Department: Program

Hours of work: This position is a full-time permanent position (35 hours per week). Some weekends and evenings required a few times during the year as it relates to grants adjudication, committee, and Board meetings.

Reports to: Director of Grants and Programs

Location: Our office is in downtown Vancouver; however, we provide the option to work remotely from anywhere in BC.

Accessibility: Current office is located on the 13th floor of a building with elevator access. The Foundation will be moving to a new office location in Spring 2023 that will continue to have elevator access and provide accessible, gender-neutral washrooms.

Salary: $105,558 to $134,879 based on experience

Posting Date: February 21, 2023

Posting Closing Date: Until filled

About the Law Foundation of BC:

The Law Foundation of British Columbia (the Foundation) invests in work that empowers people and strengthens communities, aimed at creating a future where systems of law and justice support all people to live and thrive in dignity.

The Foundation makes grants using funds arising from the interest paid on lawyers’ pooled trust accounts and other sources.

Through its funding, the Foundation supports many programs and services that seek to promote justice for people at both an individual and systemic level. This includes funding targeted at racial justice initiatives, supporting a network of advocacy and legal aid services, providing educational opportunities, and supporting access to legal information, to name a few.

A significant focus of the Foundation’s work is to provide funding support for Indigenous peoples’ work on justice initiatives, as prioritized by Indigenous communities, whether involving Canadian law or Indigenous legal orders.

Working at the Foundation means joining a team of passionate, hard-working professionals. We are committed to building and supporting an inclusive and respectful working environment, where all employees are valued for their contributions to our mission.

We offer a comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• generous extended health and dental coverage for employees, their spouses and dependents
• 3 weeks annual vacation as a base, and late December office closure
• family friendly workplace policies, parental leave top-ups, life insurance plan, and a workplace culture with an overarching emphasis on wellness and work life balance
• RRSP contribution of 6% of salary without matching requirement
• wellness spending account for each employee
• generous care days (sick leave) entitlement
• flexible work arrangements
• relevant professional fees and memberships covered
• training and professional development opportunities

Preference will be provided in this hiring process to qualified Indigenous applicants in accordance with section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code. Candidates of Indigenous background are encouraged to self-identify on their application.

In its hiring practices, the Foundation strongly encourages applications from members of communities that are marginalized or that experience structural discrimination including those identifying as Indigenous, people of colour, members of non-dominant ethnic, religious, linguistic, and/or cultural groups, women, (im)migrants/newcomers, people with (dis)abilities, and LGBTQ2S+ people. The Foundation believes that a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve strengthens our ability to achieve our mission.

To learn more about what we do, please visit www.lawfoundationbc.org

About the Role:

The Process and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist, Indigenous Justice will join a dynamic team that is working – in partnership with communities – to support solutions to justice challenges that affect the well-being of diverse Indigenous communities, whether through Indigenous laws, Canadian law, or both.

As an important part of existing efforts to support the advancement of Indigenous justice, the Foundation is establishing an Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC), to advise the Foundation on any of its work and particularly that which has a pronounced impact on Indigenous peoples and communities. The Process and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist is a new and exciting role at the Foundation, and will be instrumental in supporting the work of the IAC by designing engagement processes that center the diverse lived experiences of Indigenous peoples, hosting and facilitating meaningful dialogue and acting as a key thought partner in developing systems and structures that incorporate different worldviews to enable learning and knowledge transformation.

The Process and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist is a key member of the Indigenous Justice team and will work closely and collaboratively with the Indigenous Justice Program Director and Grant Manager, Director of Grants and Programs and other staff who support the Foundation’s Indigenous Justice grants program and the IAC.

In its efforts to uplift Indigenous Justice, the Foundation has a duty to build good relationships with and actualize its responsibilities towards Indigenous peoples in the lands known as British Columbia. The Process and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist role shares this duty and actualizing these responsibilities, in addition to playing a unique role that must be approached with sensitivity to the power imbalances that unavoidably form the backdrop of a foundation/grantee relationship. In addition to the engagement of the IAC, the Process and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist will support grantee organizations and communities who are doing the funded work, while maintaining clear and transparent boundaries around the role of the Foundation and being an accountable steward of Foundation resources.

As a member of the Program team, the Process and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist, Indigenous Justice plays a key role in:

Engagement and Committee Management

Engaging Indigenous communities, the Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC) and supporting the Indigenous Justice Fund by:

• designing and implementing engagement processes that are rooted in Indigenous worldviews;
• liaising with members of the IAC to arrange meetings and touchpoints as necessary;
• Co-hosting and co-facilitating all meetings of the IAC in partnership with the Indigenous Justice Program Director;
• maintaining on-going communications with the IAC and developing communication feedback mechanisms to ensure the Foundation is responsive to and learning from emerging priorities identified by the IAC;
• collaborating with the Program Director – Indigenous Justice, in the review and assessment of applications submitted to the Indigenous Justice Fund;
• directly and continuously engaging Indigenous communities and organizations, including but not limited to current and prospective grantees, to identify systemic barriers, emerging issues and gaps in services and the funding landscape; and
• co-leading the management of communication and program updates between the IAC, the Foundation’s executive team and the Board of Governors.

Knowledge Mobilization

Lead learning and knowledge mobilization by:

• identifying and embedding different ways of knowing, being and doing, in the Foundation’s day to day practices;
• co-leading the coordination of knowledge transformation and learning opportunities within the Foundation;
• amplifying and harnessing the importance of oral tradition and storytelling in research, data collection for knowledge mobilization, dissemination and transformation;
• developing and aligning Indigenous Justice Fund learning objectives and workplans with the Foundation’s strategic plan;
• contributing to the Foundation’s development of knowledge dissemination and communication strategies that are impactful, accessible and culturally responsive;
• designing processes for grantee learning and evaluation, including creative and engaging opportunities for meaningful and inclusive intergenerational participation;
• collaborating and participating in cross-functional teams across the Foundation that promote organizational learning;
• facilitating and maintaining reciprocal relationships with Indigenous-led philanthropic networks; and
• actively participating in and representing the Foundation in external knowledge mobilization and peer networks related to philanthropy, access to justice, decolonial and anti-racism work.

Grantmaking

Supporting the grantmaking and programs delivery of the Foundation by:

• integrating innovative grantmaking practices and processes informed by Indigenous ways of knowing/being;
• communicating and promoting trust-based and relational granting relationships;
• identifying and communicating additional culturally appropriate opportunities or trainings with grantees;
• supporting grantees to avail themselves of services and professional development opportunities offered by the Foundation;
• consulting with prospective grantees on applications, workplans, and budgets;
• reviewing and assessing grant applications in consultation with the program team and other community experts including but not limited to the IAC;
• providing written program summaries, updates, and recommendations related to applications to the Foundation’s Board of Governors to support their adjudicative and oversight functions;
• working with the Indigenous Justice Program Director, Grants Manager, Grants Process Specialist, Operations Assistant and the Director of Grants and Programs to ensure the overall success of the Indigenous Justice Fund portfolio of work.

Note: This job may require additional responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Law Foundation of British Columbia

About You:

The Process and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist, Indigenous Justice requires at least one or a combination (or equivalent) of the following:

• minimum six years of relevant work experience;
• relevant education (post-secondary degree, diploma or certificate) in Social Work, Social Sciences, Law, Indigenous Studies, Public Policy, Public Administration, Planning, Community Development or equivalent experience;
• experience in a law-related, non-profit, or philanthropic foundation environment;
• experience working with and/or in, First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities;
• demonstrated Indigenous leadership experience through work, community, or volunteer experience (being a board member for an Indigenous-led organization; planning and/or organizing cultural events; co-developing policy plans with the community etc.);
• experience designing, facilitating and hosting meaningful conversations;
• experience with Indigenous community-based projects, storytelling and mobilizing community knowledge for transformative policy and practice change.

These will be highly valuable to the person in this role:

• understanding of and experience with Indigenous justice issues, Indigenous law-making and legal orders;
• understanding of the Canadian justice system, the barriers to accessing justice, and access to justice initiatives;
• understanding of the legal, policy and socioeconomic realities that impact diverse Indigenous communities across B.C;
• demonstrated experience working on projects related to the rights of Indigenous peoples;

• experience in formal or informal cultural learning programs;
• connection to community and cultural teachings;
• experience and familiarity with non-profit structures and governance.

The Process and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist, Indigenous Justice would benefit from the following skills, abilities, and attributes:

• skilled in building and maintaining foundational and meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities;
• thoughtful and reflexive approach to individual social location, power and privilege, with a strong understanding of personal strengths and areas for growth;
• systemic and intersectional understanding of the continuing impact and legacy of colonial systems and the effect on Indigenous peoples and communities;
• skilled in leading, planning, coordinating, and managing complex projects and work assignments;
• critical eye and bias for innovation as it relates to program planning processes and practices;
• creative and entrepreneurial spirit as it relates to research, learning and knowledge mobilization and transformation;
• able to work well in situations of change, ambiguity and complexity, with a variety of formal and informal teams and structures, adapting procedures, practices and workplans as necessary while keeping overarching goals in focus;
• ability to maintain confidentiality;
• critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
• ability to foresee project risks and to allow for contingency when planning
• demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment
• excellent written and oral communications skills
• effective at building trusting relationships internally and externally
• ability to co-create a culturally safe working environment that is inclusive of diverse intersecting identities;
• fluency and comfort with software and programs used in our work, including Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, MS Teams, Zoom and strong aptitude to master grant database software, other relevant workplace software and social media applications; and
• commitment to the Foundation’s mandate and the core values of reciprocity, equity, decolonization, sustainability and supporting change.

Please do not be discouraged from applying if you do not possess the precise combination of all of the skills, attributes, qualifications and experience listed above. Furthermore, if your lived experience provides you with a foundation that is equivalent to the work experience listed, you are encouraged to describe that in your application.

Application Process:

Please submit the following through this application portal:

Interviews will be conducted by Foundation staff by video. The Foundation will make appropriate accommodations, if needed, for candidates that we interview.

By submitting your application, you certify that all information submitted is true, complete and correct. Any information provided in your application, any assessment documents or processes and/or an interview that is found to be false or misrepresented in any respect, may eliminate you from further consideration for employment or may result in dismissal.

We acknowledge that the Foundation’s main office is located in Vancouver on the shared lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and conducts its work throughout the homelands of Indigenous peoples across the place we now call British Columbia. The Law Foundation of BC is committed to supporting a just and meaningful reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and others in these lands.

If you are interested in applying and have questions about the process, please contact Britt Mayne at britt@eleveneleventalent.com.