Manager, Greening Communities

Location:  Ottawa; however, remote applicants will be considered

Language requirement: English, with French being a strong asset

Accountable for: Delivery and impact of the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) coaching services

Accountable to:  Program Manager, Greening Communities

About Tree Canada

Since 1992, Tree Canada has worked relentlessly to grow Canada’s tree canopy through our greening programs, research, and engagement efforts. We are the only national non-profit organization dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments. Our track record of collaborating with all levels of government, the urban forestry sector, business partners, and community groups uniquely positions us to engage Canadians in the fight against climate change. Together we plant millions of trees each year, helping to grow resilient ecosystems and healthier, greener communities across Canada.

In 2023, Tree Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities launched Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC), an 8-year federally funded program to enhance and grow urban forests in communities across Canada.

About the Position

The Manager, Greening Communities supports and guides Tree Canada’s urban forestry coaching services within the GCCC program. The Manager works to increase urban forest capacity across Canadian municipalities by supporting Tree Canada’s pool of urban forestry coaches to increase their effectiveness and impact. Coaches are experts in their field (e.g., urban forestry, green infrastructure planning, restoration ecology, etc.) who are contracted by Tree Canada to provide technical advice and resources to municipalities and their partners who apply to GCCC for funding.

The Manager, Greening Communities, is a new position who will lead a team of contractors (urban forest coaches) who provide technical coaching to small and medium-sized municipalities and their community partners that are applying for or receiving GCCC funding. The Manager, Greening Communities works collaboratively with Tree Canada’s GCCC unit, other Tree Canada departments, and with colleagues at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

The Manager, Greening Communities will be based in Ottawa or work remotely with an ability to travel approximately 20% of their time to support, train and meet up with coaches.

Areas of Responsibility

Training, guiding, and supporting Tree Canada’s urban forestry coaches (50%)

• Provide leadership, direction, and support to Tree Canada’s 35+ urban forestry coaches from across the country
• Lead recruitment, training, and mentoring of coaches
• Gather feedback from coaches to incorporate into program planning and implementation
• Research opportunities for coaches to offer coaching support in the delivery of tree planting projects and/or the implementation of urban forest management
• Assess the coaching program on an annual basis and identify operational and systemic efficiencies, and recruit additional coaches when required
• Maintain regular communication with coaches and host quarterly virtual meet ups
• On a needs basis, meet in person with an individual or group of coaches to provide tailored support or to gather feedback
• Develop operational KPIs to effectively monitor the quality of the coaching program and the impact coaching is having on the capacity of local governments to manage and/or expand their urban forests

Content development on urban forestry topics for Tree Canada’s urban forestry coaches (20%)

• Research and develop content for urban forestry coaches such as fact sheets, toolkits, case studies, etc.
• Adapt educational and engagement products in collaboration with Tree Canada’s Capacity Building Officer
• Review information collected from municipalities to assess and respond to their capacity development and information needs
• Support peer-to-peer learning opportunities and ways to share information amongst coaches and their municipal clients

Liaison with internal staff and external partners (25%)

• Participate in planning meetings with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ GCCC Capacity Building staff to coordinate content and format of materials, as well as the timelines to deliver content
• Liaise with Tree Canada’s Programs and Communications staff to support the organization’s goals and objectives, including collecting and sharing project-specific stories for Tree Canada’s audiences through various listservs, social media, website, and newsletter
• Ensure all program-related updates are communicated clearly to senior leadership and external partners where appropriate

Other (5%)

• Participate in workshops, conferences and other learning activities as needed
• Respond to inquiries and provide one-off coaching support to municipalities seeking professional guidance to develop an application for GCCC funding

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong knowledge and demonstrated experience working in the field of urban forestry
• Demonstrated success in coordinating or managing a network of professionals/practitioners
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Strong interpersonal communication skills to inspire collaborative work among colleagues and collaborators
• Strong administrative and coordination skills; detail oriented and organized
• Ability to work both independently and with a collaborative team
• Advanced computer skills including proficiency with videoconferencing tools and MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams)
• Demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and tact
• Commitment to the work and values of Tree Canada, in particular a passion for the environment and a belief that organizations and individuals can improve lives by planting trees, empowering communities and addressing climate change

Education and Experience

• Post-secondary education in urban forestry, arboriculture, environmental science, or a closely related field
• Minimum seven years of experience working in urban forestry as a consultant, practitioner, instructor, or related position

Equivalencies in education and experience will be considered.

Tree Canada Work Environment and Culture

Tree Canada values our passionate and skilled team. We truly believe that each employee, contractor, and volunteer contributes directly to the growth and success of our organization. We put trust in our talented team and are pleased to offer a hybrid work environment. Together, our team is intentionally creating a work culture that is collaborative, respectful, caring, impactful, and productive. We aim to create a culture of care so that each team member may thrive, contribute, and grow professionally at Tree Canada.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Tree Canada is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We believe in equality and diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and disability. Tree Canada encourages and welcomes applications from members of racialized communities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, and with the skills/knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. We are committed to a selection process and work environment that is barrier-free. If you need any accommodations or adjustments throughout the interview process and beyond, please indicate this in your application.

You don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles at Tree Canada!

We sincerely thank all those who express interest and apply, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.