Research Scientist

**Position Details**:
**Current Rate of Pay**: Min = $83,701.80, Max = $97,060.60
**Employment type**: Permanent Full-Time
**Hours of work**: 35 hrs/week
**Work location**: Head Office
**Division**: Development & Engineering Services
**Business unit**: Watershed Planning & Ecosystem Science
**Travel**: 20%
**Remote Work**: Hybrid

**About TRCA**:
With more than 60 years of experience, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is one of 36 Conservation Authorities in Ontario, created to safeguard and enhance the health and well-being of watershed communities through the protection and restoration of the natural environment and the ecological services the environment provides.

TRCA is considered the provincial leader in conserving, restoring, and managing natural resources to advance safe and sustainable development.

**How you will contribute as part of the TRCA team**:
The Research Scientist provides routine research work, undertaking quantitative analysis, providing course instruction and knowledge sharing, participating in and coordinating field investigations; providing technical advice on sustainable technologies (water, energy), climate science to inform and promote environmental management best practices.

**Major Responsibilities**:

- Works with teams to create, format and prepare reports (case studies, discussion papers, technical strategies, planning documents, technical reports, and proposals) for review and circulation to internal/external stakeholders and external experts for various purposes.
- Reviews and provides written input or feedback on draft reports or interim analysis completed by other project team members; ensures the final report is complete, accurate and incorporates or addresses comments.
- Designs and carries out detailed technical analyses or assessments in association with other staff, including but not limited to statistical or trend analysis, modelling, risk or scenario analysis, literature review or other qualitative assessment approaches.
- Organizes, manages databases, and conducts quality control checks on monitoring or assessment data, ensuring quality control and assurance measures are always followed during data collection and analysis processes. Updates and maintains corporate databases using SQL and GIS ArcMap.
- Facilitates the building of new or strengthening of existing partnerships in accordance with the corporate research partnership development process.
- Attends and presents at conferences, scientific roundtable gatherings, or public events to broadly enable knowledge transfer or exchange, and build/strengthen networks.
- Contributes to the development and implementation of industry best practices, more efficient processes and procedures and the innovative use of new technology.
- Identifies area of improvement or concern that should be addressed and collaborates with others to develop a plan that maximizes the value of a project; considering alignment with other areas, availability of resources and ability to leverage other projects/this project for other future projects.
- Obtains approvals for the project scope and then ensures that project staff and resources are able to/can deliver the project addressing any training or resource gap; and develops a project plan timeline.
- Monitors budget and timeline and develops strategies to mitigate any variances to the project plan.

**What will you need to succeed**:
Education (degree/diploma/certifications/licenses)
- University degree in Biology, Geography, Hydrology, Environmental Sciences, Climate Change, Engineering, Physics, Renewable Energy or a related field.
- Valid Ontario Class G2 driver's license

Experience
- 4+ years of experience related to the major responsibilities of the role
- Experience with the full research lifecycle, including identifying research knowledge gaps, seeking funding, designing and conducting experiments, undertaking spatial and temporal analysis using statistical software to analyze data, and publishing research findings
- Experience managing data and implementing quality assurance quality control processes
- Experience evaluating scientific results and communicating science-based advice, findings and recommendations to scientists, managers, or non-technical stakeholders
- Experience working with municipal, provincial, and federal environmental policies

Knowledge/Skill/Ability - Competencies
- Sound working knowledge of science policy and practices surrounding land use, climate change adaptation and/or mitigation as they pertain to ecosystem management, sustainable technologies and/or watershed hydrology
- Proficiency in MS Office suite including online software, such as MS teams, WebEx, and SharePoint
- Able to comprehend documentation that is technical or scientific in nature, skilled in writing technical reports or manuals
- Ability to overcome objections by reasoning persuasively
- Demonstrated ability to proactively identify problems in a timely manner, seeking the