Senior Indigenous Relations Advisor
Description
Senior Indigenous Relations Advisor | |||
Competition Number | 2024-576 | Job Code | 1275 |
Posting Date | January 14, 2025 | Closing Date | February 14, 2025 (at 6:00pm) |
Job Status | Permanent Full-Time | ||
The City of Kitchener is situated on the traditional territories of the Chonnonton, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples, within the Haldimand Tract, which encompasses six miles on either side of the Grand River. As a Canadian municipality, the city is responsible for, committed to and obligated to advance reconciliation alongside First Nations Rightsholders and other Indigenous communities. We acknowledge the tenuous relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the government and commit to a safe and supportive environment for staff to advance truth and reconciliation.
The City of Kitchener is a vibrant and dynamic city of approximately 292,000, in the heart of southwestern Ontario. As the largest municipality in Waterloo Region, Kitchener continues to be poised for development and growth, enhancing its reputation as a leader in city-building and innovation, with nationally recognized strategies to build its neighbourhoods, its digital infrastructure and its diverse economy.
The City of Kitchener is WHERE you want to work! Learn more about the top reasons to join us: Why work at the City of Kitchener
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Position Overview: The City of Kitchener is seeking a Senior Indigenous Relations Advisor, to build and strengthen meaningful and respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples and communities as Kitchener develops a path to understanding, healing, and reconciliation. Calling upon a deep understanding and knowledge of the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada informed by lived experience and relevant work experience, the Senior Indigenous Relations Advisor recommends processes and initiatives that support the city to fulfill its commitment to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report: Calls to Action and improve access and service delivery to Indigenous peoples through the identification and removal of systemic barriers in municipal operations, spaces, and services.
This role reports to the Director, Equity, Anti-Racism and Reconciliation and is part of a 5-person team. This role provides expertise and advice to assist city leaders and staff to develop respectful and transparent relationships with Urban Indigenous communities, honour treaty recognition and the city’s duty to consult with First Nations Rightsholders, specifically Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. In addition, this role will lead distinct bodies of work in policy development and program design ensuring strategic integration with the city’s governing documents and in a manner consistent with the recommendations of the TRC. | |||
Responsibilities: Capacity Building •Identify gaps and areas of opportunity through centralized coordination and awareness of organizational initiatives or actions that advance truth and reconciliation while ensuring alignment with the needs and interests of Indigenous communities within Kitchener (Waterloo Region). •Develop a gap analysis report summarizing the findings to better prepare the city to work alongside Treaty Partners and local First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, communities, and organizations to advance truth and reconciliation and engage these communities in proposing recommendations for action to close these gaps. •Lead, collaborate on and support assigned strategic and operational projects that advance reconciliation alongside Indigenous communities and other staff. •Provide advice and recommendations to senior leadership on issues related to the local First Nations, Metis & Inuit communities, including the city’s response to the TRC, United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Final Report on the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. •Lead the development and implementation of a Reconciliation Action Plan in consultation with First Nations, Metis & Inuit communities, and the Region’s Reconciliation Action Partnership.
Partnership and Relationship-Building •Build and sustain relationships with Treaty Partners and other First Nations, Metis, and Inuit leaders and communities to build, maintain, and restore trust with the city and serve as a point of contact for members of Indigenous communities who are engaging with the city. •Participate in Waterloo Region’s Reconciliation Action Partnership (RAP) to work collaboratively across the Region to coordinate reconciliation actions. •Build strong and collaborative relationships with staff to effectively support them in improving and enhancing programs and services that support reconciliation.
Policy and Report Creation •Support Indigenous peoples' access and use of public spaces to carry out cultural and ceremonial practices including formalizing and revising practices into policy/procedure. •Research and develop internal document(s) that support the well-being and distinct cultural needs of Indigenous staff and communities. •Prepare reports and other documents utilizing Indigenous worldviews that advance reconciliation at the city.
Engagement and Community Communication •Provide engagement and relationship-building expertise to staff to support respectful and appropriate interactions with local Indigenous communities, including Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Indigenous youth. •Apply Indigenous worldviews to engagement and community consultation to ensure these values are reflected in operational decision-making. •Maintain transparent communication, especially with Indigenous communities, on the progress of city operations and initiatives that advance truth & reconciliation.
Education and Professional Development •Curate and develop training for staff and Council that will increase understanding of Treaty Partners and local First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, traditions, values, knowledge, histories, treaties, and rights, resulting in increased capacity of non-Indigenous (settler) staff to work respectfully and appropriately with Indigenous peoples on Indigenous-centred initiatives in a municipal context. •Coordinate ongoing staff learning opportunities, including the city’s corporate learning program, that provide practical knowledge and resources for staff to apply toward reconciliation initiatives.
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Requirements:
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The City of Kitchener is committed to an equity-driven, inclusive, accessible, and barrier-free recruitment and selection process, and to ensuring our workforce reflects the full diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ persons, as well as other equity deserving groups.
We will accommodate the needs of applicants under the Human Rights Code and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process. Please contact Human Resources at [email protected], or 519-783-8081 to make your needs known, so that we can support your full and equal participation throughout the hiring process.
We appreciate the interest of all applicants. Only candidates whose skills, experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the position will be contacted.
Please note that as per Human Resources Policy HUM-HIR-110, "Employment of Relatives of Staff Members and Elected Officials": "The immediate relatives of staff of the Human Resources Division, all Directors, General Managers, or the Chief Administrative Officer and Elected Officials shall not be employed by the City in any capacity. The immediate relatives of all other Management personnel shall not be employed where such employment would be: 1. within the same Department in the case of permanent full-time, temporary full-time and part-time classifications. 2. within the same Division in the case of students."
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Department | Corporate Services | Division | Equity, Anti‐Racism, and Reconciliation |
Union Affiliation | Non-Union/Management | Number of Positions | 1 |
Hours of Work | 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday | ||
Location | |||
Initial Location | City Hall | City | Kitchener |
Compensation | |||
Salary Range | $91,885 - $114,856 annually | Grade/Band | 10 (under review) |