Manager, Indigenous Engagement

Trans Mountain Corporation operates Canada’s only pipeline system transporting oil products to the West Coast. We deliver approximately 890,000 barrels of petroleum products each day through a dual pipeline system of more than 1,150 kilometres of pipeline in Alberta, British Columbia and Washington state.

Trans Mountain also operates a state-of-the-art loading facility, Westridge Marine Terminal, with three berths providing tidewater access to global markets.

As a federal Crown corporation, Trans Mountain continues to build on more than 70 years of experience delivering operational and safety excellence through our crude oil pipeline system.

With our expanded pipeline system now in place, Trans Mountain provides enhanced direct access for Canadian crude oil to world markets. The expansion realizes a world-class system for oil transport, developed to Canada’s high standards within one of the most stringent regulatory regimes in the world, creating long-term economic benefits, enhanced marine protection, enhanced safety and emergency management capabilities, and enhanced skilled-worker capacity building in communities and Indigenous groups.

Our Core Values

Trans Mountain’s core values – Safety, Integrity, Respect and Excellence – guide our every step. Each obstacle we’ve overcome or success we’ve experienced has been the result of a shared commitment to living these values every day. Together, we’re focused on doing the right thing for each other and our communities. If you are looking for an opportunity to apply your strengths in an environment that encourages Safety, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence, we invite you to explore this opportunity with us!

Location: Calgary, AB

Department: Indigenous Relations

Reports to: Director, Indigenous Relations

Worker Type: Employee

Schedule Type: Full-Time

Work Setting: In-office

Trans Mountain is seeking a collaborative, motivated, and values driven individual to join our dynamic team as a Manager, Indigenous Engagement. In this position, you will play a key role in leading the Indigenous engagement program for strategic projects. The role provides strategic leadership, operational direction, and team management for an Indigenous Relations team of approximately 12 professionals located across a 1200km route in Alberta and British Columbia.

The successful candidate will develop and implement engagement strategies that build respectful, long-term relationships with Indigenous Nations, communities, organizations, leadership, and rights holders affected by the project. This position offers the opportunity to support supporting project development, regulatory approvals, engagement activities, Indigenous participation opportunities, and community partnership initiatives while ensuring alignment with the project Owners values, legal obligations, and commitments to reconciliation.

The successful candidate will be assigned to support strategic project-related work, and other business priorities as organizational needs evolve.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead project-wide Indigenous engagement, consultation and relationship strategies, building trusted, respectful and culturally informed relationships with First Nations, Métis communities, Indigenous organizations and other rights-holding groups.
• Lead Indigenous engagement across the full project lifecycle, enabling meaningful participation in project planning, environmental assessment, routing, permitting, construction and operations planning while integrating Indigenous perspectives and Indigenous Knowledge into decision-making.
• Lead, develop and coordinate a geographically dispersed Indigenous Relations team of approximately 12 professionals, setting priorities, performance expectations and consistent engagement practices while overseeing consultant and contractor resources.
• Direct Indigenous consultation programs supporting provincial and federal regulatory processes, ensuring engagement activities, documentation, commitments and issue management effectively support consultation requirements and Crown decision-making.
• Advance Indigenous participation and long-term partnership opportunities, including capacity funding, equity participation, procurement and contracting, employment and training, Indigenous monitoring, community investment and other economic participation initiatives.
• Identify, manage and escalate Indigenous-related relationship, consultation, regulatory and reputational risks, establishing appropriate mitigation strategies and ensuring project commitments, concerns and issues are addressed and resolved in a timely manner.
• Partner across project development, engineering, environment, regulatory, legal, land, construction, communications and commercial functions to align Indigenous considerations with project decisions, technical work, regulatory requirements and overall project objectives.
• Provide strategic counsel to project and executive leadership on Indigenous interests, opportunities and emerging issues, including preparation of executive briefings, risk assessments and recommendations to support engagement with Indigenous leadership and governing bodies.

Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Post-secondary education in Indigenous Studies, Political Science, Public Administration, Business, Communications, Law, or a related discipline; equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience will be considered.
• 6 or more years of progressively responsible experience in Indigenous Relations, consultation, stakeholder/community relations, or regulatory affairs, including demonstrated experience leading Indigenous engagement programs, teams, and complex stakeholder relationships in support of major energy, energy-transportation, infrastructure, or natural resource projects and ongoing operations.
• Demonstrated success leading Indigenous engagement and consultation programs, including relationship management, regulatory support, advocacy, negotiation, issue resolution, and engagement with multiple stakeholders and rights-holding groups.
• Strong knowledge of Indigenous rights and interests, governance, applicable legislation, consultation requirements, reconciliation principles, and federal and provincial regulatory processes.
• Proven ability to negotiate and build trusted, long-term relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations, applying appropriate cultural protocols and engagement practices.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing professional teams, consultants, and cross-functional resources, and advising senior leaders on Indigenous-related strategies, opportunities, risks, and community partnerships.
• Experience developing and advancing Indigenous participation opportunities, including capacity funding, procurement and contracting, employment and training, and broader economic participation initiatives.
• Experience working with Indigenous communities in British Columbia, including knowledge of regional protocols and relationship considerations along the project corridor, is a strong asset.

Working Conditions

• Willingness and ability to travel as required.
• Must have a valid Class 5 driver’s license.
• May need to provide support outside of regular business hours and/or on the weekend.

At Trans Mountain, we believe in an inclusive, accessible, and barrier free recruitment and selection process for all applicants. If you require an accommodation at any point in the process, please contact us at: [email protected] or the designated Talent Acquisition Advisor. Accommodation requests will not affect the assessment of your application or candidacy or the designated Talent Acquisition Advisor. Accommodation requests will not affect the assessment of your application or candidacy.

We Build Careers and Pipelines That Last

Our story is about determination, resourcefulness and resilience. It’s about charting our own course, finding innovative solutions to challenging problems and doing the right thing. It was true when Trans Mountain became a company in 1951 and it’s just as true today. We welcome new members to our team that embrace the qualities in our story, that thrive on the new path and directions we take. Our culture is one of care and taking our responsibilities seriously. If you would like to contribute to our culture, then join our journey.

A Rewarding Opportunity

We offer:

• Valuable experience providing opportunity for professional development and career advancement;
• An opportunity to engage with and learn from some of the most talented and experienced people in the business;
• Competitive compensation;
• Comprehensive benefits programs including flexible benefits, pension and savings plans;
• A place to share a sense of purpose and build relationships;
• Meaningful work that makes a difference;
• An opportunity within the Canadian energy industry.

We value:

• The health, safety and wellness of everyone working in our company;
• Meaningful participation from Indigenous and local communities;
• The commitment and resilience of our people;
• Collaboration and achieving success together.

In keeping with Trans Mountain’s commitment to maximize benefits for communities, priority will be given to qualified candidates from Indigenous, local and regional communities along the Trans Mountain pipeline corridor.

In Alberta, the pipeline system spans the traditional territories of Treaty 6, 7 and 8, and the Métis Nation of Alberta (Zone 4).

In British Columbia, the system crosses the traditional territories of numerous First Nations that are affiliated with the Secwepemc, Dakelh (Carrier), Nlaka'pamux, Syilx/Okanagan, Interior and Coast Salish, Stó:lo, as well as the Métis.

Trans Mountain also operates through 15 First Nation Reserves located within the region spanning the BC interior through Fraser Valley.

Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA)

Trans Mountain is committed to fostering inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility. The diverse viewpoints and cultural knowledge that our employees bring to work enrich our organization’s collective cultural understanding, which is reflected in the work we do every day. We strive to create an environment that is free of barriers to promote full participation in the workplace. Trans Mountain welcomes new team members from traditionally underrepresented groups, including but not limited to women, Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.