Systems Engineering Intern

Seeking a skilled, curious and determined systems thinker to work with our multidisciplinary team of designers, strategists and ecologists. 

Role –– Systems Engineering Research Assistant

For –– Pilot Projects Collaborative

Location –– In-person (368 Av. Fairmount O., Montreal, QC) with option for limited remote work

Compensation –– Commensurate with experience

Duration –– For discussion based on availability

Job description

The candidate filling this role will exemplify a passion for applying creative thinking to systems engineering processes at the startup phase. This role will help design and prototype the systems (both physical and cultural) to empower the forestry industry to scale-up demand for low-carbon wood products from well-managed forests with the objective of displacing high-emissions building materials and driving investment in improved forest management, reforestation, restoration, and agroforestry. This position will involve team and self-directed work and comes with the assumption of a continuous learning curve with supportive mentorship guidance and independent skill development. This is a high-energy position for an intensely self motivated individual. Good references and work samples are essential.

Specific responsibilities will include: 

• Conducting desk research on the current state of low-carbon production technology in the forestry and wood products industry
• Modelling systems and performance scenarios for prototypes
• Assisting with design of prototype monitoring systems
• Assisting with construction and performance monitoring of prototypes
• Assisting with the synthesis of prototyping findings in reports

About Pilot Projects

Based in Montreal, Canada, we are a registered non-profit and have co-created dozens of programs and projects, symposia, and communities of practice. Led by founder Scott Francisco we are professional designers, planners, strategists, ecologists and craftspeople, all skilled at creating concrete, inventive and intentional solutions to challenging problems. Our initiatives seek to improve the beneficial interdependencies between urban and natural environments worldwide. 

We lead global-scale networks, initiatives and communities of practice, such as Cities4Forests. 

We have designed and led hundreds of co-creation workshops with a wide range of stakeholders, including: 

• Youth in tropical forest communities
• National government agencies
• Forest conservation organisations
• Architecture and design firms
• Urban real estate developers and stakeholders

Navigating and negotiating global socio-cultural systems with diverse values and structures is what we do best. Our work explores and models the systemic collaboration and culture change needed to turn today’s complicated and disparate efforts into interdependent, purposeful systems with emergent properties and exponential outputs.

We focus on the dynamic relationships between urban and natural environments, and the vital role of sustainable forestry in addressing our global crises of deforestation, climate change, migration and biodiversity loss. We build relationships with city leaders, university administrators, every level of the forestry value system and maintain ongoing partnerships with community workers who are leading the development of sustainable forestry in tropical rural remote areas.  

The deep collaboration for cultivated common goals, trust and mutual confidence is the foundation of the work between our partners and Pilot Projects Collaborative. Our work encompasses a wide range of processes and deliverables, from the design of buildings, supply chain innovations, urban streetscapes, public spaces and new buildings, to brands, organizations and innovative workspaces. We also specialize in co-designing "communities of practice" and catalytic events that inspire collective action and culture change.

All of our work relies on working closely with clients and stakeholders to co-create solutions to unique and shared challenges. Guided by expert facilitation and visible constraints, our signature collaborative design processes aid in the creation of pilot projects and design solutions that are inclusive and sustainable.

For more information on our work please visit www.pilot-projects.org 

Important Criteria To Submit In Application:

• Short cover letter that addresses the candidate’s ability to fulfill the essential skills, aptitudes and experience (as outlined below)
• Full CV
• Minimum 1-2 professional references who can vouch for the candidate’s reliability, deadlines, regular proactive communication
• 1-2 work samples (schematics, reports, etc. Send us as much as possible! – links are encouraged)
• Earliest reasonable availability

Please submit all applications to [email protected] with the role and candidate name in the subject line. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Please note that only applications submitted by email will be considered and only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Essential Skills, Aptitudes And Experience Will Include:

1. Postsecondary level experience in a discipline combining research and hands-on experience. An engineering-related degree is an asset.
2. A systems thinking mentality that can integrate big picture thinking with technical details.
3. At least 1-2 years of experience working in a professional setting. In-person experience and engineering-related roles will be considered an asset.
4. Extraordinary communication and copyediting skills in some combination of: verbal, visual, writing, narrative, science-writing, academic papers, other publications, email and social media.
5. Ability to infer tone and correspond professionally and effectively.
6. Proven experience working in teams, and some leadership experience (e.g. ability to delegate tasks and efficiently summarize projects, progress, and needs).
7. Software and computer skills, especially with qualitative data processing (e.g. excel, SPSS, R, etc.) and technical writing. Should include deep skills with selected software and general problem solving skills with digital tools, services, apps etc. 
8. Project experience. Show that you can get something done from beginning to end.
9. Good organization skills. The role may involve helping to restructure some of our internal systems and protocols.
10. Ability to request, receive, and assimilate feedback and criticism to improve outcomes.
11. Curiosity and ability to seek out and communicate improvements and effective solutions including imaginative, unexpected, and/or conventional solutions.
12. International experience including some combination of research, travel, employment and cultural immersion.
13. Joyful approach to hard work that aims to make a lasting positive impact on the world.

Nice to have:

1. Expertise in one or more of these areas is a major plus:

• Forest: forestry, tropical forests, conservation, restoration, livelihoods
• Timber industry, wood urbanism, wood sustainability
• Sustainability (LCA’s, urbanism, supply chains, materials)
• Climate science: carbon neutrality, carbon accounting, climate networks
• Nature-based climate solutions
• Architecture, urbanism, design practice and theory
• Systems thinking, integrative thinking, design thinking
• Biodiversity

1. French, Portuguese, and/or Spanish Language skills (other language skills are also an asset)