Manager, Green Buildings and Neighbourhood Climate Action

University of British Columbia - Staff; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university is seeking a Manager for Green Buildings and Neighbourhood Climate Action. This role involves managing sustainability initiatives, enhancing campus policies for green buildings, and ensuring alignment with climate action strategies. Candidates should have at least seven years of relevant experience, a degree in a related field, and excellent communication skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum seven years of work experience in sustainable community planning or equivalent.
• Experience with LEED projects and LEED Accreditation is an asset.
• Demonstrated knowledge in sustainable building practices.

Responsibilities

• Manage and deliver green building and climate action services.
• Develop policies to optimize green building.
• Lead implementation of the Neighbourhood Climate Action Plan.

Skills

Sustainable Building Design

Energy Modeling

Community Energy Planning

Life-Cycle Costing

Project Management

Excellent Communication Skills

Education

University degree in Engineering, Architecture, Building Science or Planning

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category M&P - AAPS Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Facilities Management, Level F Job Title Manager, Green Buildings and Neighbourhood Climate Action Department Leadership | Director | Sustainability and Engineering Compensation Range $9,048.67 - $14,114.17 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date June 11, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Description Summary

The role of the Manager, Green Buildings and Neighbourhood Climate Action is to manage and deliver a range of green building and climate action related services to the UBC campus communities, as follows:

Institutional Green Building :

• Develops new and/or enhances existing policies, plans and procedures to optimize green building in the campus context; manages technical inputs into design briefs and development permit applications for institutional, ancillary and commercial capital projects

• Provides recommendations and advisory services on residential and mixed-use developments; reviews Development Permit applications for consistency with University sustainability policies, plans and guidelines

• Facilitates and defines research projects with SEEDs program or through other relevant research collaborations that help advance innovative green building and neighbourhood climate action by:

  • Keeping abreast of emerging green building best practices

  • Developing the business case for advancing high performance buildings through life-cycle costing and analysis to support implementation of green building and climate action measures

  • Improving processes and procedures that improve efficacy of green building and climate performance measures/targets being introduced

• Provides green building technical support to UBC Okanagan Campus (UBCO) on institutional projects including advice on capital project design briefs.

Residential Green Building :

• Works closely with the Community Climate and Energy Manager to ensure alignment of REAP with other plans such as the Integrated Rainwater Management Plan, Neighbourhood Plans, Neighbourhood Climate Action Plan and Green Building Action Plan.

• Identifies and implements updates to REAP program to ensure alignment with relevant policy and plans; coordinates periodic revisions of the rating system to support achievement of strategic sustainability plans.

• Provides advisory and technical support to the UBC Okanagan Campus (UBCO) related to the development of green building standards for future residential neighbourhoods that are tailored to the unique climatic and regulatory context.

• Supports Community Climate and Energy Manager with administering REAP technical reviews.

Neighbourhood Climate Action Implementation :

• Leads implementation of UBC’s Neighbourhood Climate Action Plan, including prioritizing initiatives within available resources, coordinating Plan updates, and collaborating with key partners including the University Neighbourhoods Association, building strata councils, and UBC Properties Trust.

• Leads the assessment of energy options for neighbourhoods, including managing the relationship with Corix to ensure UBC’s neighbourhood district energy system meets the University’s green building and climate action objectives.

ORGANIZATIONAL STATUS

Operates within Sustainability and Engineering, a unit of Campus and Community Planning. Reports to the Director, Sustainability and Engineering. The position also receives guidance and direction from the Director, Strategic Policy related to the Corix / UBC Infrastructure Agreement for the Neighbourhood District Energy System. The position liaises in an advisory and/or consultant capacity with planners, developers, project managers, architects, engineering consultants and contractors. Also interfaces with minor and major capital consultants, project managers and senior staff from UBC Properties Trust, Campus & Community Planning, UBC Project Services and UBC Okanagan.

WORK PERFORMED

Institutional Green Building:

1. Develop and/or enhance policies, plans and procedures to optimize implementation of UBC’s Green Building Action Plan. Develop mechanisms for aligning UBC policy and procedures with current version of LEED to achieve the highest levels of performance possible while supporting UBC’s strategic sustainability plans. Including:

• UBC LEED Implementation Guide: advise design teams how to implement LEED effectively and efficiently; ensure the guide remains current; work with other UBC units to change UBC policy and procedures as needed to achieve credits campus-wide.

• UBC Enhanced Sustainability Process for new institutional construction: set sustainability goals and metrics; monitor progress and ensure accountability; develop mechanisms for incorporating lessons learned from green building features on previous projects (i.e. designed vs. actual performance) into the design process.

• Manage and oversee updating and implementing UBC’s Climate Ready and Resilient Building requirements in collaboration with relevant staff and design teams.

2. Prepare reports and analyses for updates to the Technical Guidelines and UBC mechanisms for improving green building practices as they relate to new construction, renovations and equipment specifications.

3. Provide technical services as a green building specialist to internal and external project teams for green building design, development, and/or modification of new or existing buildings on campus.

4. Liaise with municipal, regional, provincial and federal authorities on matters that affect green building strategies. Represent the Sustainability and Engineering unit on various internal committees and with external consulting agencies. Provide green building technical advisory input to planning processes to implement policies and plans.

5. Develop processes for conducting life-cycle costing and life-cycle assessments of renovation and new construction projects, as well as preparing analyses for input into planning and decision-making processes. Formulate and effectively articulate strong-business cases in support of green building and neighbourhood climate action policies.

6. Build alliances and collaborate to implement sustainability demonstration projects on campus.

7. Liaise with other C&CP staff to coordinate initiatives, contribute to strategic planning exercises and implement long range plans.

8. Advise on Best Management Practices for campus development, particularly with respect to the interface between climate change and impacts on the built and natural environment, impacts on campus ecology, life cycle costs, and occupant health and comfort.

9. Keep up to date on sustainable community planning and rating systems and green building research, initiatives and best practices through literature reviews, conferences and workshops.

Residential Green Building:

10. Manage and coordinate on-going updates to the REAP policy and procedures. Align REAP program with campus sustainability goals and targets.

11. Work collaboratively with Community Climate and Energy Manager to provide technical input into specific components of the Residential Environmental Assessment Program (REAP).

12. Provide advice and input to Community Climate and Energy Manager when assessing the performance of residential projects against REAP requirements as part of the UBC permit approval process.

Neighbourhood Climate Action Plan

13. Manage and lead the implementation of the NCAP in close collaboration with the Community Climate and Energy Manager engaging with key partners including UNA, UBCPT and relevant entities.

14. Monitor and assess NCAP to periodically identify amendments or updates in close collaboration with the Community Climate and Energy Manager.

15. Provide input into neighbourhood plans, guidelines and policies to ensure strong alignment and help advance the Green Building and Neighbourhood Climate Action Plans.

16. Liaise with Corix, UBCPT and UNA on Neighbourhood District Energy and manage UBC’s responsibilities under the Corix / UBC Infrastructure Agreement.

Work performed mainly in an office environment, through a hybrid arrangement (3 days working from the office), and occasionally working at off-campus locations in and around Vancouver.

May be required to work non-standard hours.

Performs other duties as required.

CONSEQUENCE OF ERROR/IMPACT OF DECISIONS

Recommendations and decisions affect the cost and schedule of construction projects ranging from small renovations to large building projects. Decisions affect success of inclusion of sustainability principles into technical guidelines, plans and policies. Decisions will impact building operations, equipment performance and efficiency, user comfort and Departmental image. Error in analysis, diplomacy and communication will result in unsatisfactory results in achieving office priorities and loss of stakeholder support.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Works independently on projects under the general direction of the Director, Sustainability and Engineering. The position also receives guidance and direction from the Director, Strategic Policy related to the Corix / UBC Infrastructure Agreement for the Neighbourhood District Energy Systen. Work is reviewed against objectives.

SUPERVISION GIVEN

Supervise consultants on a project basis. Coordinate efforts of department staff as required. Supervise students that provide support and research capacity to program area.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

University degree in a relevant specialization such as Engineering, Architecture, Building Science or Planning. Eligibility for relevant membership in a professional institute or association. Minimum seven years of work experience, preferably in the sustainable community planning and building industry, or an equivalent combination of experience and an advanced degree.

• 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

LEED, Passive House or equivalent accreditation is an asset.

Specific areas of knowledge and experience include:

• Demonstrated knowledge in sustainable building design and construction, energy modeling, land use planning and community energy planning.

• Experience in dealing with building design consultants, design teams and the integrated design process is required.

• Experience in project or program management is required.

• Experience with LEED projects and LEED Accreditation and designation is an asset

• Familiarity with UBC’s Residential Environmental Assessment Program (REAP) is required.

• Experience with life-cycle costing and analysis.

• Experience with developing and delivering presentations and workshops.

• Personnel management and supervisory experience is an asset.

• Experience with strategic planning for community engagement an asset.

• Must have experience with Windows based PC applications, including Microsoft Office [Word, Teams, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook].

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills [written and oral].

Ability to convey concepts clearly and succinctly to diverse groups and obtain consensus.

Demonstrated research and analytical skills. Ability to make informed decisions without supervision.

Ability to listen, learn, help and lead staff and stakeholders towards a common goal is essential.

Ability to make effective presentations.