The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901. FCM is dedicated to improving the quality of life in all communities by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government. FCM aspires to be an organization that is deeply respectful, collaborative, empowering and transparent in our work. We have a commitment and passion for strengthening Canada by achieving results for our communities, our cities, and our workplace, and by sharing our knowledge and experience on the world stage, so that others may improve the quality of life in their communities.

The cornerstone FCM Program is the Green Municipal Fund™ (GMF), a $1 billion permanent endowment from the Government of Canada. GMF helps local governments switch to sustainable practices faster. Our unique mix of funding, resources and training gives municipalities the tools they need to build resiliency — and create better lives for Canadians.  As a leading catalyst for innovation, GMF offers funding (loans and grants) and knowledge for sustainable municipal initiatives designed to support communities to improve air, water, soil quality, and to protect the climate. Through GMF, municipalities have built better transportation assets; constructed efficient and resilient buildings; diverted waste from landfill; made previously unusable land available for development; and improved soil and water quality.  

In Budget 2019, the Federal Government announced a $300M allocation for FCM to deliver the Community Efficiency Financing (CEF) initiative through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF). The CEF initiative is a “program of programs,” in that it supports municipalities and their partners to plan, design, implement and scale-up local financing programs for home energy upgrades. These programs will help accelerate the installation of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in low-rise residential housing in order to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while also generating other environmental, social and economic benefits in communities across Canada. CEF aims to validate and scale-up promising models of local financing programs that can be replicated across the country, and ultimately help transform the market for energy efficiency upgrades in Canada.  

Major Purpose

The Project Officer provides assistance and guidance to applicants to the GMF loan and granting process, while providing superior client service in all phases of the funding life-cycle. The Project Officer is responsible for reviewing applications for quality, completeness and adherence to application criteria, summarizing peer review assessments and recommending files for approval by our board. The Project Officer is also responsible for guiding FCM and funding recipients through the contract negotiation, execution, and disbursement processes. In short, the project officer will follow the development and implementation of the funded projects with our clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Acts as primary client contact on a portfolio of applications and funding agreements through the project cycle, responsible for internal and external communications, document review, keeping accurate and up to date records, and ensuring timely processing
• Conducts an initial review of applications for capital projects, studies, pilot projects and plans for adherence to eligibility criteria and mandatory requirements
• Provides assistance and guidance to applicants with a view to improving technical & economical viability and increasing the possibility of funding, which includes sharing relevant knowledge products and capacity building resources, and providing information of importance to finalizing funding agreements or contracts
• Facilitates and supports the Peer Review process, including reviewing scores and comments, conducting additional research or consulting with applicants to clarify and/or elaborate content information
• Writes and reviews application summaries and prepares recommendations for funding and is prepared to answer questions. This may involve reviewing translated presentation documents as required
• Responsible for the overall preparation and administration of funding agreements and contracts within the assigned portfolio, which includes consulting with clients on contract terms, negotiating where required, reviewing and finalizing agreements and obtaining applicable signatures
• Reviews contracts for adherence against mandatory requirements and applicable provincial legislation, ensures that it reflects the pre-approved terms and conditions, and submits for processing
• Reviews and recommends disbursement requests, eligibility of project invoices, and content of progress and final reports, based on contract requirements
• Communicates with direct supervisor and other internal units (Legal, Communications, Finance) to provide status updates on files, consult on complex contract negotiations, and report any significant changes in disbursement timing and cash flow changes
• Prepares and defends recommendations following approval, which may include contract amendments, scope changes and closure memos
• Reviews project and in some cases, environmental result reports to identify significant results or lessons learned which may be used as case studies or to support the development of knowledge/communication products, and shares relevant information with other teams (Communications and Marketing, Knowledge and Sector Development, Impact Research and Performance).
• Participates as required in cross-functional team project work for GMF, FCM Programs department or in FCM-wide initiatives
• Contributes to ongoing process improvements in application and contracting process with a focus on improving client service. This may include reviewing new application forms and developing/updating tools and templates for applicants.

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• University degree in environmental studies/science, public administration, planning or related discipline
• Minimum of 3 - 5 years of professional experience in project evaluation, ideally related to one or more technical sustainable community development area, and in a client focused role
• Strong knowledge and experience in one or more technical areas of sustainable community development (energy, water, municipal solid waste, transportation, brownfields, and planning) is ideal
• Experience working with local governments and conservation authorities to advance adoption of sustainable practices is an asset
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent client service skills
• Strong organizational skills, priority management skills, and ability to manage multiple files
• Detail oriented and strong analytical skills
• Sound judgment
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team

Language Requirements

First Role: The ability to work in both French and English is an asset

Second Role: Bilingualism required  

The benefits to joining the FCM team include summer hours (Fridays off between July 1st and Labour Day); office facilities located in the ByWard Market, FCM’s commitment to employee development and a competitive range of employee benefits and services. FCM encourages flexible work arrangements to support the wellbeing and productivity of employees.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is committed to fostering an organizational culture that embraces equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, where individuals from diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, social economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and physical and mental abilities can thrive and be fully engaged at their best level.

FCM welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

The future of work at FCM includes a hybrid work model; therefore, this role will be a combination of virtual and on-site work. The successful candidate is required live in and be authorized to work in Canada. They are also required to be able to work from home/remotely, from within Canada.  All in-office work and in-person meetings for work that take place inside and/or outside of the offices located in Ottawa will be subject to FCM’s Safe Workplace Vaccination Policy, as well as its health and safety procedures.

It is a mandatory condition of employment at FCM that the successful candidate be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with vaccines that have been approved by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to their start date and will be required to provide proof.  If accommodation is required in relation to this condition of employment for any reason pursuant to the Ontario Human Rights Code, please contact us at directly. 

For additional information on this posting, or for further information on FCM, access our website at www.fcm.ca.

Visit the careers section of our website to apply. Deadline for applications January 26, 2023

We thank all candidates for their interest; however, we will only contact those selected for an interview. All the applications will be kept for six months following the completion of the hiring process