Special Projects Officer, Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogies

Date Posted: 09/04/2024

Req ID: 37538

Faculty/Division: UofT Mississauga

Department: UTM:RG Academic Skills Centre

Campus: University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM)

Description:

Your Opportunity:

Reporting to the Director of the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre (RGASC) within the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy (ISUP), the Special Projects Officer (SPO), Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogies is responsible for identifying, managing, and delivering on objectives and priorities, by managing projects, developing processes, preparing written material, as well as delivering and/or facilitating workshops. In doing so, the SPO will organize consultations and deliver presentations with campus and community partners, and synthesize input and feedback in order to support project objectives.

The SPO will be ready to take on new tasks or projects related to Indigenous ways of knowing; initiate and undertake research on a wide variety of issues and topics within Indigenous knowledges; provide guidance and advice; design, coordinate and facilitate workshops, follow-up with departmental leads, various committees and units to move projects along and to ensure UTM moves forward on efforts to meet the Calls to Action as outlined in Wecheehetowin, related to Indigenous curriculum and pedagogy. The SPO functions as a member of the RGASC but will work closely with the University of Toronto, Mississauga Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office (EDIO), and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII-UTM) by participating in their team meetings, programs, and special events. The SPO will also liaise with the Provostial Advisor on Indigenous Curriculum and Education, the Institutional Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) Special Projects Officer Indigenous Curriculum and Edcation, the Council of Indigenous Initiatives Elders’ Circle, the UTM Indigenous Centre, and community partners, for example, Mississauga of the Credit First Nations. The SPO will maintain professional acuity using an Indigenous lens and will have knowledge of diverse cultural protocols, sensitivities, and competencies. Along with a high degree of awareness of University activities, especially as they relate to Indigenous curriculum, pedagogy and education, the SPO will bring an Indigenous lens to their work.

You will contribute to the mission by:

• Provide high-level strategic advice and make recommendations to the Director and/or departmental leaders on strategies for promoting and embedding Indigenous pedagogies into UTM courses and programs.
• Review and /or develop strategies that seek to increase Indigenous knowledge/curriculum into UTM courses.
• Work with the various designates to proactively and reactively manage issues and resolve complex problems related to issue related to Indigenous education.
• Organize and lead consultation activities to advance UTM Indigenous initiatives and strategies as they pertain to Indigenous knowledges, curriculum and education.
• Collaborate, coordinate, assist with, and advance projects, initiatives within UTM’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives that support the university’s Calls to Action as outlined in Wecheehetowin (e.g. development of research protocols and academic programming).
• Conduct research, develop and coordinate appropriate resources related to Indigenous ways of knowing and pedagogy for circulation.
• Tailor programming & workshops to meet the needs of diverse audiences, including staff, instructors and librarians, with special attention paid to the needs of adult learners and the principles of universal design, process-based, and culturally relevant pedagogy.
• Develop evaluation models for existing, revised, and new programming to better meet knowledge sharing goals.
• When required, collaborate with other staff in the Office of the Vice-President and Principal, Office of the Vice-Principal and Dean, institutional Office of Indigenous Initiatives, First Nations House Indigenous Student Services, the Centre for Indigenous Studies, and faculty/staff/librarians seeking to develop and implement Indigenous strategies.

What you will bring to the role:

• University degree required, professional or post graduate degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) an asset, or equivalent in education and experience.
• Minimum six (6) years’ of project management (leading, organizing and tracking the outcomes of complex and multi-stakeholder projects) and a minimum four (4) years’ related experience working within Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) communities/agencies in a project management and/or community development role.
• Extensive experience in Indigenous community relations, Indigenous knowledges, and Indigenous curriculum and education.
• Excellent understanding of the University’s mission and intersection with broader Indigenous communities
• The incumbent must be highly knowledgeable about the legacy and ongoing impacts ofcolonialism and have the ability to apply the Truth and Reconciliation Commission ofCanada Final Report and Calls to Action within an educational context.
• Must be knowledgeable of cultural protocols to appropriately engage and foster respectful,reciprocal, ongoing relationships with local Elders, Knowledge Keepers, internal/externalIndigenous communities.
• Demonstrated knowledge or engagement in scholarship related to theories and practices used in educational development and/or Indigenous scholarship, or Decolonization and its application to the curriculum development processes and tools, teaching and resource development.
• Demonstrated knowledge, skill, and experience with university-level instruction, program planning, facilitation, consultation, curriculum development, and faculty development.
• The incumbent must have a passion for supporting instructors of diverse backgroundsacross the humanities, social science and science disciplines; sensitivity to the professional development challenges and support needs of educators at all career stages; strong personal initiative; tact and good judgment; an ability to successfully meet deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; excellent facilitation and presentation skills; strong consultative decision-making skills; strong organizational skills; and an ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must have strong computer skills, including a high degree of functionality in the use of all Microsoft Office applications.

This role is currently eligible for a hybrid work arrangement, pursuant to University policies and guidelines, including but not limited to the University of Toronto’s Alternative Work Arrangements Guideline

Closing Date: 09/26/2024,11:59PM ET

Employee Group: Salaried 

Appointment Type: Budget – Continuing 

Schedule: Full-Time

Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: PM 3 — Hiring Zone: $91,937 – $107,259 — Broadband Salary Range: $91,937 – $153,227

Job Category: Research Administration & Teaching

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