Project Manager – Estonia Research Projects

Position Summary

About ACET Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) is a multi-partner international initiative accelerating the global push for resilient and equitable clean energy solutions through local, community-based collaborations.

Established at the University of Victoria in 2023, ACET builds on three decades of knowledge and innovation developed by the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic) with industry, nonprofit, government, and community partners.

With support from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, ACET is a partnership between Royal Roads University, University of British Columbia, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and Yukon University, led by the University of Victoria.

About The Estonian Islands Energy Agency Established in 2023, the Estonian Islands Energy Agency (EISEA) is a socially oriented non-profit operating on six islands in western Estonia: Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, Muhu, Vormsi, Ruhnu and Kihnu. EISEA helps local authorities, communities and businesses to implement projects aimed at more sustainable energy use and production, and which help reduce carbon emissions.

About the Partnership ACET and EISEA have partnered to co-design and deliver applied clean energy research that benefits communities in Canada, Estonia, and Europe.

About the Role The Project Manager will be working to support the delivery of three initial research projects who will be developing research proposals on three themes (circular economy and biogas production, social acceptance and NIMBYism in relation to wind energy, and energy resiliency and distributed energy systems).

Key responsibilities

• In collaboration with project teams across the three projects including ACET Research Managers, Lead Researchers, Postdoctoral Fellows, Engagement Leads, and EISEA and Estonian representatives ensure timely delivery, progress tracking, budgeting, and reporting of all project phases.
• Develop and implement project management systems and processes in alignment with FIPPA (including information repository, Teams environments, and file management) and facilitate training across project teams
• Coordinate with the ACET Project Portfolio Manager and ACET Research Impact Officer to align documents and processes with other ACET projects and meet reporting requirements.
• Support the development of ACET project development templates, budgets, research ethics application
• Maintain strong relationships with Estonian and Canadian collaborators including academic institutions, industry partners, and organizational representatives
• Uphold and contribute to the ACET EISEA partnership governance structure
• Anticipate project risks and proactively initiate solutions in collaboration with ACET core team and research project teams
• Coordinate and contribute to the preparation and presentation of research findings and communications for technical and non-academic audiences
• Coordinate joint applications to Canadian and European funding streams including Horizon Europe
• Represent the project and ACET with integrity throughout the lifecycle of the project
• Ability to travel to communities within the project region as required
• Upholding ACET values related to Equity, Diversion and Inclusion, and safe and healthy workplaces

Skills and Qualifications

This position requires a level of education, training, and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in engineering, social sciences, environmental studies, public policy and/or Indigenous governance, or a related field. A minimum of 5 years experience in project management, preferably in a research environment, is required. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.