Project Manager II - Urban Forestry and Park Operations

Requisition ID: 38140 

Company

Located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples, Vancouver has a commitment to becoming a City of Reconciliation. Vancouver consistently ranks as one of the world’s most liveable cities and is working towards being the greenest city in the world. Named among Canada's Top 100 Employers, BC's Top Employers, and Canada's Greenest Employers, the City of Vancouver seeks colleagues who can help shape and embody our core commitments to sustainability, decolonization, equity and outstanding quality of life for all residents.

Consider joining our committed team of staff and being part of an innovative, inclusive and rewarding workplace.

Main Purpose and Function
The Project Manager, independently manages all phases of urban forestry and park operations projects including initiation, planning, implementation, monitoring and adaptive management. Projects range from simple to complex, multi-year, million-dollar initiatives involving long-term forecasting of urban forest and park operations management trends and proactive solutions to ensure sustainable operations in a new era of climate change and equity. Projects require managing medium-sized project teams (i.e. 8+ members) and coordinating with upper-management, steering committees, departmental subject matter experts, external consultants, and vendors. The implementation of the projects and programs often involves substantial work addressing complex environmental, financial, and political issues with potential risk impacts for the City that  need to be addressed and mitigated. The Project Manager may be required to provide senior management with objective and comprehensive business and process analysis of the projects, staffing and service, and provide recommendations based on the analysis performed.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Manages a complement of 6-8 unionized (CUPE 15) staff to support project delivery;
• Manages project teams composed of internal staff and external consultants to successfully deliver projects;
• Develops scopes of work and issuance of RFPs for various consulting services to support Urban Forestry and Park Operations 
• Manages consultants to produce deliverables within schedule and budget; 
• Manages the Urban Forest Strategy – Update 2021 and subsequent deliverables associated with the 30-year strategy;
• Leads the Urban Forest Management Standards project to refresh standards and develop new standards as-needed Leads the Van Tree Update and liaises with Tech Services and Park Board Asset Management Team as necessary;
• Supports various strategic planning aspects of other park operations projects such as sports field upgrades and renovations, process improvement and natural area enhancements including invasive species programs; 
• Assigns work to project team members, specifying deliverables, timelines and quality expectations; Monitors performance of project team members and takes corrective actions as required;
• Coaches and mentors team members;
• Enables project delivery by taking on an appropriate leadership style based on the project team’s needs, strengths, and capabilities;
• Plans projects in detail, clearly identifying project scope, budget and schedule as well as project risks, project organization and project management approach; Participates in confidential planning that may have City-wide operational and financial implications;
• Documents the plans in a Project Plan document;
• Regularly reviews the project plans and/or dashboard with the Supervisor, Manager, Director, Senior Leadership and project team to make sure the project is progressing on track; Works collaboratively with Park Board and project team on key project/program artifacts including charter, budget, change requests, project closure documentation, etc.;
• Executes projects according to approved project plans;
• Organizes and leads meetings with project team, stakeholders and vendors as needed and manages actions arising from them; Facilitates stakeholder inputs to arrive at optimum solution;
• Identifies and proactively manages project issues and risks;
• Manages project costs to approved budget while following the official tracking, reporting, and change request standards set out by Park Board; Ensures that project performance meets expectations in terms of timelines, quality, and scope;
• Implements adequate internal controls for reporting to Senior Management; Conducts regular project status meetings/scrums with project team members;
• Regularly reports on project status to Manager of Urban Forestry and/or Project Steering Committee, and PB Senior Leadership; 
• Leads and/or conducts project processes and development including stakeholder impact assessments communication plan, and related execution deliverables as per respective plans;
• Conducts project resource requirements planning, obtains resourcing approvals, engages Resource Managers and Supervisors to secure resources, and proactively identifies project resourcing issues and risks;
• Ensures proper project closeout at completion;
• Manages the acceptance (and sign-off, if required) process for project deliverables from stakeholders; 
• Conducts post-project evaluation process and recommends changes for future projects; 
• Documents and presents a project closeout analysis;
• Works with the team stakeholders to identify and document project benefits;
• Leads process mapping facilitation, process documentation, value-add analysis, and future state definition with an eye for operating impacts; Assists in scoping phases of projects;
• Works on many projects concurrently; and Other duties/responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications
Education and Experience:

• University degree in Forestry, Landscape Architecture, Engineering or a related discipline.
• A minimum of eight years of Project Management experience in increasingly complex projects. Experience in managing teams.
• Registration or eligibility for registration with a professional organization such as the ABCFP or BCSLA is preferred
• Formal training in Project Management methodologies preferably consistent with those provided by PMI (Project Management Institute), LEED and Arboriculture designations are also considered assets. ISA Certified Arborist and TRAQ designation considered an asset
• Formal training and/or experience in process improvement and analysis is an asset.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Considerable knowledge of Project Management methodologies, processes, standards and policies as part of project delivery approaches. Ability to apply Project Management methodologies to projects for successful completion.
• Considerable knowledge of working on park capital projects including managing deployments of externally procured solutions, or development and deployment of in-house built solutions is an asset. Ability to manage vendors and vendor contracts/Statements of Work is an asset
• Ability to deal with teams that include bargaining unit and exempt employees, contractors and external vendors. Ability to write effectively, organize and maintain project documentation, prepare status reports and summaries. Ability to speak effectively in public through formal and informal meetings and presentations.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels within the organization. Ability to manage large workloads and multitask effectively.
• Ability to manage projects crossing multiple departments, multiple business processes and multiple stakeholder groups. Ability to organize, co-ordinate and manage people to achieve project goals.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment in assigning and supervising work of project team members.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with technical and professional staff, as well as customer departments. Ability to analyze and solve problems and take decisions or make recommendations based upon thorough analysis of facts.
• Ability to focus on details, while maintaining a balanced high-level view of an assignment.
• Ability to reconcile differing perspectives, develop consensus, and secure cooperation and support from both customers and team members. Ability to resolve conflicts arising within the project team or in interactions with customers in the most advantageous manner to all parties involved. Ability to manage change and assist others with adapting to change.
• Knowledge of the City of Vancouver is an asset.

The City’s COVID-19 vaccination policy is currently suspended and as a result, vaccination against COVID-19 is not required at this time. However, should circumstances change and the City deem it necessary to re-introduce such policy, you may be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be eligible to continue performing your duties.

Business Unit/Department: Board of Parks & Recreation (1400) 

Affiliation: Exempt 

Employment Type: Regular Full Time 

Position Start Date: May, 2023 

Salary Information: Pay Grade RNG-091: $102,256 to $127,830 per annum

Application Close: April 5, 2023

At the City of Vancouver, we are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that represents the community we so proudly serve. Indigenous applicants, people of colour, all genders, 2SLGBTQ+ and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.  Accommodations will be provided upon request during the selection process. Learn more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

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