution of webinars, and coordination with Communication pillar staff to effectively convey outcomes. 

Support interpretation of technical reports and scientific literature about focal conservation themes that relate to forest ecology, forest management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, fire resilience, and biodiversity. 

Analyze data or research findings and synthesize results thoughtfully and efficiently.

Provide input on technical reports and new research to synthesize and communicate knowledge on focal themes in sustainable forestry, carbon, water, fire, biodiversity, and conservation.  

Support SFI Certified Organizations in conservation-related engagement.

Seek opportunities to engage, educate, and inform certified organizations and supporting partners and experts about SFI key sustainability topics (e.g., climate, fire resilience, biodiversity).

Implement new tools and technologies that support certified organizations across key sustainability topics.

Interpret, synthesize, and elevate most relevant results from ongoing and previous Conservation pillar projects and partnerships, to maximize information and communication value that aligns with SFI standard conservation objectives.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position will not initially have direct employee supervisory responsibilities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS / TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

SFI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements include the ability to work from a desk at a computer for prolonged periods of time.  This position requires occasional travel to the US and Canada, up to 25% of time.

WORK LOCATION:

SFI’s Canadian office is in Ottawa, Ontario.  Individuals that work elsewhere in Canada will be considered, provided they are in close proximity to major commuting hubs. Employees located withing commuting distance of Ottawa are required to work from the office 2 days per week, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays as designated in-office days. For the remaining days of the week, you may choose to either work from the office or remotely from your home. SFI reserves the right to increase in-person days to three or more days per week in the future.

WHAT YOU BRING:

Education and Experience

Degree in Natural Resources, Environmental Management/Policy, or a related field required. Master’s degree preferred

At least 3 years of experience in natural resources, conservation, sustainability, or related fields required

Direct experience in the forestry, conservation, or sustainability sectors required, preferably with experience in British Columbia

Experience with data interpretation and analytical tools (e.g., R, GIS) required

Experience with forest certification, with SFI certified organizations preferred

Experience in grant management preferred

French, Spanish, or other language proficiency a plus

Key Competencies

Respect for the role of sustainable forest management in sustaining community, our environment, and our economy

Demonstrated ability to be a problem solver and a utility player

Positive attitude and high energy, enjoyment working cooperatively in a team environment, and will prioritize the mission over individual agendas

Experience building positive and collaborative relationships with partners and stakeholders

Track record for managing multiple complex projects in a fast-paced environment, handling tasks with diplomacy, tenacity, patience, and a drive for results

Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to effectively plan, analyze, and meet deadlines

Proficiency with Microsoft Office 360 (particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)

Superior written and verbal communications skills

A sound work ethic with the ability to act both independently and as part of a team

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

We are committed to equity in our salary practices. The salary range for this position is $73,000 to $85,000; the successful candidate’s actual salary will depend on a number of factors, including geography, education/training, experience, time-in-role, management qualifications (as applicable), and skillset.

We are proud to provide our employees with a collaborative, dynamic, and rewarding professional experience, with a competitive compensation and benefits package and growth opportunities. Our benefits include (but are not limited to):

Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.

Retirement plan with generous employer contribution and additional matching contribution up to 11% of your salary, provided you also contribute 4%.

Paid Time Off – generous vacation policy ranging from 2 weeks to 5 weeks, increasing with experience, all federal holidays, plus 4 floating holidays annually that may be used to observe additional religious, cultural, or traditional occasions that are meaningful to you, and 12 sick days annually.

Educational assistance and investment in professional development.

APPLY:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until we find the right candidate. If you’re interested, apply promptly—early applicants will be prioritized.

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OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:

SFI is proud to provide our employees with a collaborative, dynamic, and rewarding professional experience, with a competitive compensation and benefits package and growth opportunities. We are committed to creating a diverse environment and being an equal opportunity employer. Our team represents a broad range of cultures, education, disciplines, and work and life experiences, and we strive to leverage these differences in our daily work. We will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe in creating an empowered and supportive team that is committed to advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations.

Learn more about SFI Staff Culture, read our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy, and review our Indigenous Relations Commitment.

We value authenticity and transparency in our recruitment. SFI does not use AI for résumé screening, candidate scoring, or hiring decisions. Every applicant receives individualized consideration from our HR team.