Senior Manager, Indigenous Cultural & Community Engagement

REPORTS TO: Deputy Executive Director

HOURS: 37.5 hours per week, weekends and evenings as needed

“Despite great challenges we believe unhealthy cycles can be broken, new opportunities created and, through healing, health restored.”

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Senior Manager, Indigenous Cultural & Community Engagement is responsible for leading culturally responsive programming and community engagement initiatives, including the planning, coordination, and delivery of Indigenous Residential Schools (IRS) programming. The role builds and maintains strong relationships with Elders, community leaders, funders, internal teams, and external partners, while creating safe and meaningful opportunities for impacted communities to share their voices and perspectives. The role also facilitates Indigenous circles and other community-based engagement processes, connects community priorities to organizational outcomes, and provides general management and supervision of IRS Cultural Programming and staff.

“We stand with our clients, side by side, patiently and for as long as they want – a constant and consistent caring force”

Position Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Actively participate on the Management Team, providing an Indigenous-based perspective on agency decision-making, strategic priorities, programming, and service delivery.
• Champion a culture that invites, Community Members, staff, Indigenous communities, Elders, funders, donors, partners, and supporters to contribute their voices safely and meaningfully to organizational and program priorities.
• Facilitate, plan, and coordinate meaningful community engagement opportunities, including circles, town halls, discussions, surveys, and other culturally responsive engagement processes.
• Ensure engagement processes promote safety, openness, comfort, and inclusion, and establish feedback loops to validate what was heard and communicate how community input has informed decisions and actions.
• Apply a strong understanding of Indigenous ceremony and circle processes as meaningful and culturally grounded approaches to learning, sharing, relationship-building, and community engagement.
• Build and maintain relationships with Indigenous Nations, leaders, Elders, communities, and service providers locally and nationally, including communities outside Edmonton where clients are from, to strengthen services, transitions, and culturally appropriate supports.
• Support the collection, discernment, and translation of perspectives, ideas, stories, and insights gathered through engagement into tangible actions, program priorities, and outcomes.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate program policies and procedures in consultation with the team, Indigenous staff, community, and key stakeholders.
• Brief colleagues and the Council of Elders on emerging opportunities, issues, trends, community perspectives, and learnings within the area of work.
• Represent Boyle Street Community Services at appropriate internal and external meetings, events, and community initiatives.
• Oversee and continually develop training opportunities related to Indigenous cultural practices, circle processes, and meaningful community engagement.
• Create and sustain a community of practice for trained Circle Keepers to encourage knowledge sharing, mentorship, and continued learning.
• Mentor and coach staff to strengthen their understanding and practice of meaningful engagement, circle processes, cultural practices, and community-based approaches.
• Debrief and follow up on critical incidents and crisis situations as required, providing support, ensuring protocols are followed, and addressing conflicts or tensions through empathy, diplomacy, and constructive problem-solving.
• Oversee professional development opportunities and support the ongoing growth of the team.
• All other responsibilities as deemed reasonable and appropriate by the sîtôskam iyiniwatisiwin (Director of Supporting an Indigenous Way of Being).

Client Services (The Manager will actively support community members)

• Provide culturally responsive support to community members, including Former IRS Students and their immediate family members and/or support persons, particularly those experiencing crisis.
• Provide cultural support related to the legacy and intergenerational impacts of the residential school system in a manner that is responsive to the unique needs of vulnerable populations.
• Provide support throughout the IRS process, including preparation for, participation in, and follow-up after proceedings.
• Work with agency teams and partners to provide cultural healing opportunities, including sweats, feasts, healing circles, pipe ceremonies, and other culturally appropriate practices.
• Create educational and engagement opportunities that strengthen staff and community understanding of Indigenous cultural practices, traditions, circle processes, and the IRS legacy.
• Support cross-program case planning and collaboration to ensure community members receive coordinated and culturally appropriate services.
• When requested and where possible, provide cultural support at IAP proceedings, IRS dispute resolution processes, court hearings, Truth and Reconciliation Commission activities, and commemoration events.
• Build relationships with Cultural Support Providers and Residential School Health Support Workers nationally and regionally to share knowledge, approaches, and best practices.
• Provide access to debriefing and support opportunities for Elders and staff to minimize the potential impacts of vicarious trauma.
• Evolve areas of practice and support in response to the changing needs, perspectives, and priorities of the community.

Administration & Budget

• Prepare, oversee, and submit required program reports, ensuring information is accurate, complete, and submitted within established deadlines.
• Prepare and manage program budgets and regularly monitor budget performance against actual expenditures, identifying variances and implementing corrective actions as required.
• Approve program expenses and ensure spending remains aligned with funding agreements and organizational requirements.
• Participate in recruitment, selection, and onboarding processes for program staff as required.
• Manage and approve timecards for staff within the area of responsibility.
• All other duties as outlined by program manager.
• All staff at BSCS are expected to participate in occasional outreach and emergency response efforts (e.g., winter response) to support and engage with clients.
• BSCS is more than a workplace. It is a community where everyone helps and contributes to the whole, and there is an expectation that all employees will take part in events (during the work week and occasionally during weekends and evenings). This includes fundraising campaigns, running community meals, medicine picking etc.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of and respect for Treaty 6 Protocols
• Experience with Indigenous Ceremony and Practice
• Understanding of childhood trauma and various healing methods
• 3-5 years experience supervising staff and managing programs or equivalent experience.
• Knowledge of Cree would be considered an asset.
• Displays proven ability to work in a respectful, non-biased client-centered manner, meeting community members where they are at in life
• Possesses excellent relationship building skills
• Works with initiative, commitment, and enthusiasm
• Take a strength-based approach to working with clients and team
• Creates a collaborative and respectful environment
• Is flexible and adaptable, and able work weekends and evenings as required
• Possesses an ability to work in a stressful environment and deal with difficult, sometimes abusive, clients
• Ability to travel within Edmonton, but also to other communities when required
• Knowledge of external and internal resources
• Ability to manage program budget
• Ability to type reports and stats
• Respectful and open minded of other race/cultural teaching
• Being in good holistic health, in accordance with the Medicine Wheel.
• Valid First Aid certificate or enrolled in a future course
• Police Check with the Vulnerable Sector completed within the past six months and kept up to date (every 3 years)
• Child and Youth Intervention Check completed within the past six months and kept up to date (every 3 years)

Why Work for Boyle?

• All work done positively impacts the community and its members!
• Access to Lumino Health, including Stress & Wellness support
• Employee activities and events throughout the year
• Various training initiatives, and development opportunities

Boyle Street Community Services (BSCS) is a values-driven organization that believes our clients are the experts in their own life. Your job will be to foster innovation with your team alongside our community members.

Clients, staff, and partners are vital members of the Boyle Street team, so we place emphasis on making sure that we address each other correctly by using preferred pronouns. We invite you to let us know how to properly refer to you and your pronouns as you explore finding a professional home with us.

Boyle Street Community Services aims to foster a work environment that is rich with Indigenous culture, teachings, ceremonies, and activities- as a reflection of the communities we serve and the land we reside upon.

Boyle Street Community Services is an equal opportunity employer. We value the diversity of the communities we serve and are committed to engaging and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce. Boyle Street Community Services welcomes applications from First Nations, Métis, & Inuit peoples as well as New Canadian, differently abled, and LGBTQ2S communities.