Project Manager (Mandarin language required)

About IISD

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 300 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.

About the Position

IISD is seeking an outgoing, motivated, and highly organized individual to join our team as a project manager to support the Secretariat International Support Office (SISO) of The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). CCICED is an international research project on the environment and development. CCICED's teams of international and Chinese experts and researchers conduct studies that serve as the foundation for annual policy recommendations to the Government of China.

In addition to being a strong project manager, the incumbent must be a fluent or native speaker of Mandarin. The successful candidate will have experience in supporting projects throughout the project life cycle, with a strong background in supporting the operations, logistics, budgeting, and reporting of donor-funded projects.

Responsibilities 

  Project Support  

• Support the identification and development of key project and program-wide best practices, tools, and processes.


• Develop strategic systems to improve effective planning, scheduling, and communication among and across projects.


• Foster robust project file management, documentation, and reporting procedures to support project teams.


• Promote continuous team-based learning opportunities to improve project management capacity, efficiency, and synergy.


• Develop and deliver updates and customized reporting to the Project Lead to enable informed strategic decision making.

Planning and Monitoring:   

• Plan and monitor timelines, milestones, delivery deadlines, and outputs using project management tools and collaborate with team members to optimize systems.


• Develop, refine, and track project budgeting with the support of the project management and accounting teams.

Event Management and Logistics

• Lead the efficient, cost-effective, and timely organization of travel logistics for the project team and project stakeholders.


• Coordinate and implement the operational and logistical planning of major events in close coordination with external project stakeholders.


• Support the coordination of regular stakeholder meetings, online and in-person.

 Project Implementation and Donor Reporting   

• Support on projects from the proposal stage: work with project leads to issue budgets, translate them into the funder format, and provide any financial/corporate information requested.


• Liaise with funders to receive grant agreements and process them once received, and liaise with the program’s financial analyst to collect authorized signatures.


• Assist in project implementation, including work plan and budget development and adjustment, communication with partners, contracting, evaluation, and reporting.


• Handle, allocate, and approve project expenses to the appropriate budget in accordance with IISD’s policies.


• Compile financial records and prepare funder reports of various project activities under supervision.

Required Skills and Qualifications 

• Fluency in English and Mandarin is a requirement.


• 3+ years of experience working as a project administrator or manager.


• Bachelor’s or higher degree, preferably with a focus on accounting, business administration, or project management.


• High level of proficiency with MS Office, including Excel.


• Experience working in fast-paced, multi-project environments.


• Excellent communications skills and the ability to work in an interactive way with stakeholders from different contexts, countries and backgrounds.

Location: Canada (EST zone only) (Hybrid where IISD has offices (Ottawa & Toronto),  Remote in Germany, Portugal, or the United Kingdom. Please note that only candidates located and with the right to work in these geographies will be considered.

Salary:  Salary commensurate with experience and location

Canada:     CAD 55,000 - 65,000

Germany:   EUR 46,000 - 54,000

Portugal:    EUR 36,000 - 43,000

UK:             GBP 39,000 - 43,000

Type of Employment: Full-time

Start date: January 6, 2025

Application deadline: Monday, November 25, 2024 at 4 PM CST or until the position is filled

Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for locations where they expect to be based without any sponsorship from IISD.

Application Procedure

All submissions must be in English. 

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR. 

• A CV (no longer than two pages) 


• A one-page letter of motivation 


• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional) 

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for 1 year.  

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+, to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants’ advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.  

IISD does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, colour, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.  

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