Project Coordinator

This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at: Faculty & Staff Benefits.

Location – Work primarily takes place at North Campus Edmonton.

Working for the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross section of people—from our students and stakeholders, to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.

Working for the Department/Faculty 

We build a scientific foundation for better management, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems and landscapes. We discover and disseminate new knowledge about forests, rangelands, crops, wildlife, soils and water. Our vision is to develop approaches for a sustained flow of ecological goods and services that achieves a balance between economic and social benefits and the intrinsic value of nature. Through diverse research partners, we use integrated, multidisciplinary approaches and maintain strong ties with land and natural resource managers.

Position 

Research Project:  DIVERSE: Nationwide testing of a forest management approach based on functional diversity and connectivity to foster social acceptability and forest resilience to global change.

Context: Human impacts on Earth’s ecosystems have greatly intensified in the last decades. This is reflected in unexpected disturbance events, as well as new and increasing socio-economic demands, all of which are affecting the resilience of forest ecosystems worldwide and the provision of important ecosystem services. This Anthropocene era is forcing us to reconsider how we practice forestry and how we conserve forests and search for new approaches that are more flexible and better at dealing with the increasing uncertainty brought about by these accelerating and cumulative global changes. In this large-scale collaborative research project, we will test a new approach to managing both commercial and protected forests based on complex adaptive systems, using functional diversity, assisted migration, multi-species plantations and functional connectivity.  

Position description: The successful candidate will be the Western Research Project Coordinator (RPC), based at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and work primarily with Drs. Charles Nock and Brad Pinno in the Department of Renewable Resources, as well as with other colleagues in the department involved in the project. This position will also work in collaboration with the project’s eastern research coordinator, Principle Investigator, Dr. Christian Messier (University of Quebec in Outaouais), and with research partners from industry, government and academia across Canada.

The RPC will oversee the management of the suite of DIVERSE research projects in collaboration with the principal investigators (PI; Nock supervising position, Pinno also PI of project) while acting as the primary liaison between the research team and all partners. The RPC will be responsible for: (1) ensuring that day-to-day activities are carried out in an effective and efficient manner, (2) providing a point of contact and communication between all project partners, (3) implementing primarily financial reporting requirements, (4) serving as the face of the laboratory associated with institutional financial services, departments, and external parties, (5) providing assistance with the field research program, including creation of Field Activity Plans, maintaining and tracking use of equipment, traveling to field sites, and assisting with sample and data collecting and processing.

Duties 

• Oversee budget, staffing, facility plans, contracts, and other administrative and operational requirements related to the projects.
• Coordinate meetings within and between institutions, with industrial partners, and co-funders, as well as oversee logistics.
• Assist in the development and implementation of systems to support the management and progress of the projects.
• Monitor and report on progress, issues, risks, bottlenecks, and mitigation plans to the PI and key team members.
• Prepare, reconcile, and submit formal reporting documents to funding agency and partners on any changes to the research plan that may affect project milestones, deliverables, schedules or budgets in conjunction with the PI.
• Submit project-end final reports (including financial) and revisions in concert with the PI.
• Facilitate internal communication, as well as communication with media, other institutions and agencies.
• Assist in the establishment, conduction and maintenance of scientific projects led by the lab PI, graduate students, or postdoctoral fellows. Based on instructions from the lab PI, the lab coordinator may be responsible for: installation and maintenance of research plots, data collection, checking operation of equipment, ensuring accurate and precise data are being generated, assisting with entering and organizing data.
• Provide new users with information packages illustrating safety protocols and standard operating procedures; assist in tracking usage for purposes of charging users; assist with matters related to maintenance and equipment inventory.
• Responsible for purchasing equipment, materials and supplies including keeping an accurate inventory. 
• Using UofA PeopleSoft financial applications (e.g. eTRAC, SupplyNet), track the disbursement, use, and reconciliation of funds for approved project activities.
• Work with Research Services Office to manage numerous project accounts.

Minimum Qualifications

• Post-secondary education Bachelor’s degree preferred; equivalencies will be considered;
• Demonstrated experience in lab, project, and financial management ideally in an academic environment;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) software, virtual meeting platforms (Zoom, Google Meet etc.), financial systems (e.g. PeopleSoft financials, Oracle), Supplynet.
• Strong financial and project management skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong aptitude and ability to manage multiple projects.
• Work well under pressure to meet deadlines in a dynamic team environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills are required.
• Ability to work remotely in the field for short periods.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of the UofA financial and HR system.
• Knowledge of the forests of Alberta.
• Knowledge of UofA procedures.
• Experience in lab management.
• Experience in field data collection in forest ecosystems.

At the University of Alberta, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates. If you require accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let us know at the time of booking your interview and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

Note: Online applications are accepted until midnight Mountain Standard Time of the closing date.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.