Operations & Engagement Manager

The Nature Conversancy; Toronto; Remote; CAD 106,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Parental leave

Accrued paid time off

Life insurance

Disability coverage

Employee assistance program

Well-being benefits

Job summary

Nature United is seeking an Operations & Engagement Manager to lead a portfolio focused on organizational effectiveness, employee experience, and internal communications. You will translate priorities into coordinated action, connecting leadership and frontline teams in a geographically distributed setting.

You will collaborate with HR, Finance, IT, and other partners to guide planning, governance, and continuous improvement while managing multiple projects, budgets, and events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of related experience, incl. 2+ years leading org-wide programs.
• Experience in virtual, geographically dispersed organizations and coordinating across teams.
• Experience improving organizational processes and coordinating actions.
• Experience translating priorities into practical plans and coordinated action.
• Experience working with senior leaders on planning, decision-making, and implementation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and navigate ambiguity.
• Experience handling confidential information with discretion.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; developing organizational communications.
• Experience designing and facilitating meetings, workshops, or collaborative processes.
• Proficiency with workplace collaboration technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the integrated organizational calendar and planning rhythm across reviews and workforce planning.
• Oversee employee experience initiatives and partnerships with HR, Events, and leaders.
• Coordinate cross-organizational initiatives, clarify ownership and dependencies.
• Lead internal communications on priorities, decisions, and opportunities for engagement.
• Design and coordinate all-staff meetings, surveys, and staff input forums.
• Manage Operations team budget and workplace operations, facilities, and services.
• Liaise with HR, Finance, IT, Legal, Risk, and Culture & Engagement for priorities.
• Support responsible adoption of new workplace practices and generative AI.

Skills

Leadership experience

Change management

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Budget management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Equivalent combination of education and experience

Tools

Workplace tech

Collaboration tools

Job description

What We Can Achieve Together:

The Operations & Engagement Manager leads a portfolio of organizational effectiveness, employee experience, internal communications through organization-wide coordination. Reporting to the Deputy Director, you will help ensure staff are informed, engaged, connected, and supported to do their best work, while ensuring organizational priorities, planning cycles, and major internal activities are coordinated effectively.

Working closely with the Leadership Team, managers, staff, and enterprise partners, the Operations & Engagement Manager will translate organizational priorities into coordinated action and strengthen how Nature United works together. The portfolio will include:

• Leading the integrated organizational calendar and planning rhythm, connecting annual and quarterly reviews, objective setting, workforce and financial planning, governance activities, and recurring organizational forums.

• Leading employee experience initiatives, including engagement, organizational onboarding, recognition, learning, retreats, staff events, and connection, in partnership with HR, Events, and other functional leads.

• Coordinating cross-organizational initiatives and planning processes, clarifying ownership, dependencies, sequencing, and follow-through.

• Leading internal communications so staff have timely, relevant, and accessible information about organizational priorities, decisions, changes, and opportunities for engagement.

• Designing and coordinating all-staff meetings, surveys, organizational conversations, and other forums for staff connection and input.

• Managing the Operations team budget and coordinating organization-level workplace operations, facilities, sustainability, safety, administrative support, and related needs with those responsible for day-to-day implementation.

• Acting as a key liaison with Human Resources, Finance, Information Technology, Legal, Risk Management, Culture & Engagement, and other enterprise partners to coordinate priorities and ensure Nature United’s needs are understood and addressed.

• Supporting responsible adoption of new workplace practices and technologies, including generative AI, through organizational learning, engagement, guidance, change adoption, and continuous improvement.

The Manager will lead these functions with organizational partners, vendors, and enterprise teams, managing multiple projects, budgets, contracts, and recurring activities. They will exercise independent judgment, lead improvements within their portfolio, maintain confidentiality, and make operational decisions within delegated authority, escalating strategic, financial, legal, governance, and policy matters as appropriate. They may act on behalf of the Deputy Director within established parameters. Travel up to 20% and flexible hours are required to support organizational priorities, meetings, retreats, and events.

We’re Looking for You:

Are you looking for work you can believe in? Nature United is a workplace where we care about each other and know that what we do matters. We have a vacancy for an Operations & Engagement Manager who can connect organizational priorities with the practical coordination, communication, and employee experience that help people do their best work.

You see how teams, activities, and decisions connect, and can turn competing demands into clear plans and coordinated action. You bring sound judgment, strong communication skills, and a practical approach to improving how an organization works. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, building alignment across functions, and following through from planning to implementation.

This is an opportunity to strengthen the culture, connection, and organizational effectiveness that support Nature United’s conservation mission.

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience, including at least 2 years leading or coordinating organization-wide programs, processes, or initiatives.

• Experience working in a virtual, geographically dispersed organization and coordinating work across teams or locations.

• Experience improving organizational processes, practices, or ways of working to strengthen coordination and effectiveness.

• Experience translating organizational priorities and decisions into practical plans and coordinated action.

• Experience working with senior leaders, managers, and functional partners on planning, decision-making, and implementation.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, navigate ambiguity, solve problems, and exercise sound judgment.

• Experience handling confidential or sensitive information with discretion.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience developing organizational communications, guidance, reports, presentations, or similar materials.

• Experience designing and facilitating meetings, workshops, or collaborative processes.

• Proficiency with workplace and collaboration technologies and the ability to learn and apply new tools.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with employee engagement, employee experience, organizational culture, or internal communications.

• Experience coordinating organization-wide planning and review cycles, such as objective setting, budgeting, or workforce planning.

• Experience planning or supporting organization-wide meetings, retreats, staff forums, or other employee events.

• Experience managing budgets, vendors, contracts, or operational services.

• Familiarity with generative AI and emerging workplace technologies, including their practical uses, risks, and governance considerations.

• Experience working in a nonprofit, conservation, environmental, Indigenous partnership, philanthropic, or other mission-driven organization.

• Multilingual skills and experience working across cultures are valued.

Nature United offers a comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits in the Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We’re proud to offer a work environment that is supportive of the health, well-being, and flexibility needs of the people we employ!

Salary Information:

This position can be based anywhere in Canada. The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is within the range of $106,000 - $113,000CAD for annual base salary. Where a successful candidate’s actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate’s location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment.

A background check will be conducted on the successful candidate.

Who We Are

Nature United’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our mission and guided by our values, which include respect for all people, communities, and cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s many reasons to love life inside TNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. In addition to the requirements in our job postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job and consider each applicant’s unique experience. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and stay for the people.”

What We Bring:

Nature United offers a comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our Benefits and Perks here.

We’re proud to offer a work environment that is supportive of the health, well-being, and flexibility needs of the people we employ!

Our recruiting process includes a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we may review applications in the order in which they are received. Once a strong candidate pool is identified, the role will be unposted. The timeline may vary depending on the expressed interest in the role.

We’re proud to offer a work environment that is supportive of the health, well-being, and flexibility needs of the people we employ!