Program Coordinator, Mother Tree - UBC, Vancouver

What You'll Do

As the Program Coordinator for the Mother Tree initiative, you will play a vital role in supporting the continued growth, visibility, and impact of groundbreaking research in Indigenous-led forest stewardship, regenerative forestry, and conservation. Your responsibilities will span scheduling coordination, engagement logistics, communications implementation, and event support, ensuring all Mother Tree activities are well-organized and responsive. This position is key to amplifying the Mother Tree's research and engagement, strengthening the visibility of the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship and UBC, and advancing shared priorities related to research impact, partnerships, sustainability, and climate-focused work.

• Program Coordination, Scheduling & Logistics:
• Coordinate the Mother Tree-related calendar, including internal and external meetings, engagements, conferences, stakeholder and partner engagements, and travel-connected public outreach commitments.
• Support logistical planning for scheduled Mother Tree engagements, partnerships, and meeting commitments, liaising with hosts and internal team members to confirm timelines, itineraries, registration details, preparation needs, and supporting materials.

• Communications Implementation & Content Administration:
• Provide day-to-day communications support, including drafting correspondence to complex inquiries and conducting routine background research on topics related to Mother Tree activities, partnerships, and public engagement.
• Support communications implementation by coordinating information, timelines, approvals, and follow-up for Mother Tree updates, stakeholder correspondence, approved donor-facing materials, newsletters, website updates, reporting inputs, and public engagement materials.
• Maintain approved communications materials and reference records, including research activity updates, partnership information, and public-facing resources, ensuring accuracy, currency, and accessibility.

• Event & Engagement Logistics:
• Coordinate logistics for public events, meetings, speaking engagements, and partner engagements.
• Support RSVP tracking, participant communications, itineraries, venue coordination, speaker coordination, and preparation of event materials.
• Maintain event-specific files, contact lists, schedules, briefing materials, correspondence, and follow-up notes for assigned public-facing and partner engagement activities.
• Support coordination for engagement activities connected to First Nations partnerships, public engagement, knowledge-sharing, and co-production protocols.

• Program Records:
• Maintain shared trackers, contact lists, briefing materials, event files, communications records, and shared planning documents related to scheduling, engagement, public inquiries, and communications activities.
• Support continuity across scheduling, engagement, and communications activities by ensuring assigned records and materials are organized, current, and accessible.

• Inquiry, Stakeholder & Partner Support:
• Respond to routine inquiries from public, professional, and community audiences using approved language and established processes.
• Assess and triage inquiries to the communications lead or appropriate team member.
• Perform other related administrative, coordination, communications implementation, and project support duties as required.

Requirements

This role demands a highly organized individual with sound judgment, discretion, and initiative, capable of coordinating competing priorities within a collaborative and evolving environment. A commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is essential, alongside a willingness to respect diverse perspectives.

• Minimum Qualifications:
• High School graduation, plus one year of related training, plus two years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

• Preferred Qualifications:
• Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Conservation is an asset.
• Academic and/or applied experience in conservation, forest ecology, ecosystem-based management, Indigenous governance, sustainable development, applied ecology, food systems, or related social-ecological approaches to land stewardship.
• Experience supporting research partnerships, community-engaged work, or co-produced communications for Indigenous-led or Indigenous-partnered research initiatives, including demonstrated awareness of cultural knowledge-sharing guidelines, community protocols, and relationship-based approaches to collaboration.
• Experience working in or with communities on Haida Gwaii or research contexts, including familiarity with Indigenous stewardship, community perspectives, applied ecology, and ecosystem-based management approaches relevant to Haida Gwaii.
• Experience supporting field-based forest research, including soil sampling, vegetation analyses, ecological data collection, or related work in coastal and interior forest environments in British Columbia.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Mother Tree Project & Program, including its relational, values-based approach to forest stewardship; its science communication, partnership, and public engagement priorities; and the adaptability required to support its continued growth.
• Experience developing accessible communications materials that translate scientific, ecological, or conservation-related information for broader audiences, including news articles, research briefs, social media content, event materials, or public-facing summaries.
• Ability to synthesize scientific information, research findings, and project updates into clear, accurate, and engaging communications for academic, community, donor, partner, and public audiences.
• Experience supporting events, panels, screenings, workshops, or public engagement activities involving researchers, community partners, activists, professionals, students, or other external audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and related database, records-management, or project-tracking systems.
• Familiarity with email marketing platforms such as Envoke is an asset.
• Strong ability to exercise initiative, sound judgment, tact, discretion, and diplomacy while managing sensitive information, community relationships, and competing priorities.
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, resolve problems, prioritize tasks, and take responsibility for timely follow-through.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy, organization, and record-keeping.
• Ability to gather, review, and summarize information, identify implications, and provide practical recommendations to support project coordination, communications, reporting, and relationship management.
• Valid driver’s license and comfort travelling to field sites, research plots, rural communities, and remote locations in British Columbia. Experience driving trucks or field vehicles on forestry roads, logging roads, or remote access roads in coastal and interior forest regions is an asset.
• Willingness and ability to travel to remote and rural communities for extended periods of time, including Haida Gwaii, Vancouver Island, the Central Coast, the North Coast, the Kootenays, and other forest research or partner-community locations across British Columbia.
• Experience working respectfully and collaboratively in team-based environments involving faculty, students, staff, community partners, Indigenous partners, external organizations, volunteers, and members of the public.
• Demonstrated ability to support teaching, mentorship, training, or group facilitation activities, including creating a supportive environment for students, youth, volunteers, or community participants.

About the Employer

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a globally recognized institution committed to excellence in research, innovation, and learning. UBC believes that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to its success, fostering an inclusive and fair environment that brings rich diversity to the workplace and creates rewarding career opportunities for all faculty, staff, and students.

This role is situated within the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, supporting the Mother Tree initiative. This UBC-based project is at the forefront of Indigenous-led forest stewardship, regenerative forestry, and conservation, conducting vital research and engagement activities that contribute to sustainability and climate-focused work.

What's On Offer

This Staff - Union (CUPE 2950) position offers a compensation range of $4,281.00 - $4,386.00 CAD Monthly, with an expected pay of $4,281.00/month. The role is a term position with a job end date of August 31, 2027, providing an opportunity to contribute to a significant research initiative at UBC.