Sustainability Careers at the Green Municipal Fund (2024)

About the Green Municipal Fund

The Green Municipal Fund helps local governments switch to sustainable practices faster. Our funding, resources and training empowers municipalities to build better lives for Canadians. GMF is a $1.65 billion (and growing) permanent endowment from the Government of Canada, managed at arm's length, making it nimble and available for high-risk, high-impact initiatives.

The Green Municipal Fund is the flagship program of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. FCM is the national voice of municipal government since 1901, with over 2,000 members nationwide that represent more than 92 percent of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Why you’ll love it here

You have a passion for climate action, building resilient communities, and improving the lives of Canadians. You want to make a difference, and you want to see the impact of your work unfold in real time. You want to feel empowered in your work, delivering quality of life across Canada with the support you need to look after yourself and your family. You want to work with people who care, and for an organization that walks the talk.

If any of this sounds like you, we think you’ll love it here. A few reasons why:

You'll help build resilient, low carbon communities

We are empowered and encouraged to contribute and to challenge the status quo, to bring new ideas. And at the end of the day, I think people really feel like they're part of the solution.

See Also

How to Start a Career in Sustainable Finance | Harvard Extension SchoolSustainable Finance Advisor - Green Careers Hub

— Erik, Senior Manager, Program Governance & Performance

At GMF, you will see the hope and support for ambitious climate action unfold across the country. You will support and guide municipalities to build resiliency and create a better Canada. You’ll work for an organization that has a national reach, and the resources to accelerate change.

We get to see the impact of our work on a national scale:

• The Green Municipal Fund has helped bring nearly 2,000 sustainability projects to life across Canada.
• Through GMF, municipalities have reduced carbon emissions; built better transportation assets; constructed efficient and resilient buildings; diverted waste from landfill; made previously unusable land available for development; and improved soil and water quality.
• Year after year, we get to see the direct impact of our work and hear from people who have worked with us to build better lives in their community.
• FCM has been there for Canadian municipalities for over a century.
• The Green Municipal Fund has been helping communities switch to sustainable practices for over two decades and we’re set up to continue our work in perpetuity.

You’ll enjoy a flexible, wellness-focused culture

We're creating programs that have never been created before, and municipalities are stepping up to the plate and saying: "We can do this". That's ultimately life changing for a lot of people.”

—Jim, Manager, Programs Outreach

At FCM’s Green Municipal Fund, you’ll feel valued and supported with our flexible work model that puts our team members at the heart of our day to day. You’ll be encouraged to take care of yourself and your family, while being given the resources you need for professional growth.

We prioritize work-life balance with our flexible model:

I love the flexibility that comes with working at the Green Municipal Fund. I can talk with my manager to set my schedule. I can decide if I want to work from home or from the office. And having Fridays off from July to September is hard to beat.”

—Gen, Communications Advisor

• In collaboration with your manager and based on what your team needs, you have the flexibility to determine when and where you work so that you can enjoy a healthy balance between work and personal demands.
• While you do need to live in Canada, for most roles you can work primarily from home. Travel may be required to Head Office in Ottawa periodically.

We don’t just talk about employee wellness, we live it:

GMF empowers its team members to make a difference by providing opportunities for professional development, by providing health and wellness courses, by ensuring a flexibility, but also by giving its employees opportunities to grow in the organization.”

—Cassandra, Policy Advisor

• Summer hours between July 1 and Labour Day:
  • 7-hour workdays rather than 7.5
  • Every Friday off in the summer (no, really!)
• Flexible work arrangements to support productivity and well-being.
• Commitment to employee development: language training, project management courses, annual budget for employee upskilling, and more.
• Competitive range of employee benefits and services.
• Office facilities located in Ottawa’s downtown core and easily accessible by public transit and active transportation.

You'll be part of an organization that puts its values into action

If FCM makes a commitment to advance anti-racism equity and inclusion, to advance our own corporate sustainability, this is a continuous touchpoint in messaging from senior leadership and makes it into our annual work plans. It actually translates from talk to action.”

—Joe, Senior Manager, Sector Development

When it comes to our values, we walk the talk. At FCM’s Green Municipal Fund, we strive to put our values into action and make them a part of everyday life.

Sustainability

One of our core values is supporting local governments in their efforts to build healthy, vibrant and sustainable communities that value and respect their local ecosystems. So naturally, we’re committed to doing our part to reduce our environmental footprint.

Our Sustainability Working Group (SWG) aims to mirror the great work GMF is doing with municipalities within our operations . Over the years, the SWG has championed a number of changes that have translated into corporate policies and practices to improve the environmental footprint of our activities.

• The SWG publicly reports on FCM’s progress on corporate environmental sustainability, sets sustainability objectives, presents comparable year-over-year data to report on progress and inspires other associations and municipalities to improve their environmental impact through concrete actions and repeatable ideas.
• The SWG informs official corporate policy by developing theFCM Environmental Sustainability Charterand setting the stage for sustainability targets and actions in our corporate strategic plan.

Both our offices are accessible by active transport, with accommodations for those who choose to use it. We are signatories to theUnited Nations Principles of Responsible Investing.

Reconciliation, Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion

We try to promote anti-racism and inclusion when it comes to the work that we do and the communities that we work with, the partners that we engage with, and then within our team itself.”

—Christa, Assistant, Program Communications

At FCM and the Green Municipal Fund, we represent and support all Canadians. That’s why Reconciliation, anti-racism, equity and inclusion are cornerstones of our corporate values.

As an organization, we endeavour to unlearn colonial mindsets and practices, grow in knowledge, and adapt ways of working.

• We provide resources and training to our staff and continue to build meaningful relationships through working with and donating to groups like the Assembly of Seven Generations, an Indigenous youth led organization focused on community support and opportunities for Indigenous youth.

As a national federation we believe FCM has both responsibilities and opportunities to drive responsible change.

• We engage external and internal expertise in anti-racism, justice and equity to support an internal dialogue and continued conversation that drives action.
• We assess FCM’s internal policies and practices through a racialized lens, with expert support. This includes recruitment and evaluation practices, and specific efforts to promote diversity and address systemic barriers, including through leadership and anti-racism training for all staff.
• We ensure FCM’s mental health supports are comprehensive to the unique mental health needs and realities of Black, Indigenous and other racialized colleagues.
• We audit internally to ensure measurable targets relating to anti-racism, equity, and inclusion are met.