Advisor, Funding - Community Canopies

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is the national voice of municipal governments, representing the interests of cities and communities with the federal government.  Position

Advisor, Funding – Community Canopies

Growth & Development - Green Municipal Fund (GMF) - Client & Funding Services

Level 6

Our salaries generally range from $80,500 - $91,500, and are based on qualifications and experience

English required, French is an asset

Permanent Full-Time

Hybrid (Ottawa)/Remote (Canada)

Why GMF is the place for you

At GMF, we empower our people to create change where it has the most impact – municipalities. GMF is a $1.6 billion permanent endowment from the Government of Canada, managed at arm's length, making it nimble and available for higher-risk, higher-impact initiatives. A further $530M investment into GMF to support the National Adaptation Strategy was announced in November 2022. Our team is committed to helping local governments switch to sustainable practices faster. GMF is the cornerstone program of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

Our unique mix of funding, resources, and training gives municipalities the tools they need to build resiliency — and create better lives for Canadians. Through GMF, municipalities have reduced carbon emissions; built better transportation assets; constructed efficient and resilient buildings; diverted waste from landfill; made previously unusable land available for development; and improved soil and water quality.

You in this role

The Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) program is a $291M initiative funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Two Billion Trees (2BT) program delivered over 8 years starting in 2023/24. The GCCC program is intended to be efficient, impactful and accessible to all municipalities across Canada enabling equitable climate action maximizing the environmental and social benefits of tree planting projects. GCCC directly supports green job creation, provides technical expertise for planting, contributes to environmental restoration and remediation activities with localized solutions to environmental issues, sequesters carbon, builds resilience to climate change, and increases the number and variety of native tree species planted to encourage biodiversity and enhance wildlife habitat. 

Reporting to the Funding Manager, GCCC, and dedicated to the GCCC program, the Advisor, Funding – Community Canopies is responsible for developing and leading process changes and management initiatives in support of the GCCC Funding team. Central functions of this role encompass proactive facilitation of funding at key points of contract negotiation, project implementation and disbursement, as well as research and analysis to identify and evaluate possible options and creative solutions to improve funding processes and decision-making. 

The work at FCM includes FCM becoming an even more member-driven organization that balances the realization of its goals with a people-centered approach. The incumbent embodies FCM’s commitment to being a healthy, diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist organization. As a member of the team, the Advisor, Funding – Community Canopies works in a manner that embraces these values, the corporate culture and the passion for FCM’s mandate.

What you’ll be doing

Research and analysis 

• Leads the review and analysis of the operational performance of the GCCC Funding team, identifying opportunities for improvement, assessing impact of indicators and targets, and providing recommendations to the Funding Manager. 
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of effective and innovative project management tools and approaches. 
• Works directly with Programs and Project Verification teams to develop tools and methodologies to effectively assess environmental impact from a technical and client service perspective.
• Analyzes the overall assessment of peer reviewer performance in terms of accuracy, quality and completeness, providing updates and recommendations to the Funding Manager. 
• Works with the Funding Manager in monitoring and evaluating current funding processes and tools, and researches value-added best practices. 

Client service delivery 

• Assists the Funding Manager in coordinating all aspects of the GMF loan and grant funding application process, evaluation, contracting and disbursement processes to ensure the efficient, effective and timely allocation and disbursement of funds. 
• Supports Project Officers in the reviews and analysis of the preliminary assessment of baseline, anticipated and actual environmental benefits, especially for capital projects. 
• Performs site visits to facilitate contract negotiations, disbursement requests, and scope changes with at-risk files. 
• Collaborates with the Funding Manager and Programs on the assessment of viability of projects. 
• Leads the technical training of new project officers and supports their continuous learning. 
• Supports Knowledge Services in the implementation of capacity building materials that promote funding opportunities for potential applicants.

Other  

• Participates as required in cross-functional team project work for GMF, FCM Programs department or in FCM-wide initiatives

Your skills make us better 

You bring:

Education:

• University degree in an environmental science, engineering, planning, finance or related discipline. 

Experience:  

• Minimum of 5-8 years of professional experience in project management/evaluation, ideally related to one or more technical sustainable community development area, and in a client focused role. 
• Project Management experience an asset. 

Knowledge:  

• Strong knowledge in the areas of program management with a focus on sustainable municipal development or environmental issues at municipal level an asset. 
• Knowledge of and experience with working with municipalities is a strong asset. 
• Strong knowledge and experience in one or more technical areas of sustainable community development (forestry, energy, water, municipal solid waste, transportation, brownfields, and planning) is ideal. 

Competencies:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills. 
• Excellent client service skills. 
• Strong organizational skills, priority management skills, and ability to manage multiple files. 
• Detail oriented and strong analytical skills. 
• Sound judgment. 
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. 
• The ability to work in both official languages is an asset.

Why working here rocks 

We prioritize work-life balance with our flexible model:

• When we say flexible work model, we mean that in collaboration with your manager and based on what your team needs, you have the flexibility to determine when you work so that you can enjoy a healthy balance between work and personal demands.
• While you do need to live in Canada for this role, you can primarily work from home. Travel may be required to Head Office in Ottawa periodically. The majority of the GMF team operates from the National Capital Region.
• We do like to visit the areas we are impacting and it allows us to see unique and wonderful parts of our country. You may find yourself traveling nationally 10-15% of the time. 

We don’t just talk about employee wellness, we live it:

• Summer hours between July 1 and Labour Day:
  • 7-hour workdays rather than 7.5
  • Every Friday off in the summer
• Flexible work arrangements to support productivity and well-being
• Commitment to employee development
• Competitive range of employee benefits and services
• Office facilities located in the Byward Market and Ottawa’s downtown core

We’re committed to fostering an organizational culture that embraces equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging , where individuals from diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, social economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and physical and mental abilities can thrive and be fully engaged at their best level.

We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

How to apply

If this role speaks to you and the impact you want to make, we’d love to hear from you! Apply today.

The deadline to apply is April 10th, 2024.

The future of work here includes a hybrid work model; therefore, this role will be a combination of virtual and on-site work.

The successful candidate is required to live in and be authorized to work in Canada. They are also required to be able to work from home/remotely, from within Canada. All in-office work and in-person meetings for work that take place inside and/or outside of the offices located in Ottawa will be subject to FCM’s Safe Workplace Vaccination Policy, as well as its health and safety procedures.

For additional information on this posting, or for further information on FCM, access our website at . Learn more about the Green Municipal Fund at