Coordinator Stewardship

Taking care of our environment has never been more important than it is today. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is looking for a Stewardship Coordinator to join a team committed to protecting our most important natural areas and the plants and animals they sustain. 

NCC is the country’s leading private land conservation organization. As a non-profit, charitable organization we work in partnership with individuals, corporations, governments and other non-profit groups to protect our most important natural treasures. We take a collaborative and science-based approach to our mission. Since 1962 NCC and its partners have helped to conserve more than 14 million hectares (35 million acres), from coast to coast to coast. With National headquarters in Toronto and regional offices across the country, NCC delivers results you can walk on.

Purpose and General Description:

The Stewardship Coordinator will play an integral role in delivering conservation programs on behalf of Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), primarily in the eastern Manitoba Natural Areas. Under the direction of the Natural Area Manager (NAM), the Stewardship Coordinator leads the coordination and delivery of stewardship and science activities as outlined in NCC’s Property Management Plans (PMPs) and Natural Area Conservation Plans (NACPs), and other areas as assigned. Stewardship activities include but are not limited to: preparing baseline inventory reports and PMPs, baseline documentation reports as part of Conservation Agreement securement projects, management planning (landscape-scale and property-scale conservation planning), implementing priority PMP and NACP actions, ecosystem restoration and maintenance, management of leases, partnership and stakeholder liaison, coordination and review of science research projects, property inspections and effectiveness monitoring, assist with securement, and supervision of contractors.

Externally, they will liaise with partners and volunteers. Internally, they will work closely and cooperatively with other Conservation Operations and Regional team members. The role involves technical and operational/administrative work as well as travel and independent fieldwork.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Stewardship Programming/Land Management (65%)

• Biological inventory, field data collection and annual monitoring (i.e. invasive species, rare plant and wildlife documentation, ecological community classification and condition assessments), data entry – NCC’s Land Resource Manager Information System (LIS) and Geographic Information System (GIS), photograph documentation, analysis and reporting required to implement Property Management Plans for NCC owned properties; 

• Conduct field work, data entry and analysis to develop Baseline Documentation Reports for NCC’s Conservation Agreement securement projects using LIS, GIS and NCC’s standardized reporting format in all Natural Areas; 

• Lead and assist in the development of Property Management Plans, and updates to Property Management Plans following NCC’s standardized reporting format; 

• Lead and assist in the development of Grazing Plans, and updates to current grazing plans following NCC’s standardized reporting format;

• Assist in the implementation and reporting of Effectiveness Monitoring Programs to track the viability of Biodiversity Targets and the effectiveness of conservation actions to abate threats at the property and Natural Area scale to guide property management; 

• Conduct surveys and assessments of the status of ecosystems and species on NCC sites and the effectiveness of conservation actions; 

• Coordinate and Administer grazing, haying and property leases, including development of lease agreements and collection of grazing and haying records; 

• Coordinate and administer invasive species management, including development of contractor agreements, implementation plans and monitoring;

• Engage and manage contractors to do work such as fence line construction, building demolition, earthworks etc. on NCC lands; 

• Coordination of property inspections on NCC’s properties, fill in reports, perform data entry in LIS and submit relevant GIS data; 

• Complete land management tasks such as removing invasive species, installing signage, site cleanup and refuse removal and fence line maintenance; 

• Maintain or acquire Prescribed Fire credentials;

• Prepare mapping as required for stewardship planning and reporting;

• Responsible for undertaking conservation activities consistent with nationally and regionally approved policies and processes;

• Assist the Natural Area Managers, Manager of Stewardship, Manager of Science, Conservation Agreement Supervisor and Director of Conservation with ongoing stewardship activities as needed;

• Conservation Agreement (CA) monitoring and compliance, review of issue reports and development of remedy plans and implementation, as directed by CA Supervisor and NAM; 

• Incentive program support and project implementation; 

• Restoration program support and project implementation; 

• Maintain or acquire a Pesticide Applicators License.

Securement (5%)

• Assist with land securement projects, following established procedures and protocols. 

Partnerships & Community Engagement (5%)

• Support the maintenance of close, positive relations with local governments, municipalities, watershed districts, Indigenous communities, wildlife management areas and other partners on the landscape; 

• Assist with Conservation Volunteer, Donor and other engagement Events in all Natural Areas. 

Conservation Planning / Science (15%)

• Coordinate or conduct science research projects to answer key knowledge gaps;

• Collaborate with external partners, academics and communities on species at risk recovery and other landscape-scale conservation initiatives to support the implementation of Natural Area Conservation Plans. 

Budgeting and Work Planning (5%)

• Support the Natural Area Managers in the development of annual budgets and in the monitoring and tracking of expenditures related to stewardship activities; 

• Support the Natural Area Managers in annual stewardship work planning, activity tracking and progress reporting.

Administrative and Other Responsibilities (5%)

• Responsible for project administration activities related to the development of information required for the preparation of paperwork, administrative documentation and processes as well as LIS input for specific projects; 

• Responsible for accurate and timely submission of time and billing as well as expense reporting in accordance with nationally and regionally approved policies and processes; 

• Support Natural Area Manager in provision of necessary administrative support, recommendations and monitoring of regional assets within their respective natural areas;

• Assist in the development and coordination of grant proposals and reporting to funders; 

• Supervision and/or management of stewardship staff; 

• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Attributes:

• University graduate from a Natural Sciences Program with a focus on biology, ecology, environmental studies or closely related field. College Diploma and Certificate combined with experience post-graduation will be considered. An equivalent combination of other resource related education, training and experience may be considered;

• Knowledge of Manitoba’s vegetation community types: prairie, forest and wetland ecology and ability to monitor ecological health;

• Experience in collecting, organizing and analyzing natural resource data;

• Experience with project planning and management; ability to take a project from background research to action in a short period of time;

• Experience in developing technical reports, scientific papers, monitoring protocols and presentations;

• Experience in delivering land/resource management programs in a rural community, including working with landowners and agricultural producers to implement land use/land management changes;

Experience supporting active land management (livestock grazing, prescribed fire, haying, weed control) through monitoring;

• Experience in designing, implementing, analyzing and reporting on the effectiveness of land management/stewardship activities;

• Proficient in computer usage, including data entry, statistical analysis, Internet and MS Office applications;

• Experience in analyzing, manipulating and interpreting data, including statistics, spreadsheet applications, GPS and ESRI/ArcGIS software;

• Attention to detail and the ability to prepare and manage timelines, goals and expectations wisely; Excellent problem solving, planning and organizational skills; 

• Ability to work independently, seek assistance and input as required, and to work on interdisciplinary teams; 

• Work with compressed external and internal timelines of several initiatives at the same time / Work efficiently to advance regional conservation priorities

• Strong communication, interpersonal and writing skills;

• Great team work skills and the ability to communicate easily with a wide range of people from the public and private sectors;

• The ability to build and support effective partnerships, both within the region and within NCC, to achieve the organization’s goals;

• Wilderness or Standard First Aid Training; 

• Basic Wildland Fire Management training (CCIFC - Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre) and Introduction to the Incident Command System (I-100 ICS) or willingness to be trained is an asset;

• Valid Class 5 Driver’s License, with ability to rent a car;

• Ability to work under adverse climatic conditions, and willingness to travel and work flexible hours at times; 

• A commitment to the cause and mission of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Terms of Employment:

• Full-time (37.5 hours/week), 12-month position (May 2024 – May 2025) with potential to extend contract dependent on funding availability. 

• Location: Based out of Brandon but requires some travel throughout Manitoba

• Applicant must also complete NCC Manitoba’s current prescribed fire fitness standard – 2-mile (3.2km) hike in 30 minutes with 25 lbs backpack to take part in prescribed fire activities