FIRST NATIONS-MUNICIPAL CEDI PROGRAM SUMMARY

The First Nations - Municipal CEDI is a joint initiative of Cando and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) that builds the capacity of adjacent First Nations and municipalities to enhance their community-to-community relationship and undertake joint planning for community economic development. In 2015, CEDI developed the Stronger Together Toolkit based on the experiences of its 6 participating partnerships nationwide. CEDI has currently completed its pilot phase (April 2013-March 2016) and began a second phase in April 2016.

POSITION SUMMARY

The First Nations - Municipal CEDI Program Coordinator has the primary responsibility to support the co-ordination of the CEDI program so that all components of the program are delivered and maintained in an efficient and effective manner. The Program Coordinator will work with select Indigenous communities and Canadian municipalities to share information and collaborate on the program to ensure consistent and accessible services are available to Indigenous clients in a culturally, politically, and socially appropriate fashion. Overall, the CEDI Program Coordinator will work with 10 partnerships of First Nation communities and Municipalities, and through the support and facilitation of the program services, these communities will have established joint economic development plans. This position requires working in close collaboration with the First Nations - Municipal CEDI Program Team, including the Manager of the CEDI Program and the CEDI Program Advisor from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which is Cando’s partnering organization for this program. The CEDI Coordinator reports to the CEDI Senior Program Officer based at Cando.

IMPORTANT NOTES

•  This position is based in Edmonton, Alberta and requires extensive travel across western Canada with some travel to eastern Canada. Travel time comprises approximately 30 per cent of the role.
•  This is a four-year contract ending in March 2021

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACTIVITIES

Communications & Public Relations - contribute to development and implementation of a communications strategy; lead the implementation of the social media strategy; respond to inquiries about the program from the general public; attend various events and conferences to present on any specific aspects of the CEDI program.

Workshop Development, Coordination and Facilitation - contribute to the design of workshop content; contribute to the design of integrated community planning workshops; coordinate the logistics for CEDI workshops; assist with facilitating the joint workshops.

Capacity Building Activities - support on-going CEDI partner Working Groups; support the access of CEDI Partnerships to CEDI supports of peer mentorship, study tours and the capacity building grant; oversee the peer-to-peer community of practice between participating CEDI communities and across the country; liaise with First Nations community throughout the program to identify and address any gaps in capacity not already addressed by the program.

Program Development - assist in coordination of program planning sessions that will ensure that execution and control phases of the program are planned to a moderate to high level of detail.

Program Management - develop, execute and report on an individual workplan, based on program workplan; contribute to maintenance of the project data management system; contribute to quarterly and final reporting as per the reporting requirements outlined in the contribution agreement with the program funders; assist with the coordination of Program team meetings; fulfill other duties as assigned.

Research & Publications - where appropriate, assist with the research and coordination for the publication of knowledge products that will be produced as an outcome of the program; may be required to author articles for submission to newspapers, magazines and/ or academic journals.

EDUCATION REQUIRED:

Post-secondary education, (preferably University degree in a related field) that is supplemented by related experience with demonstrated success in program delivery.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

•  A minimum of two years of related, hands on experience is required.
•  Experience in research and project/program development and management, including proposal writing and reporting.
•  Working knowledge of existing federal and provincial programs and initiatives available to Indigenous communities that support economic and business development.
•  Experience working with Indigenous communities, organizations and governments across Canada.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ATTITUDE REQUIRED

•  Ability to work very effectively as a part of a team, as this position will require very close collaboration with the FCM counterpart staff designated to work on the CEDI project.
•  Understanding of Indigenous culture and protocols, ability to differentiate between First Nation Métis and non-Indigenous communities and their governance structures.
•  Understanding of economic indicators that provide scope to Indigenous economic development and knowledge of related economic development issues and priorities.
•  Understanding of the current issues, constraints and potential solutions to economic development amongst First Nation communities and Métis Settlements.
•  Knowledge of existing federal and provincial programs and initiatives available to Indigenous communities that support economic and business development.
•  Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of business planning, community and regional economic development practices and techniques.
•  Understanding of program development and delivery mechanisms. Results based management experience an asset.
•  Excellent communication skills, written and verbal. As much of the team communication happens using Skype, phone or email, this position requires a willingness to communicate virtually.
•  Strong general computer skills including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Skype. Experience using Citrix, Join.Me, LinkedIn, Twitter and Ingeniux CMS are assets.
•  Strong decision-making, problem solving, conceptual and strategic thinking skills.
•  Excellent interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
•  Exceptional time management skills, organization skills and attention to detail.
•  Must uphold strict confidentiality and are not permitted to disclose information respecting the operations or activities of the organization unless authorized to do so by the Cando Board or designate.

WORKING CONDITIONS

•  General non-profit, pan-Indigenous, office environment.
•  Frequent travel across Canada will be required (approximately 30% of time)
•  May sometimes require significant overtime.
•  Moderate to heavy workload and deadline pressures.
•  Requirement to manage multiple tasks at the same time.
•  Cando strives to ensure the workplace environment supports the dignity, self-esteem, and productivity of employees, volunteers, and student placements, and is free of discrimination.
•  The general hours of work will be 09:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., however, employees are able to implement a flexible schedule with the approval of the Executive Director.

Salary is commensurate with education and related experience. Relocation costs (if applicable) is responsibility of a successful applicant. Please note, this position is based in Edmonton, AB.

We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.

Deadline for applications: March 17, 2017

Please forward your cover letter & resume to the attention of Svitlana Konoval, Manager of Administrative Services at skonoval @ edo.ca.