Kainaiwa Children’s Services Corporation - Manager (IGR)

Number of Openings: 1

ABOUT US

Kainaiwa Children’s Services Corporation is a growing, dynamic First Nations organization providing programs and services to Blood Tribe children and families in need of support and protection so they can become positive, healthy, contributing members of our community. KCSC maintains its Vision and Mission while incorporating Blood Tribe traditions through Kainayssini, the Declaration of the Elders of the Blood Indian Nation.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Interim IGR Oversight, the Manager, Intergovernmental Relations builds KCSC’s internal capacity to work effectively across jurisdictions and with Indigenous governments and representatives. The role ensures that engagement is timely, consistent and culturally safe, and that service delivery is coordinated.

A key focus of the role is strengthening operational relationships and practice support for two representative functions that often intersect with frontline service delivery:

• Alberta Band Designates: Band-appointed contacts who receive notice and take part in child protection matters and court processes. They help uphold cultural connection and support family- and community-based solutions where possible.
• Federal First Nation Representative Services (FNRS): Representatives defined by First Nations and funded to support First Nations when children and families are involved, or at risk of becoming involved, with child and family services. This includes taking part in planning and administrative/court processes and ensuring meaningful cultural and community connections.

The Manager is accountable for turning intergovernmental commitments and expectations into practical workflows, staff training, operational protocols and quality assurance. The goal is engagement with the Blood Tribe that is meaningful, respectful and consistent at the case level. The Manager will also lead the development of the new Intergovernmental Relations office. In addition to the duties outlined below, the Manager shall perform other related duties as assigned from time to time.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Operational Intergovernmental Practice Framework
  • Design and implement a practice framework for intergovernmental engagement in service delivery, including role clarity, expectations and decision pathways.
  • Create KCSC protocols, policies and standard operating procedures for notices and engagement triggers, case planning participation, meeting and case conference inclusion, information-sharing parameters (with privacy support), and escalation and dispute resolution.
  • Ensure protocols reflect representative roles and enable meaningful participation in planning and proceedings.
• Alberta Band Designate Engagement
  • Define and monitor internal steps so that Band Designates receive timely notice and are included early in planning when a child is a Blood Tribe member, or eligible to be a member, in Alberta (outside of the Blood Reserve or other jurisdictions where KCSC manages files).
  • Provide tools such as templates, checklists and scripts that support respectful and effective engagement with Band Designates.
  • Strengthen processes that support community and cultural connections and appropriate placement planning in collaboration with Band Designates.
  • Coordinate with internal legal and practice teams to support Band Designate participation in relevant court and planning processes where appropriate.
• Federal FNRS Coordination
  • Put into practice agency processes that support FNRS functions as the Blood Tribe defines them, recognizing that FNRS can serve as the main contact, take part in service matters and proceedings, and support cultural, family and community connection and reunification/repatriation planning.
  • Define and monitor an engagement pathway so that FNRS representatives receive timely notice and are included early in planning when a child is a Blood Tribe member, or eligible to be a member, and lives outside of Alberta.
  • Support coordination when children and families are outside the Blood Tribe community, and ensure collaboration across jurisdictions.
  • Embed expectations and quality assurance checks so that case planning supports meaningful cultural and community connections for Blood Tribe children and youth.
• Relationship Management and Issue Resolution
  • Build productive working relationships with Band Designates and FNRS to enable early problem-solving, reduce conflict and improve the service experience.
  • Facilitate recurring operational tables (e.g., monthly or quarterly) with First Nations representatives to review systemic barriers, service coordination gaps and improvement priorities.
  • Implement a tiered escalation model for urgent placement disputes, breakdowns in engagement and interjurisdictional delays.
• Training, Coaching and Internal Enablement
  • Develop and deliver training for supervisors and frontline staff on the roles of Band Designates and FNRS; collaboration in safety, placement and care planning; how representatives may take part in administrative and court processes; and communication standards and culturally safe engagement.
  • Create a “rapid consult” support function (office hours, on-call advisory and case consult templates) to help teams navigate complex intergovernmental issues.
• Quality Assurance, Metrics and Continuous Improvement
  • Create and maintain operational performance measures, including timeliness of representative engagement, documentation quality, cultural connection planning indicators, and the frequency and type of escalations and time to resolution.
  • Conduct targeted file reviews and improvement cycles, such as coaching and corrective action plans, where engagement standards are not met.
• Agreements and Protocols
  • Draft, refresh and put into practice MOUs and protocols with other First Nations and government partners that reflect real workflow and service delivery needs, not just high-level intent.
  • Support frontline implementation through training, job aids and compliance monitoring.
• Leadership
  • Lead the Intergovernmental Relations team and coordinate across internal departments.
  • Establish work plans tied to measurable operational outcomes.
  • Lead the development of the Intergovernmental Relations office, including staffing and IT requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration/Policy, Social Work, Indigenous Studies or a related field is required; a Master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum of seven years of experience, or an equivalent combination, in Indigenous relations, intergovernmental relations, service delivery operations, policy-to-practice implementation, or complex stakeholder environments.
• Demonstrated experience building operational protocols, training or quality assurance systems that improve frontline consistency.
• Must possess a valid driver’s licence.
• Must be able to travel as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Strong facilitation, negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Critical and creative thinking, with an approach to improvement that is grounded in data.
• High-level writing skills, including briefs and protocols.
• Cultural humility and experience working in or with First Nations communities.

POSITIONS SUPERVISED

The Manager directly supervises the Intergovernmental Relations team, including the Band Designate, Intergovernmental Relations Officers, Cultural Navigator(s) and a Cross-Jurisdictional Liaison.

The positions supervised and the organizational structure reporting to this role may change from time to time based on operational and organizational needs.

WHY WORK FOR US

We offer competitive compensation, health and dental benefits for eligible employees, and ongoing training opportunities.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Resume and cover letter are required for consideration.
• Please note that the successful candidate(s) will be required to provide a current Criminal Record Check and Intervention Record Check, education verification, three employment references, and a valid driver’s licence and/or driver’s abstract.
• This posting will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.