CA FUNDIS Project Manager

CA FUNDIS Project Manager

Part time, employee, remote, open to California residents

About Fungal Diversity Survey (FUNDIS): Join a growing team of enthusiastic mycophiles who are dedicated to documenting and protecting some of the world’s most important organisms. FUNDIS is the only nonprofit 501(c)(3) focusing on North American fungal biodiversity and conservation. FUNDIS’s Long Term Goals are: 1) Improve protection of fungi and their habitats, 2) Create pathways for people to participate, and 3) Increase public appreciation of fungi. The California Fungal Diversity Survey (CA FUNDIS) project aims to make California an unprecedented model for civic engagement in documenting and protecting fungi for the rest of North America.

FUNDIS Mission: Fungal Diversity Survey (FUNDIS) protects biodiversity through the conservation of fungi and their habitats by increasing knowledge and public awareness of their diversity and distribution, equipping and engaging community scientists, and partnering with land managers, conservationists, and scientists.

FUNDIS Vision: A world in which the fungal kingdom is fully documented, understood, appreciated, and protected.

Position Title: CA FUNDIS Project Manager

Position Summary: If you love building timelines, making plans, and shepherding projects from start to finish through all the obstacles and pivots, then keep reading! As the CA FUNDIS Project Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing and developing project plans, timelines, tracking, and coordination with a resource-conscious mindset, ensuring that plans are delivered on time, within scope, and on budget. You will coordinate the CA FUNDIS Team and monitor all moving parts of the project, keeping them synchronized and moving forward. If you are a problem solver who ensures projects run smoothly by thinking ahead and collaborating with others, this role is for you.

Status: Hourly employee, part-time, $28-30/hr depending on experience, 20-25 hours per week. Flexible schedules can be highly tailored to an individual job seeker and organization needs. This position is remote, FUNDIS does not have an in-person headquarters. This position is open to California residents only.

This position is wholly supported by restricted funds and this position is contingent upon the continuation of these funds. Therefore, FUNDIS cannot guarantee employment beyond October 31, 2024, which is the expiration date of these funds. All appointments to positions funded under grants are contingent upon receipt of funding specifically for that purpose which is determined by successful completion of grant tasks. The granted CA FUNDIS project in full is expected to operate for three (3) years, from Nov 1, 2022 to Nov 30, 2025. 

Terms: Fungal Diversity Survey is an at-will employer. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for this position without regard to age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious belief, gender, sexual orientation or identity, disability, education, socioeconomic status, or any other bias. Fungal Diversity Survey is committed to an inclusive, diverse and equitable environment where all staff, volunteers, board members, and participants feel respected and valued.

Folks who are queer, trans, non-binary, Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled, parents, are/have been system-impacted, are immigrants, and anyone who has experienced systemic oppression and/or gender-based violence are encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: February 9, 2024, or until suitable candidates are hired. We will be evaluating applications as they are received on a rolling basis, beginning on January 24, 2024. We are looking to fill the role immediately.

Job Start Date: February 2024

Application Instructions: You must submit both a Resume and a brief, one-page Cover Letter that addresses position requirements below to FUNDIS Director Gabriela D’Elia at director@fundis.org, cc’d to coordinator@fundis.org, with the subject “CA FUNDIS Project Manager Application”.

Essential job functions and responsibilities:

• Oversee and coordinate the CA FUNDIS Project team, timelines, resources, and information to meet deliverables on schedule, within budget, and using judgment to anticipate and mitigate project risks and blockers.
• Ensure that all stakeholders in a project are completing their deliverables on time, and set goals and timeframes as needed.
• Track project expenses, including team payroll, against budgeted expectations and monitor and implement cost-controlling measures as needed.
• Schedule and facilitate periodic all-CA FUNDIS team meetings, monthly 1-on-1 meetings with each of the 14 Collectors, and biweekly CA FUNDIS Leadership meetings.
• Lead negotiating collection permits and communications with regulatory agencies to ensure that landowner permissions, as well as signed waiver from any and all research partners, are obtained prior to entering lands for purposes of the project, and renew project collection permits in a timely manner.
• Approve hourly employee time cards for payroll and pre-approve mileage reimbursement for Collectors.
• Create and update workflows, evaluate potential problems, and develop solutions.
• Work with the CA FUNDIS Collections Lead to schedule Collectors and Volunteer Collectors to collect fungi in appropriate locations during appropriate timeframes.
• Maintain outreach and coordination with CA Mushroom Clubs and community groups to grow volunteer participation and manage volunteer applications.
• Produce biannual and annual project progress reports in collaboration with CA FUNDIS Leadership for grant reporting purposes.
• Purchase and ship project materials, supplies, and fungal collection toolkit items.
• Manage project-related paperwork by ensuring all necessary materials are current, properly filed and stored and manage shared document storage and accessibility.
• Maintain positive and collaborative  open communication and strong working relationships with all engaged parties.

What we’re looking for:

• 1+ year of project management experience in a technical environment; in a conservation non-profit 501(c)(3) in California is preferential.
• Thrives in managing a collaborative, remote work environment with experience working on complex, large-scale projects.
• Excellent time management, decision-making, and oral and written communication skills.
• A can-do attitude, embraces change, and is confident leading in uncharted waters with flexibility to accommodate evolving organizational needs.
• Self-starter, proactive, and able to work under minimal supervision.
• Diligent and highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• Exceptional experience managing teams, resources, and budgets for a large project grant.
• Proven experience managing payroll, personnel timesheets, and budgets.
• Strong people skills, emotional intelligence, able to work well with others particularly in a remote work environment.
• Fluency in G Suite.
• Familiarity with California biodiversity, habitats, and nature conservation is preferential.
• A commitment to FUNDIS’s mission of protecting fungi and their habitats.
• Able to work in front of a computer screen with internet and/or perform typing for approximately 100% of typical working hours.
• A U.S. citizen and  permanent resident of California who is able to legally work in the U.S.
• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

Position reports to: FUNDIS Director

Resources

• For more information on Fungal Diversity Survey and our programs, please see our website www.fundis.org and newsletter.
• FUNDIS Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Discussion Group.