Boreal Plant Ecologist

Reports to: General Manager

Department: Grandmother’s Greenhouse

Location: Northeastern British Columbia

Position Type: Full-Time

About Us

Aso’s Danaetl’Adze Kwa, meaning “Grandmother’s Greenhouse,” is a Nation-led native seed and plant supply chain owned by the Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN). We collect, propagate, and supply regionally appropriate native seeds and plants to support ecological restoration, biodiversity, and long-term environmental stewardship across Treaty 8 territory and beyond.

As an Indigenous-owned organization, we bring together Indigenous knowledge, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Western science to develop innovative and effective restoration solutions. Our work supports Indigenous communities, industry partners, and environmental organizations while creating meaningful land-based employment and skills development opportunities for community members.

Grandmother’s Greenhouse is committed to building long-term regional capacity for native plant production, ecological restoration, and sustainable land management.

Position Summary

Reporting to the General Manager, the Boreal Plant Ecologist provides technical and program leadership for the organization’s native seed collection program, including leadership, direction, and oversight of the Seed Collection Team. The position is responsible for ensuring that the team has the technical knowledge, tools, training, protocols, and field direction required to successfully meet annual seed collection targets while maintaining high standards for seed quality, sustainability, genetic appropriateness, and ecological integrity.

The Boreal Plant Ecologist works closely with the Seed Collection Team Lead to plan and coordinate seasonal collection activities, establish priorities, allocate field resources, monitor team performance, and address technical and operational challenges. The position provides day-to-day technical leadership to the Seed Collection Team and ensures collection activities are carried out in accordance with established protocols, QA/QC standards, safety requirements, regulatory requirements, and BRFN laws and protocols.

Working closely with the Seed Collection Team, the Boreal Plant Ecologist provides expert guidance on native plant identification across varying growth stages and site conditions, ensuring genetic appropriateness, ecological suitability, and regional relevance. The role establishes and refines seed collection protocols, monitors field activities to uphold quality and sustainability standards, and provides training and mentorship to strengthen the technical capacity of field staff.

The Boreal Plant Ecologist also provides technical oversight of seed handling and processing procedures to safeguard seed viability, purity, quality, and traceability. Working closely with the Sales & Inventory Manager and Seed Processing Team, the position supports accurate inventory management, collection records, site information, seed quality data, and traceability systems required for internal planning, production forecasting, sales, and external compliance.

Through applied research, innovation, continuous improvement, and collaboration with internal and external partners, the Boreal Plant Ecologist contributes to the long-term development of a reliable, regionally appropriate native seed supply and supports the ecological integrity of restoration activities within BRFN territory and across Northeastern British Columbia.

Seed Collection & Planning

· Provide technical leadership and direction to the Seed Collection Team throughout the annual collection season.

· Work closely with the Seed Collection Team Lead to develop seasonal work plans, collection schedules, species priorities, and field assignments.

· Develop and maintain a prioritized target species list that integrates ecological restoration objectives, production requirements, and cultural values.

· Conduct research to forecast priority seed species using available Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), ecological data, historical collection records, and restoration requirements.

· Provide direction on daily and weekly collection priorities based on seed maturity, weather conditions, site readiness, production requirements, and annual collection targets.

· Design, update, standardize, and implement technical seed collection protocols for target species.

· Identify prospective seed collection sites through predictive ecosystem mapping, ecological assessments, historical data, and available TEK.

· Establish species-specific seed maturity windows and collection indicators to guide optimal collection timing.

· Conduct field reconnaissance to ground-truth potential collection sites, assess population size and health, evaluate site conditions, and confirm collection readiness.

· Conduct regular field visits with the Seed Collection Team to provide hands-on technical guidance, assess collection practices, and address field-level challenges.

· Enhance existing field collection and data-management procedures and implement new protocols where required.

· Develop and implement a comprehensive QA/QC program to ensure adherence to technical standards, data accuracy, seed quality, and BRFN laws and protocols.

· Oversee implementation of seed collection protocols and ensure team members consistently follow established technical and QA/QC standards.

· Ensure seed collection activities comply with applicable environmental legislation, permitting requirements, and regulatory standards.

· Champion sustainable harvesting methods and ethical collection practices that safeguard wild plant populations, biodiversity, and ecosystem integrity.

· Monitor collection progress and provide regular updates to the General Manager regarding species targets, volumes collected, field conditions, team capacity, and emerging challenges.

· Review field collection records and data for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with established protocols.

· Identify and resolve technical issues that may affect collection quality, seed viability, genetic integrity, or annual collection targets.

· Support the Seed Collection Team Lead in coordinating field logistics, equipment requirements, site access, transportation, and collection supplies.

· Provide technical input into team performance, training, development, and capacity-building activities.

· Promote a professional, collaborative, and safety-focused team environment that supports accountability, learning, and high-quality field work.

· Ensure lessons learned from each collection season are incorporated into future collection plans, protocols, training, and operational practices.

Seed Collection Team Leadership

· Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and field direction to Seed Collection Team members.

· Train team members in plant identification, seed maturity indicators, sustainable harvesting techniques, species-specific collection protocols, field safety, and documentation requirements.

· Assess team capacity and identify opportunities for additional training, skill development, and technical support.

· Work with the Seed Collection Team Leads to coordinate workloads and ensure appropriate staffing and resources are available to meet collection targets.

· Provide ongoing technical guidance and feedback to team members to support quality, productivity, safety, and professional development.

· Support the Team Lead in addressing technical, operational, and field-related challenges.

· Participate in performance discussions and provide technical input regarding team members’ skills, development, and performance where required.

· Foster a positive team culture that encourages knowledge sharing, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Seed Processing & Storage

· Develop, evaluate, and continuously improve seed processing, handling, testing, and storage procedures.

· Collaborate with the Seed Processing Team to establish best practices for operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting seed cleaning, drying, and processing equipment.

· Provide technical guidance on cleaning, sorting, drying, weighing, packaging, and storage processes to maintain seed quality and viability.

· Establish appropriate handling and storage requirements for different species and seed types.

· Support the development and implementation of seed quality testing procedures, including assessments of viability, purity, moisture content, and other relevant quality indicators.

· Assist the Seed Processing Team Lead in maintaining accurate seed inventory records, lot identification, labeling, and traceability systems.

· Work with the Sales & Inventory Manager to ensure seed inventory information supports production planning, sales, customer requirements, and reporting.

· Identify opportunities to improve processing efficiency while maintaining seed quality and traceability.

Innovation & Applied Research

· Research and develop ecological restoration protocols appropriate to BRFN territory and Northeastern British Columbia.

· Conduct or support seed quality assessments to verify viability, purity, genetic integrity, and compliance with established quality standards and BRFN laws and protocols.

· Design, test, and refine programs for seed collection, storage, treatment, and production that emphasize innovation and continuous improvement.

· Research emerging seed collection, processing, storage, and propagation technologies applicable to boreal native plant species.

· Develop, test, and refine tools, equipment modifications, and field techniques to improve operational efficiency in collection, laboratory, and production environments.

· Evaluate program results and incorporate findings into updated protocols, training materials, and operational practices.

· Maintain awareness of emerging research and best practices in native seed conservation, ecological restoration, and seed production.

Networking & Collaboration

· Establish and maintain relationships with native seed suppliers, researchers, universities, conservation organizations, government agencies, industry partners, and other organizations involved in native plant conservation and propagation.

· Collaborate with BRFN departments, affiliated companies, and supply chain stakeholders to align seed collection, production, processing, inventory, and distribution requirements.

· Work closely with the Sales & Inventory Manager to understand market demand and ensure seed collection and production priorities reflect current and anticipated customer requirements.

· Participate in industry conferences, technical forums, working groups, and professional networks to exchange knowledge and advance best practices.

· Represent the organization in technical discussions and professional settings related to native seed conservation, ecological restoration, and boreal plant production.

Continuous Improvement & Technical Leadership

· Regularly assess seed collection and processing methods to identify opportunities for increased efficiency, quality, sustainability, and effectiveness.

· Establish measurable technical standards and performance indicators for seed collection and production activities.

· Review field and processing data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.

· Maintain current knowledge of seed collection technologies, equipment, ecological research, and restoration methodologies.

· Develop and deliver technical training and mentorship for seed collection, processing, and production staff.

· Contribute technical information and recommendations to annual planning, budgeting, program development, and operational decision-making.

· Support the development of technical reports, procedures, manuals, and other documentation required to maintain a professional and scalable native seed program.

Qualifications & Experience

· Proven experience in wild seed collection, botanical fieldwork, ecological restoration, or a related field, ideally in a technical leadership or supervisory capacity.

· Strong knowledge of native plant species, including distribution, habitat requirements, reproductive biology, phenology, and seed development.

· Practical expertise in plant identification, seed harvesting, hand collection, seed stripping, processing, cleaning, and storage techniques.

· Experience conducting ecological field assessments, plant community surveys, habitat assessments, vegetation inventories, or ecosystem mapping.

· Experience developing and implementing technical protocols, QA/QC systems, or field standards.

· Strong understanding of ecological and conservation principles related to wild plant populations and sustainable harvesting.

· Knowledge of boreal and sub-boreal ecosystems and ecological restoration principles.

· Experience working in Northeastern British Columbia is considered an asset.

· Agricultural or seed production experience is considered an asset.

· Experience working with First Nations communities, Indigenous knowledge systems, or within Indigenous-led environmental programs is considered an asset.

· Familiarity with applicable environmental legislation, regulatory requirements, permitting processes, and environmental compliance standards.

· Strong organizational and logistical skills with the ability to plan and execute field-based programs.

· Demonstrated ability to prioritize tasks, allocate resources effectively, and adapt to changing field conditions.

· Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

· High level of accuracy and attention to detail in technical documentation, record keeping, data management, and inventory tracking.

· Strong written and verbal communication skills.

· Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with field, laboratory, production, sales, and management teams.

· Ability to provide technical leadership, training, mentorship, and direction to staff.

Education & Professional Designation

· Bachelor’s degree or higher in Biology, Botany, Ecology, Environmental Science, Forestry, Agriculture, or a related discipline.

· Registered Professional Biologist (RPBio), Professional Agrologist (PAg), Registered Professional Forester (RPF), or eligibility for immediate registration is considered an asset.

· Additional training or certification in plant identification, seed collection, conservation biology, ecological restoration, seed science, or related fields is considered an asset.

Working Conditions

· This is a combination of field- and office-based position.

· Regular field visits to seed collection sites, production areas, and project sites will be required.

· Fieldwork may involve walking over uneven terrain, working in variable weather conditions, and carrying field equipment and collection materials.

· Seasonal fieldwork may require flexible scheduling to align with species-specific seed maturity and collection windows.

· Travel throughout Northeastern British Columbia may be required.

· The position requires the ability to work independently in remote and field-based environments while maintaining a strong focus on safety, environmental stewardship, and technical quality.

Benefits

· Extended Health and Dental Care Coverage

· Paid Vacation

· Indigenous candidates may be eligible for applicable tax exemptions in accordance with CRA requirements and the TD1-IN process.

Compensation

Salary Range: TBD

Compensation will be commensurate with qualifications, experience, professional designation, and technical expertise.