Senior Specialist, Indigenous Programs

Follow us on LinkedIn

Posting Reason:

Replacement of a regular position

Job Type:

Employee

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments):

N/A

Job Family:

Student and Campus Support

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Common Law Indigenous Program

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

SSUO

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/08/18

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/08/31

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

SSUO Grade 11

Salary Range:

$95 594,00 - $120 750,00

About the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law

Over the past 20 years, the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa has become a national and global leader in many fields. We are the only law school to offer a common law degree in both English and French, and our faculty is one of the most accomplished in the country. We are an engaged Faculty, and we have a strong culture of public engagement. We also have a strong bond with the legal community in Ottawa and a special relationship with the Supreme Court of Canada. We are leaders -- leaders in research, leaders in the profession and leaders in our community. On any given day, members of our faculty may be seen testifying before a Parliamentary committee, providing expert commentary in the media, or contributing to public policy debates on the issues of the day. We are the most-cited law faculty in the national media. Through our dedication we have built strong experiential learning opportunities for our students where our students have unparalleled access to, and interaction with, the highest judges in the land to help foster an inclusive and high-quality student experience.

Position Purpose

Provides leadership and strategic advice on indigenization, reconciliation and decolonization at the Common Law Section and builds community among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader community. Facilitates cooperation and collaboration among various stakeholders and ensure the meaningful participation of Indigenous communities in university life. Key responsibilities include advising and supporting Indigenous law students in a manner is this culturally responsive and respects privacy, inclusivity and human rights.

Implements the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission relevant to legal education, and career and professional development. This includes managing the design and delivery of academic and cultural support services for Indigenous students, collaborating on research partnerships, and providing guidance on admissions, academic success, and professional networking.

Collaborates with the Admissions office to actively recruiting Indigenous students to the Common Law Section by engaging with stakeholders and executing effective recruitment strategies.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Truth and Reconciliation Initiatives: Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to develop and implement Truth and Reconciliation initiatives at the Common Law Section, ensuring alignment with the University's Indigenous Action Plan, Transformation 2030, and other relevant internal and external policy documents.

• Student Engagement: Acts as a primary resource for Indigenous students, providing individualized and culturally appropriate support for academic, personal, and financial challenges, and coordinating appropriate campus services and accommodations. Designs and implements student engagement initiatives, including orientation programs, speaker series, networking opportunities, and graduation events to enhance the Indigenous student experience. Manages the Indigenous student tutor program, including hiring and supervising academic and writing tutors.

• Indigenous Student Recruitment and Retention: Develops and implements, together with the Admissions office, strategies and best practices to attract top Indigenous candidates to Common Law Section programs that are aligned with industry standards in Canadian legal education. Sets objectives for access to law school and addresses gaps in admissions pathways programming and student retention services.

• Community and External Relations: Engages in relationship and community building with external stakeholders and partners, such as the Law Society of Ontario, various local and national professional associations, various Indigenous organizations, and Indigenous alumni to support Indigenous legal education and collaboration with the Common Law Section. Represents and promotes the positive reputation of the University of Ottawa and the Common Law Section both externally and internally to raise the profile of the Section’s Indigenous students and faculty, and indigenization, reconciliation and decolonization efforts.

• Professional Development and Capacity Building: Develops and manages the implementation of ongoing professional development programs for the Common Law community related to indigenization, reconciliation and decolonization within the Common Law Section.

• Event and Cultural Initiatives Management: Plans and executes major events and initiatives, related to annual events such as Treaties Recognition Week, National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, etc., with the goal fostering community engagement, and promoting awareness of Indigenous legal and social issues, indigenization, reconciliation and decolonization within the Common Law Section. Plans and delivers culturally relevant programming to the Indigenous community as well as the broader Common Law community, such as Community Beading Circle, and moccasin, mittens, ribbon skirt, and orange-shirt-pin workshops.   

• Communication and Outreach: Develops and manages the implementation of communication strategies for promoting Indigenous programming and supports, though printed materials, social media, and other available channels to reach potential applicants, students, alumni, the Common Law community and external stakeholders and partners. Provides strategic advice to the senior leadership team on development and implementation of communications related to indigenization, reconciliation, and decolonization mission and activities of the Common Law Section.

• Budget and Reporting: Prepares and manages the operational budget for Indigenous programs and produces annual reports on progress, accomplishments, and challenges related to Specific Accountabilities, while recommending improvements to advance the Faculty’s indigenization, reconciliation, and decolonization goals.

• Research and Partnerships: Collaborates with the Faculty’s Research Office to develop new research initiatives, partnerships, and grant opportunities that support the strategic research goals of the Faculty of Law related to indigenization, reconciliation and decolonization.

What you will bring:

• A university degree is required, with a strong preference for a candidate with a JD or master’s degree, in a relevant field such as law, education, social work, etc.

• Minimum five years of relevant professional experience, such as education or social work, or in the practice of law.

• Lived Indigenous experience and extensive knowledge and understanding of Indigenous culture, history, education, protocols and practices learned through active Indigenous community engagement.

• Strong problem-solving, critical thinking ability and creative solutions.

• Strong organizational and analytical skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities with competing deadlines;

• Knowledge of University of Ottawa and Faculty of Law programs, standards, regulations, policies and procedures, and supportive services at the undergraduate and graduate level;

• High degree of commitment to the advancement of Indigenous students at the Faculty of Law;

• Comprehensive knowledge and experience in the development and implementation of organization-wide policies and strategies;

• Excellent interpersonal, student services and/or human resources skills;

• High degree of professionalism, initiative and ability to work independently and autonomously.

• Willing to work flexible hours to deliver Specific Accountabilities

• Knowledge and engagement of local, regional and national resources and services provided by and for Indigenous partners, organizations and communities.

• Strong ability in project management, planning and organizing events.

• Bilingualism in English and French, or a willingness to learn a second official institutional language is required. Knowledge of an Indigenous language is an asset.

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact [email protected] to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.