The British High Commission Ottawa has a vacancy for an Assistant to work with the Science Climate and Energy Team. The role is part of the global UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN), but you will also provide support to the Climate and Energy team. Based out of Ottawa, the role will provide administrative and project support to the team based across all five offices of the UK in Canada network (Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver).

Science, Tech, Climate and Energy are an ever-growing part of the UK-Canada relationship with both governments committed to working in partnership with one another and setting the global agenda through the G7 and other high ambition policy groupings. The successful candidate will be a crucial link in a 10-person team enabling delivery of Science, Climate and Energy objectives related to global challenges and opportunities, and the work of the High Commission more generally.

We are looking for an energetic individual who can support the team’s activities and improve our ways of working. As the Assistant, you will be the glue that keeps the team together. You’ll help ensure the team’s activities are well planned, oversee management of small but impactful project funds, and track the team’s budget. On occasion, you will support the delivery of projects led by team members. You will also arrange travel and handle logistics associated with team activities and planned events. By managing the team’s contact lists you’ll be the person who knows who the important folk are.

This is a great opportunity for anyone with an interest Science, Tech, Climate and Energy and/or foreign affairs.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Support the delivery of projects and events aimed at facilitating collaboration between Canada and the UK in the fields of science, innovation, climate and energy.
• Oversee the team’s administrative processes and improve ways of working where necessary.
• Track and monitor the team’s budget and project finance.
• Provide support on finance processes such as payment processing, contracts and invoicing, ensure all year-end finance deadlines are met.
• Track and monitor the team’s progress, working with the Head of Team to ensure projects are running to agreed project plans.
• Report on the team’s project progress to central funding teams, ensuring activities are recorded in a timely and accurate manner.
• Support the organisation and write-up of Science & Innovation workshops, conferences, public lectures, receptions and meetings.
• Support the team to deliver visits of groups of UK government officials and scientists, arranging travel programmes and itineraries.
• Manage team’s online documents, including managing the shared area filing system, co-coordinating team meetings and overseeing the team’s shared calendar.
• Support the SCE team with desktop research and reporting as required.
• Provide other administrative and events support as necessary.
• Contribute to wider corporate objectives to help make the UK in Canada network an even greater place to work.

Resources Managed:

The team have project funds exceeding CA$140,000 with further funding proposals under consideration. Whilst not responsible for expenditure, you will have a key role in supporting the team’s planned activities, forecast spend, and track expenditure.

• Comfortable working with finances and budgets.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Attention to detail.
• A positive and flexible team player able and willing to perform a wide and diverse range of tasks as required.
• Strong IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) and familiarity with IT packages for webinars.
• Must have the legal status to live and work in Canada.