ESSA Technologies Ltd. (ESSA) is an employee-owned Canadian environmental consulting company with offices in British Columbia and Ontario. We envision a world where creativity, a focus on learning, and systems thinking are the foundation of innovative solutions to environmental challenges. Our corporate mission is to “bring together people, science and analytical tools to sustain healthy ecosystems and human communities”. We achieve this mission by helping clients deal with tough, emerging problems, applying a neutral, thorough evaluation of evidence, encouraging diverse participatory processes, and collaboratively guiding our clients to make informed decisions that are designed to learn over time. Learn more about us at www.essa.com.

At ESSA, we are passionate about what we do and enjoy working with professionals who share our values and mission. ESSA’s staff are purpose-driven problem solvers, big-picture critical thinkers, evidence driven and motivated by an aspiration to become trusted advisors to our clients and make a difference in the world.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a motivated, service-oriented, resourceful, independent, and skilled Business Development & Marketing Coordinator. This role will serve as ESSA’s ‘central intelligence’ hub to support our Business Area Leaders in the areas of market research, tracking and screening business leads, proposal preparation and proposal team coordination, as well as delivering marketing content on web and social media platforms.

You are, above all, passionately motivated to enable our team to succeed in its corporate mission. You’re in your element and thrive at being organized and finding a balance among multiple priorities. Recognized for your good deeds, you are someone who is completely content to be in an enabling and supporting role. You also come to us fully formed – you expect opportunity and growth – but you already know who you are and are happy in your business development and marketing coordination craft. You are not intimidated by the technical language of science (because that’s what we’re all about!). Your core background will likely be in marketing, communications, public relations, journalism or related field, but you also have some prior exposure to the natural sciences, environmental studies, planning, geography, or similar fields. For certain, you are passionate about environmental sustainability and learning about ecosystems and how our human communities interact with them.

The successful candidate will support ESSA by focusing on:

Business development and proposal coordination

• Support Business Area Leaders in operationalizing priorities identified of strategic Business Area and Service Area Plans
• Research, select, track and coordinate all activity on bidding portals (Vancouver and Ottawa operations)
• Work with Business Area Leaders to screen bid opportunities and support go/no go screening decisions
• Coordinate proposal writing on all mid- to large- bids – collaborate with proposal lead to set a clear date listing for bid preparation steps and interface with team members to collate pertinent information, conduct research, assemble, draft and edit proposals that conform to bid requirements and ESSA’s branding standards
• Review bid documents to identify bid requirements, and alert team members of unusual or onerous needs and coordinate careful quality assurance
• Create and update proposal templates, create and maintain a library of completed proposals and related presentations, project summary descriptions and supporting graphic elements (icons, images, photos)
• Regularly track submitted proposals and compile and prepare quarterly reports (Jan; Apr; Jul; Oct) to the Management Team and Business Area Leaders on proposal win/loss/pass rates and related insights
• Ensure all consulting staff Curriculum Vitae and short bios are updated a minimum of twice per year
• In addition to proposal documents, assemble, format, and edit large, complex, and multi-authored client reports
• Work with Business Area Leaders to coordinate agendas and chair regular business development staff meetings
• In partnership with ESSA’s Executive Coordinator, support agenda and facilitation choreography for large virtual team meetings

Market research, marketing, and communications

• Consistent with strategic Business and Service Area Plans, and with guidance from Business Area Leaders, conduct targeted market research to identify opportunities in new markets or service areas in Canada, the United States, and other geographies of interest
• Liaise with the Marketing Director to implement special projects identified in the annual marketing plan
• Spearhead team member contributions to our website and social media channels by coordinating and helping write / co-write news posts, short videos and related content (a minimum of 1-3 new posts every 2 months)
• Regularly compile the data and report out quarterly (Jan; Apr; Jul; Oct) to the Management Team and Business Area Leads on marketing performance metrics (beyond proposal win/loss/pass rates)
• Create and maintain client and collaborator databases and mailing lists (including for ESSA’s card game)
• Create and maintain a suite of corporate brochures, reporting templates, and project profiles consistent with ESSA’s branding standards
• Assist with preparation of graphic design elements, video file editing, and high-impact presentations to prospective clients and collaborators
• Track opportunities for ESSA to benefit from Canadian government grants, tax credits and other resources, and support coordination around any next steps
• Maintain a list of conferences aligned with ESSA’s mission and Business Area Plans, advertise to all staff abstract submission and registration deadlines, and work with ESSA’s Executive Coordinator to confirm decisions about staff attendance and ensure on time abstract submission, registration booking and other logistics

Education / Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, public relations, journalism or related field
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in a similar business development coordination and marketing function in a private, public, or non-governmental role
• Experience with an environmental or engineering services firm will be considered a very strong differentiator

Skills / Abilities

• Proven experience developing responses to detailed requests for proposals
• A demonstrated passion for environmental science will be a huge asset
• Our ideal candidate has exceptional technical writing and organizational skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, is detail oriented and will be motivated to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of the ESSA team
• Exceptional English writing and verbal communication skills; familiarity with writing and editing of technical and plain-language styles, as well as managing complex multi-authored documents
• Resourceful, versatile, and collaborative team player with the ability to work calmly and effectively with in-person and remote teams with minimal instruction/supervision
• Excellent time-management skills; adept at multi-tasking/prioritizing to meet deadlines in a dynamic environment which sometimes requires intensive short-term effort
• Can diplomatically maneuver through internal political situations with sensitivity, discretion, and care (e.g., lack of agreement on whether to bid on ‘x’ or not) being sensitive to priorities in ESSA’s Business and Service Area Plans; helps Business Area Leads minimize events potentially harmful to our collaborative culture
• Computer proficiency and literacy in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) and virtual collaboration tools (MS Teams, Zoom, Survey Monkey, Mural)
• Familiarity with graphic design software for creating marketing and public outreach materials; proficiency with Adobe InDesign and Illustrator is considered a strong asset (if you have any experience creating graphic design products, please include examples with your resume submission)
• Sound skills with social media and thought leadership platforms for technical business (LinkedIn, YouTube, Research Gate) and web-based authoring (Word Press)
• Proactive and results oriented, a critical thinker with strong problem-solving and organizational skills and an eye for detail
• Personable, with a flexible, calm demeanor, comfortable in group settings; sparks harmony not drama
• Spanish-language or French-language would be a welcome addition

Applying

We look forward to welcoming the successful candidate to our team. We offer a welcoming, inclusive workplace and commit to working with staff to help them thrive and prosper. Our total rewards program provides competitive compensation, medical benefits, and vacation, plus support for professional development.

Please email a cover letter and résumé to careers@essa.com by May 28 with “Business Development & Marketing Coordinator” in the subject line. We will review applications and contact selected candidates by June 4. Interviews will be conducted between June 16 and June 18. The expected start is July 12, 2021.

All applicants must be eligible to legally work in British Columbia and/or Ontario at the time of applying.