OVERVIEW 

The Community Energy Association (CEA) is seeking a Climate Adaptation / Low Carbon Resilience (LCR) Lead to join our growing team and take a leadership role in supporting and empowering Canadian communities, particularly in British Columbia, to address the challenges and opportunities of adapting to climate change and achieving LCR. This is a senior, highly autonomous role. The position is expected to operate with minimal supervision, provide confident technical and strategic leadership, and exercise professional judgment in complex, evolving municipal and Indigenous governance contexts. This role is suited to someone who brings deep, hands-on experience and is comfortable setting direction, making decisions, and navigating ambiguity without reliance on templates or close oversight. The role has the potential to evolve into a key leadership position within CEA. 

In this role, you’ll design and implement a variety of initiatives that strengthen community resilience, including climate risk and vulnerability assessments, LCR and adaptation plans and programs. You will also play a lead role in fostering system-wide collaboration and peer learning through various capacity building initiatives. 

If you are passionate about advancing climate action at the community level, have expertise in adaptation and/or low carbon resilience, and enjoy facilitating impactful change, this position is for you. 

CEA is evolving towards a universal LCR approach, and this role will be key in supporting that transition. The ideal candidate would have a strong understanding of both LCR and the technical aspects of adaptation modelling and planning – a strong working knowledge of community-level adaptation is required at minimum. They will work alongside a team of GHG experts, collaborating to integrate LCR into our ongoing and future initiatives. Flexibility and adaptability are essential as we continue to evolve our approach to climate action. 

Our team of 50+ staff continually inspire each other by being profoundly committed, each day, to our shared purpose and to delivering high-quality, impactful work. To continue to empower personal and organizational excellence, CEA respects and supports each staff person as necessary, including work flexibility and professional development. To learn more about our policy on caring for clients, people and planet, you can read our report, Going Beyond. 

Our work includes designing and implementing community engagement strategies, developing and re-booting community climate plans, creating plans for local and Indigenous government operations, designing and implementing climate programming, drafting policy for local governments, publishing research, educating local government staff and elected officials, celebrating local and Indigenous government achievements, assessing renewable energy opportunities, and deploying related infrastructure. 

DUTIES SUMMARY 

In this role, you will be trusted to lead files end-to-end, ensure the technical quality and practical applicability of outputs, and act as a trusted advisor to colleagues, communities, and partners. You will be expected to make informed trade-offs, adapt approaches as conditions change, and uphold high quality standards. As the organization and this portfolio evolve the scope of the role may also adapt over time. 

The key duties are summarised below: 

Climate Adaptation / Low Carbon Resilience Planning – 40% 

• Lead the development of climate adaptation and LCR plans for communities, including the design and delivery of climate risk and vulnerability assessments. 

• Provide expert guidance to local governments and Indigenous communities on achieving low carbon resilience and adapting to climate impacts. 

• Help design and facilitate high-quality and inclusive stakeholder engagement processes, workshops, and training sessions. 

• Lead the synthesis and analysis of engagement insights, climate risk and vulnerability data, GHG data, and relevant policy and capacity considerations, and collaboratively draft high-quality, implementation-ready climate adaptation and LCR plans, while working collaboratively with clients, partners, and internal teams to ensure accuracy, relevance, and shared ownership. 

Climate Adaptation / Low Carbon Resilience Capacity Building – 40% 

• Support the delivery of a cross-sectoral peer network and cohorts of communities to share knowledge and collaborate on adaptation / LCR initiatives. 

• Provide subject matter expertise to other capacity-building initiatives and networks at CEA, including those related to planning and implementation, and regional collaboration. 

• Facilitate regular network meetings, webinars, and knowledge-sharing events. 

• Identify, develop, and disseminate best practices and resources across the networks 

• Contribute to the Network’s advancement with your expert knowledge and guidance, including through topic prioritization, session design, and connection to emerging political, technical, and social contexts and trends. 

Research and Strategic Support – 20% 

• Provide leadership within CEA on advancing and embedding adaptation / LCR within the organization, in collaboration with key members of the CEA team.  

• Lead and contribute to the development of proposals, grant applications and reports related to adaptation projects. 

• Conduct research on emerging climate adaptation / LCR strategies, tools, and funding opportunities, and translate insights into actionable recommendations for CEA’s strategic direction, our programs and our partnerships. 

• Collaborate with experts, researchers, and other practitioners in the field to develop new tools, resources and programs that respond to evolving community needs and strengthen CEA’s leadership role in climate adaptation and resilience. 

DESIRED COMPETENCIES 

Essential 

• 7+ years of senior-level experience in climate adaptation and/or low carbon resilience (LCR), with a proven track record of partnering with municipal, regional, and Indigenous governments to design and implement climate risk and vulnerability assessments and translate them into actionable, locally grounded adaptation and LCR strategies, plans, and programs. 

• 7+ years of experience leading complex, cross-departmental and cross-sector projects independently, using robust project management frameworks to navigate political, technical, and organizational complexity while delivering high-quality outcomes. Confident navigating political, technical, and organizational complexity through close collaboration with colleagues and partners. 

• Extensive knowledge of climate science, adaptation and LCR frameworks and policies in Canada, ideally including familiarity with key legislation in BC, and deep familiarity with best practice climate risk assessment tools and frameworks. 

• Demonstrated fluency with IPCC reports and scenarios (RCPs, SSPs) and Canadian climate data sources and methodologies, such as Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC) and climatedata.ca, etc. 

• Strong analytical capability with climate data sets (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and flood risk data) and proven experience translating technical data and findings into clear, actionable insights for non-experts, including government officials, Indigenous partners, and community stakeholders. Technical support in manipulating data sets will be provided by the team.  

• Advanced expertise in public, stakeholder and partner engagement, including the design and facilitation of workshops, focus groups, and participatory planning processes. Proven ability to mediate diverse perspectives and co-create practical and collaborative solutions with local government staff and community members. 

• Experience writing grant / funding applications, and responding to RFP’s/writing proposals. 

Valuable Assets 

• Established connections in the climate adaptation and low carbon resilience fields. 

• Understanding of the interrelationship, synergies and trade-offs between mitigation and adaptation. 

• Familiarity with tools such as GIS, climate modelling, or decision-support systems. 

• Understanding of natural asset management and/or infrastructure asset management. 

• Experience integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems into adaptation and LCR plans. 

• Knowledge and experience with equity-centred engagement, planning and program design, ensuring that marginalized communities are engaged and their needs are met in climate adaptation plans. 

• Strong cross-cultural engagement and communication skills, ensuring cultural safety and respectful engagement with Indigenous communities. 

• Experience leading teams and managing people. 

ABOUT THE POSITION 

• Compensation: $80,000 - $100,000. This salary range is based on the role and location, and will be determined by experience, skill level, and geographic location. 

• Employment Type: Permanent, full-time salaried position (35 hours per week), with flexibility to consider an FTE of 80-100%. Compensation will be pro-rated accordingly. 

• Location: Priority will be given to BC and Alberta based candidates, Candidates from other locations within Canada are welcome to apply. 

• Workplace: Home office, with equipment and allowance provided. 

• Benefits: Competitive package including 5 weeks of vacation annually (pro-rated). 

• Travel: Occasional travel within BC and Canada may be required. 

• Eligibility: Candidates must be legally eligible to work in Canada 

TO APPLY 

Submit the following to HR@Communityenergy.ca by 9 AM Pacific Time February 17th 2026: 

1. A two-page resume highlighting your experience and skills. 

1. Contact details for at least two references (note: these references will not be contacted without informing you first). 

1. A short video (up to 3 minutes) answering: 

• Why do you want this position? 

• How your expertise will contribute to advancing community climate adaptation. 

• Specific skills or experiences that make you an excellent candidate. 

While video is preferred, if creating one poses a significant barrier, a 1-2 page written summary addressing the questions above is also acceptable and can be emailed as a PDF to HR@Communityenergy.ca with your resume. 

As part of the next stages of the hiring process, selected candidates may be asked to provide a sample of their work, preferably related to either LCR or adaptation, along with a brief description of their role in producing the work. 

CEA is committed to employment equity and welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace. Please reach out if you require accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process. 

Learn more about CEA at communityenergy.bc.ca.