Associate Director, Office of Indigenous Initiatives

About Queen’s University

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We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from individuals from equity seeking groups such as women, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, persons who identify in the LGBTQ+ community and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.

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Job Summary

Situated on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory, Queen’s is a leading Canadian university with a long-standing reputation for academic and research excellence, as well as a diverse and vibrant learning environment. The university is committed to providing students with a fundamental understanding of Indigenous rights, histories, experiences and knowledge systems relevant to their discipline; strengthening our research prominence in Indigenous focused fields; and supporting Indigenous students, staff, and faculty.

Reporting to the Associate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation) (‘AVP’), the Associate Director, Office of Indigenous Initiatives (‘AD’) provides strategic and operational leadership to the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII), which includes overseeing the administrative operations, financial and budgeting process for the OII, and supporting the office in the implementation of the recommendations of the Yakwanastahenteha Aankenjigemi Extending the Rafters Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Task force final report at Queen’s University.

Committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenization the AD works in collaboration with the AVP and frequently interacts with senior administrators, faculties and departments to facilitate an appropriate two-way flow of ideas, information and knowledge sharing and develops strategic linkages to advance decolonization and Indigenization at the university. The incumbent supports and leads the work of a wide variety of committees and working groups, including but not limited to the Aboriginal Council of Queen’s University (ACQU) and ACQU working groups.

Note: This position will occasionally require non-traditional hours, including evenings and/or weekends as required.

Job Description

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work collaboratively with the AVP to lead, develop and implement comprehensive strategies and projects that support the implementation of the recommendations of the TRC Task Force Final Report and advance Indigenous initiatives across the university.
• Oversee the administrative operations for the OII, providing effective staff leadership and oversight of office initiatives, establishing and monitoring priorities and agendas to effectively meet stakeholder needs, and ensuring any issues are identified and resolved in a timely manner.
• Manage all financial activities for the OII, including preparing the annual budget submission and operations plan, monitoring accounts, interpreting data and preparing reports to facilitate the preparation of the office budget and financial strategies.
• Identify funding opportunities and prepare funding proposals to support the work of the OII.
• Represent the OII and act as the delegate of the AVP on working groups and committees, ensuring effective organization and administration of committees and providing input on behalf of the OII in support of the goals and objectives of decolonization and Indigenization at the university.
• Oversee the planning, preparation, and development of reports, briefing notes, presentations, policy documents and other correspondence, including the Annual TRC Task Force implementation report.
• Oversee the development of communications and engagement strategies to help facilitate Queen’s participation in Indigenization and decolonization efforts and to raise Queen’s profile as corporate citizens of the broader higher education sector in Canada and abroad.
• Identify, support and coordinate policy development, implementation and review to facilitate full and equitable participation of Indigenous peoples and communities at Queen’s.
• Provide advice and guidance to departments and senior administration and work collaboratively with external partners to develop strategic linkages that advance decolonization and Indigenization efforts on campus.
• Oversee the identification, development, delivery and evaluation of training programs under the auspices of the OII.
• Conduct research, surveys and analyses, synthesizing and interpreting data related to Indigenous academic activities and university practices to, identify opportunities and challenges, and resolve gaps and barriers to progress in connection with implementation of the recommendations of the TRC Task Force Final Report and to inform decision making and allocation of resources.
• Lead in the development of the university’s Indigenous Recruitment Guide for staff hiring processes and provide guidance to managers on best practices in recruiting for Indigenous roles at the university. Participate on staff and faculty hiring committees on behalf of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives as required.
• In collaboration with the AVP, oversee the timely coordination and due diligence of new and existing partnerships and legal agreements with universities, government ministries and agencies. Oversee compliance with government regulations, as appropriate, and industry and sector guidelines.
• Plan, prioritize and manage the work of employees, providing strategic and tactical advice, guidance and coaching. Identify the need for staff resources, participate on staffing committees, and makes effective recommendations regarding employee selection.
• Manage performance by establishing performance standards, reviewing and evaluating performance and conducting formal performance reviews on an ongoing basis.
• Assess staff training and development needs, and ensure that employees receive training required to improve and sustain successful performance.
• Investigate, address and resolve employee/labour relations issues, including disciplinary matters. Make decisions or effective recommendations on matters involving possible discipline, discharge and probationary termination.
• Promote a culture of inclusion, with a commitment to the university’s equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives designed to foster an inclusive, supportive, and welcoming work environment for individuals with diverse backgrounds and identities.
• Undertake other duties and special projects as assigned in support of the unit.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must be an Indigenous person with a demonstrated connection, active ties, and relationship to an Indigenous community and/or Indigenous networks.
• A university degree.
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience overseeing the administrative operations within a similar environment, including people management, financial management and project management.
• Demonstrated experience preparing budgets, interpreting financial information, preparing reports, and managing accounts.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning and operational support.
• Demonstrated managerial experience with strong leadership and team development skills.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Experience conducting research and drafting proposals.
• Consideration will be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

• Strong communication skills, listens to others and expresses, ideas orally and in writing, in a professional and effective manner to ensure that complex messages, recommendations and impacts are conveyed clearly and credibly. Readily shares information and knowledge with others.
• Effective relationship building skills, develops and maintains relationships with individuals at every level of the university to support and achieve organizational goals and objectives.
• Exceptional planning and organizing; establishes a clearly defined course of action to accomplish goals and to organize work efforts in a complex environment with multiple competing demands, priorities and deadlines. Allocates time and manages resources effectively, ensuring accuracy.
• Strong initiative demonstrating a continuous commitment to improvement and development and encourages the participation of others by demonstrating the value of appropriate urgency and action.
• Effective strategic planning and analysis. Understanding of the strategic direction of the unit, and uses this information to develop responsibilities, tasks, goals, and HR initiatives that align with long-term plans and growth.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire a diverse and high performing team to work towards shared objectives and optimize team effectiveness by engaging diverse perspectives and empowering others.
• Recognizes and respects the distinctive skills, experiences and perspectives of all members of our community actively and intentionally engages with diverse groups where each person is valued and provided with the opportunity to participate fully.
• Fosters a client focused culture, assisting to establish service standards and develop strategies and policies to ensure standards are met.
• Strong decision making and superior judgement, tact and political acuity required to address sensitive topics and effectively manage relationships.
• Strong collaboration and teamwork, fosters a culture of cooperation and encourages positive team dynamics to build synergies.
• Recognizes sensitivities and risks, using professional ethics to question and challenge issues. Seeks out systematic solutions to problems. Consistently acts with the highest professional standards, exercising tact, judgement, and confidentiality.

DECISION MAKING:

• Ability to distinguish between issues that may be addressed independently, and those that require consultation with other team members, staff in other offices, or external contacts.
• Provide advice, support and guidance on a wide variety of complex matters related to the OII.
• Determine options or a range of solutions to problems where no clear guidelines exist.
• Formulate and recommend action plans to efficiently implement projects within existing university policy and procedures; provide advice and recommendations for changes to processes and policies relevant to the OII.
• Prepare and monitor budgets and recommend financial management options, as appropriate.
• Determine communications and marketing strategies to promote Indigenous initiatives.
• Determine appropriate strategies for conducting research and gathering background information.
• Interpret requests from internal and external agencies and institutions and determine appropriate responses.
• Determine details required in minutes and notes of meetings; provide advice and recommendations to AVP with respect to content of agendas; participate in decisions regarding research and background information required in support of all committee work.
• Determine tone/content/substance of agendas, briefing notes, reports, presentations, and communications for a variety of audiences.
• Act as the delegate of the AVP to various committees, determine which issues the AVP should be involved in and which issues need to be raised with the ACQU or Deputy Provost for follow-up.
• Determine priorities and make decisions about staff utilization and the assignment of work to achieve optimum efficiencies and productivity.
• Evaluate job candidates and makes effective recommendations on suitable hires.
• Make decisions and/or effective recommendations regarding transfers and promotions.
• Evaluate employee performance and decides on appropriate training or coaching to address lack of proficiency in carrying out responsibility-ies, or remedial action for staff disciplinary situations.
• Assess investigation outcome of grievances and make effective recommendations on appropriate course of action or next steps on grievances.
• Make effective recommendations on level of discipline up to discharge and probationary termination.

Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, visible minorities, Aboriginal Peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The University provides support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process are asked to contact Human Resources at [email protected] .