Food: Locally Embedded, Globally Engaged (FLEdGE) is a research and knowledge sharing partnership. We are committed to fostering food systems that are socially just, ecologically regenerative, economically localized & that engage citizens.

FLEdGE seeks an engaged, experienced, adaptable project coordinator who is passionate about local sustainable food.

The Project Co-ordinator will provide leadership, oversight of the research projects and administrative support for the work undertaken through research grants of Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer. The candidate will be expected to be familiar with the literature and independently work on tasks, including but not limited to: research project coordination and support across seven Canadian research nodes and three international Working Groups. The candidate will also be responsible for the preparation of manuscripts for submission to academic journals.

The successful applicant will support the PI and a team of Canadian and international researchers and practitioners. This role requires excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently. This position is based at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the Balsillie School for International Affairs.

Project Co-ordination

• Co-ordinate and oversee the progress of multiple streams of research, collaborators and research deliverables including academic publications, reports and webinars;
• Lead the planning of proposed research initiatives;
• Manage the progress of ongoing research activities including setting up and managing the project tracking systems;
• Co-ordinate logistics and assist with administrative duties related to planning large scale workshops;
• Participate in visioning next steps for the on-going work.

Data Design & Analysis

• Complete background research for academic publications and plain language reports.

Administrative Support

• Assist with the financial planning and tracking for Project activities, managing monthly spending, and completing all Project expenses and reports;
• Write, edit and revise annual reports and provide support for grant writing;
• Co-ordinate and participate in regular meetings including taking and circulating minutes;
• Manage social media including creating content for website/blog and twitter account;
• Other related administrative duties as required.

This Position Reports to: Alison Blay-Palmer, Associate Professor, Geography and Environmental Studies

Qualifications required to perform this position include education, special accreditations, years and type of experience, skills and abilities.

• Minimum Undergraduate Degree in a related field, Masters preferred; Minimum 2 years of demonstrated experience coordinating research grant functions including reporting and expenses;
• Previous exposure to grant proposal writing;
• Strong writing skills as evidenced by academic publications;
• Managerial skills as evidenced by prior project management experience in industry and/or academia;
• Strong organizational and time management skills;
• Experience with budget management and budget creation;
• Works well in a team environment and independently;
• Passionate about local sustainable food;
• Easily able to adapt to change and competing priorities.

This position will be a 1 year renewable contract for up to 3 years. Candidates should provide their cv, transcripts and a sample of their writing. Please submit applications to Alison Blay-Palmer via email: ablaypalmer at wlu dot ca