Managing Director, Indigenous Research Network

Date Posted: 11/28/2023
Req ID: 34690
Faculty/Division: VP-People Strategy, Equity & Culture
Department: People Strategy, Equity & Culture
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)
Position Number: 00055736

Description:

About us:

The Office of Indigenous Initiatives was established in response to Answering The Call: Wecheehetowin to the final the report by U of T’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Steering Committee. The Office’s mandate is to support and guide the U of T community as it continues to work towards reconciliation. Efforts are directed towards listening, coordinating, advising, and collaborating with academic and non-academic communities in addressing the Calls to Action. The Office intersects with areas such as teaching and learning, student experience, Faculty and staff recruitment and engagement, and community-based research. The Office also conducts a regular environmental scan, produces a report to establish the impact and progress of Indigenous Initiatives on campus, and manages the activities of the Council of Indigenous Initiatives and the Elder's Circle.

Your opportunity:

The Indigenous Research Network(IRN) was launched as a University of Toronto Institutional Strategic Initiative in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s Calls to Action. This includes increasing the visibility of Indigenous scholars' research accomplishments by sustaining a cross-divisional, interdisciplinary network of Indigenous scholars and facilitating robust research engagement across the University of Toronto and internationally.

The IRN includes U of T Indigenous faculty (research and teaching stream), librarians, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students as well as non-Indigenous researchers collaborating with Indigenous communities. The IRN envisions meaningful collaborations with Indigenous communities, while keeping Indigenous knowledges and values at the centre of our research practices.

We are recruiting an experienced professional with a high degree of initiative, creativity and integrity. The Managing Director will play a pivotal leadership role in the strategic development and management of IRN initiatives, and implement and evaluate strategic short- and long-term plans and projects. This critical role requires deep connections and credibility with local Indigenous communities combined with the ability to work effectively in a complex academic environment.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Developing strategic plans to determine the unit's programs and activities
• Developing project schedules including milestones, critical path, timelines, deliverables and reporting
• Researching and recommending new opportunities for external collaborations and partnerships within and beyond UofT, and with local and international Indigenous communities, including including with Indigenous traditional knowledge keepers
• Promoting IRN's research programs to enhance research and partnership funding opportunities, including writing grant applications and partnership proposals
• Promoting research initiatives to increase program visibility and reputation
• Providing consultation and advice on the application of University policies and procedures
• Fostering and maintaining networks to build capacity and collaboration
• Serving as a resource on specific issues to a group of specialists

Essential Qualifications:

• Master's Degree, PhD an asset; or acceptable combination of equivalent experience.
• Six to seven years of experience directing and leading a significant research portfolio, preferably in a complex and culturally diverse research environment in Higher Education
• Demonstrated knowledge of and recent experience working with host nations and communities beyond the GTA or southern Ontario Indigenous organizations and Indigenous peoples.
• Extensive experience overseeing research projects involving Indigenous communities
• Experience with or advising on academic research, including grant writing, funding sources, and knowledge mobilization.
• Experience building relationships with and providing expert consultation to a wide variety of stakeholders, both internal and external to the organization required.
• Expertise in university-based research collaborations with Indigenous communities and leadership is essential. The incumbent will have understanding and experience in navigating complex and competing priorities within Indigenous contexts.
• Experience developing memoranda of understanding and drafting partnership agreements.
• Experience integrating Indigenous Ways of Knowing and using best practices impacting Indigenous peoples to proactively identify opportunities and gaps in existing programming, policies, and/or processes, and drafting proposals to address.
• Demonstrated strategic planning, change and project management skills.
• Strong communication (written and verbal), facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of tact, diplomacy, and good judgment.
• Demonstrated capacity to traverse research projects from and across a wide variety of disciplines.

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Courteous
• Diplomatic
• Entrepreneurial
• Goal oriented
• Organized
• Persuasive
• Problem solver

Closing Date: 12/12/2023, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: USW 
Appointment Type: Budget - Term; 1 year term with possibility of renewal or extension.
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:
USW Pay Band 17 -- $105,706 with an annual step progression to a maximum of $135,179. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol. 
Job Category: Administrative / Managerial
Recruiter: Fiona Chan

Lived Experience Statement
Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.