Research & Program Developer, SEEDS Sustainability Program
Research & Program Developer, SEEDS Sustainability Program
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Job Description
Job Category
M&P - AAPSJob Profile
AAPS Salaried - Research and Facilitation Level CJob Title
Research & Program Developer SEEDS Sustainability ProgramDepartment
Manager Sustainability and Engineering SEEDS Sustainability ProgramCompensation Range
$7622.83 - $11886.67 CAD MonthlyThe Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge qualifications and experience for the the normal course employees will be hired transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.
Posting End Date
August 27 2025Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date
OngoingThis position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.
At UBC we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research innovation and learning for all faculty staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
Job Summary
Campus and Community Planning (CCP) works collaboratively to create a vibrant and resilient campus for an engaged community on the traditional territory of the Musqueam people taking a leading-edge approach to sustainability engagement community building planning design and development. CCP is responsible for leading UBCs operational sustainability plans that set UBCs targets and actions for climate green buildings transportation integrated stormwater green infrastructure waste and water using UBC as a living lab for a sustainable future and plays a key role in developing partnerships that enhance integration of operational and academic efforts in sustainability. These major sustainability plans for the UBC campus are endorsed by the UBC Board of Governors and have connections to many other UBC plans and strategies including UBCs Strategic Plan 20-Year Sustainability Strategy Inclusion Action Plan Wellbeing Strategic Framework and the UBC Climate Emergency Response among others. CCP collaborates and coordinates with many UBC partners departments and units to advance and embed these goals across the university including senior staff and leadership from UBC Financial Operations the UBC Sustainability Hub Student Housing and Community Services Safety and Risk Services Human Resources Communications and Marketing Alma Mater Society Building Operations Energy and Water Services UBC IT and other units in CCP and across UBC Okanagan.
Within CCP the SEEDS (Social Ecological Economic Development Studies) Sustainability Program is an internationally recognized Campus as Living Laboratory initiative with a mandate to advance UBCs sustainability climate and wellbeing commitments UBCs Strategic Plan and help advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as they align with the Universitys strategic priorities through interdisciplinary partnerships applied student research and advisory guidance. SEEDS Big Five Research Priorities represent key interconnected societal issues that advance knowledge and action on UBCs sustainability and wellbeing commitments and are periodically adapted to align with the UBCs sustainability and strategic priorities. Current Research Priorities include: 1) Accelerate Climate Action 2) Maintain & Enhance Urban Biodiversity 3) Enable the Great Food Transformation 4) Create Circular & Regenerative Economiesand 5) Foster Community Wellbeing& Inclusion. Collaborative interdisciplinary initiatives work in parallel to advance these priorities and harness the Campus as a Living Laboratory: Climate Crisis in Urban Biodiversity (CCUB) Campus Biodiversity Initiative: Research and Demonstration (CBIRD) UBC Food System Project (UBCFSP) and Food Security Initiative (FSI).
SEEDS Goals:
1. Advance strategies to achieve UBCs sustainability and wellbeing commitments and help advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as they align with the Universitys strategic priorities and mandate.
2. Catalyze impactful applied research experiences that empower and equip students to explore and develop solutions to societal challenges and advance UBCs sustainability and wellbeing commitments
3. Foster and strengthen interdisciplinary partnerships between campus students faculty staff and community
4. Integrate operational and academic efforts in sustainability that connect UBCs curriculum to UBCs sustainability mandate
5. Generate scalable solutions to critical societal issues that leverage the Campus as a Living Laboratory
6. Co-create mobilize and amplify knowledge for inclusive and meaningful engagement knowledge and action to address critical societal issues with communities in which issues affect for shared solutions and collective impact SEEDS goals contribute to UBCs Strategic Plans Pillars including Transformative Learning People and Places Local and Global Engagement and Research Excellence and many of the supporting strategies including interdisciplinary sustainability knowledge mobilization inclusion innovation and reputation.
The Research & Program Developer is responsible for facilitating SEEDS research and program activities including implementing strategic aspects of the SEEDS mandate to advance UBCs sustainability climate and wellbeing commitments policies and plans UBCs Strategic Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as they align with the Universitys strategic priorities and mandate and enhance student experiential learning applied research and professional development across the University. The position works with significant autonomy to build and deliver SEEDS R&D activities and interface with academic and operational partners across campus. The position develops and manages SEEDS curricular and co-curricular research. The incumbent works closely with key stakeholders across the University including faculty staff students senior managers and other community partners. The incumbent makes decisions and recommendations on SEEDS research and partnership activities at UBC and plays a key role in operationalizing SEEDS Strategic Plan and affiliated interdisciplinary initiative strategic plans. The position develops and implements operational procedures that will enable SEEDS to be effective in delivering its mandate and measures to assess the effectiveness of activities. This role will continue to evolve and the individual must be willing to respond to the given priorities and work cooperatively in a dynamic environment.
Organizational Status
Reports to the Manager SEEDS Sustainability Program in Sustainability & Engineering (S&E) within CCP. Supervises student and Management & Professional staff as appropriate. Works in close collaboration with senior management within CCP including those responsible for climate waste water green buildings and infrastructure transportation biodiversity and related sustainability land use neighbourhood planning and policy development. The position requires extensive contact with faculty and students across UBCs faculties and schools and with senior administration staff from across the University including CCP Sustainability Hub UBC Wellbeing Student Housing and Community Services Facilities the AMS and GSS UNA and other departments.
Work Performed
Under the direction of the Manager SEEDS Sustainability Program:
Research & Development (R&D) Management:
Establishes and plans applied research clusters and partnerships that can support SEEDS priorities.
Develops and manages SEEDS research projects including participant recruitment project scoping execution monitoring close and follow up.
Manages project completion to ensure outcomes inform the development and implementation of UBCs sustainability and wellbeing policies plans and practices while providing experiential learning teaching and research opportunities with students and faculty.
Assembles and guides project teams of varying compositions typically consisting of students faculty and staff across most of the Universitys faculties schools and operational departments.
Delivers impactful applied research experiences that empower and equip students to explore and develop solutions to societal challenges and advance UBCs sustainability and wellbeing commitments.
Develops program strategies aligned with the Universitys strategic sustainability objectives and campus as a living laboratory.
Sets research priorities and goals
Outlines strategic research plans
Identifies research synergies and creates opportunities for new avenues of research to inform operational sustainability policy
Partnership Development and Management:
Identifies and manages strategic partnerships with internal campus and external stakeholders including new and ongoing partnership planning and relationship management.
Recruits and maintains partnerships with faculty staff and other partners.
Serves on various committees that support SEEDS research partnerships and knowledge exchange to advance UBCs strategic sustainability climate and wellbeing commitments.
Serves on various SEEDS advisory committees that advance SEEDS strategic planning.
Funding:
Identifies and pursues funding opportunities to enhance and grow SEEDS under the general direction of the SEEDS Manager Sustainability Advisory Committee and interdisciplinary initiatives.
Develops and manages various research and project budgets.
Knowledge Exchange:
Participates in developing strategies that can translate and mobilize research and partnerships to advance UBCs sustainability climate and wellbeing commitments.
Develops workshops and activities to establish partnerships among faculty students and operational staff and community partners that have potential to lead to solution generation and greater collective impact.
Identifies and pursues engagement initiatives to enhance SEEDS visibility across campus and beyond.
Information Management & Reporting:
Researches and synthesizes information to support reporting communication and engagement.
Identifies and manages various research data and information repositories research portal and asset maps.
Scopes and identifies new ways to optimize SEEDS data information and project management systems.
Administration & Human Resourcing:
Responsible for student and program M&P staff management recruitment and training.
Develops and implements research participant recruitment strategies.
Develops and implements a broad scope of program procedures and processes including strategic planning research approaches project information and data management quality assurance evaluation and recognition.
Develops and implements operational procedures that enables SEEDS to be effective in delivering its mandate.
Develops measures of impact to evaluate the effectiveness of activities.
Contributes to the implementation of SEEDS overall strategic direction.
Performs other duties as required.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
Makes decisions in research development and management within a broad range and diverse program functions including development and management of research partnerships projects budgets evaluation reporting and knowledge exchange. Decisions affect the effective implementation of the program partnerships and projects and errors could result in missed opportunities damaged relationships and loss of credibility for the University CCP SEEDS and academic and operational partners. The incumbent must exercise a high level of professional judgement initiative and tact that involves dealing with various academic and operational units departments and individuals as well as external partners and service providers. Failure to exercise sound professional and managerial judgement could result in significant resource and reputational costs inefficient use of grant resources and have negative impact on future internal and external partnerships. Decisions can impact UBCs leadership and reputation on sustainability climate and well-being. Errors in judgement may have negative consequences on the quality of teaching learning and research at UBC and may result in significant impacts on delivery of applied curricular research and student academic progress.
Supervision Received
Works with a high degree of autonomy under the general direction of the Manager SEEDS Sustainability Program. Work is reviewed against work plan objectives.
Supervision Given
Supervises student and Management & Professional staff as appropriate and provides direction setting of priorities and associated responsibilities. Leads and manages project teams of varying compositions depending on the project scope and nature. Project teams may include senior staff faculty department heads students and community partners across a broad range of university departments and other external partners. Supervises consultants and other specialists on a project basis.
Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience in environmental sciences sustainability or related field.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives including perspectives in conflict with ones own
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing ones awareness knowledge and skills related to equity diversity and inclusion.
Preferred Qualifications
Masters degree preferred in a relevant discipline or its equivalent in environmental sciences sustainability or related field.
Broad understanding of sustainability issues is required including green buildings energy emissions reduction and ability to conceptually grasp and apply SEEDS objectives and focus areas.
Sustainability-related projects and partnerships management experience is required.
Knowledge and experience in a post-secondary institutional environment is an asset.
Demonstrated experience in budget management writing successful research and grant proposals required.
Ability to lead and manage effective collaborations with a wide range of academic and non-academic partners including teams of comprised of various levels of staff faculty and students.
Familiarity with participatory and community-based actions methodologies and approaches preferred.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to translate ideas across disciplines and articulate complex information to a variety of internal and external stakeholders in verbal and written form.
Ability to adapt and respond to changing priorities set work priorities work under pressure and meet deadlines.
Ability to manage prioritize and complete multiple projects tasks and priorities simultaneously within demonstrated allocated resource and time constraints.
Ability to be proactive take initiative be resourceful demonstrate decisiveness and provide leadership
A high degree of independent and collaborative decision-making in situations calling for cooperation as well as independent judgment to make sound decisions without supervision.
Demonstrated ability to manage teams possessing various disciplinary knowledge and experiences diverse skills and personalities providing monitoring and feedback in complex dynamic environments.
Ability to work in a in a collaborative and inclusive manner maintains effective working relationships and fosters equitable experiences and a respectful environment.
Demonstrated experience in information management and familiarity with various information data and project management programs.
Experience with data management analysis and visualization programs is an asset. Familiarity with Geographic Information System and/or other analytical mapping programs considered an asset.
Strong proficiency in MS Word Excel PowerPoint and experience with SharePoint is an asset.
Employment Type
Full-Time
