Métis Justice System Navigator

Métis Justice System Navigator

Location: Slave Lake, AB

Closing Date: Until Suitable Candidate Found

Position Status: One (1) Full-time (40 hours/work), Contract to October 31, 2027

The Otipemisiwak Métis Government is recruiting for a full-time Métis Justice System Navigator within the Justice Department based out of Slave Lake. Reporting to the Métis Justice Program Manager, the successful candidate will use their knowledge of the legal system to guide Métis Albertans in navigating the Canadian justice system. The Métis Justice System Navigator will help Métis Albertans overcome barriers that prevent them from accessing the supports and information they need and will advocate for them when appropriate. The successful candidate will be a self-motivated, confident, trauma-informed, and culturally grounded individual who is passionate about advancing justice for Métis people and communities and has excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Support and navigate Métis Albertans through the justice system.
• Ensure documentation and client files are completed, organized, and up to date.
• Advocate for clients and attend both court and legal appointments when appropriate.
• Assist clients with scribing and completing and filing legal documents, as appropriate.
• Build and maintain rapport, trust, and effective professional working relationships with clients.
• Assist with data collection and entry, track program statistic, and prepare relevant briefing notes, memorandums, and reports.
• Assist with drafting funding proposals and grant applications.
• Develop strong working relationships with legal professionals supporting clients to ensure adequate collaboration to address client justice needs.
• Build and maintain an up-to-date province wide resource database of community-based, culturally safe programming and resources for Métis Albertans.
• Field multiple calls per day and respond to general email inquiries.
• Develop and monitor safety planning while assessing risk.
• Develop and facilitate justice education presentations.
• Participate in staff meetings and team development.
• Attend and represent the Otipemisiwak Métis Government at professional conferences, in-service trainings, and meetings.
• Maintain working knowledge of and refer to programming offered by all department of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government and affiliates.
• Other duties as required or assigned.

Skills & Competencies

• Knowledge of the Canadian Justice System and justice issues impacting Indigenous peoples.
• Knowledge of Métis history, culture, and issues affecting Métis people. An in-depth understanding of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government and Métis culture, people, and values is an asset.
• Ability to produce professional documents, reports, and presentations. Experience in proposal writing and grant appplications is an asset.
• Ability to build collaborative, positive relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including clients, service providers, and community.
• Ability to be empathetic and non-judgemental when assisting Métis Albertans.
• Must be able to handle situations with tact, diplomacy, and empathy, Ability to be firm and assertive when necessary.
• Culturally sensitive, compassionate, and trustowrthy.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Strong administrative, organizational and time management skills, with the abillity to be flexible, adapt to changing priorities/requirements, and allocate time and resources effectively.
• Self-motivated with well-developed case management, planning, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Political sensitivity and an ability to maintain confidentiality when hadling sensitive information.
• Ability to identify issues and implement creative and strategic solutions to overcome problems.
• Sound analytical thinking, planning, prioritization, and execution skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams).  

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree/diploma in Social Work, Criminal Justice, Criminology, or related field is required.
• Minimum of two (2) years of work experience in the field of Criminal Justice, Substance Use, Mental Health, and/or related field.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.
• Working knowledge of local community and provincial resources.
• Working knowledge of best practices in mental health and substance use is an asset.
• Crisis intervention skills and experience in planning and needs assessment are assets.
• Experience working in remote Indigenous and northern communities is an asset.
• Indigenous Awareness Training and training in Trauma-Informed Care is an asset.

Other Requirements

• Position is based in Slave Lake, Alberta.
• Ability to work a regular schedule of Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with occasional evenings and weekends as required.
• Some travel within Alberta is a requirement.
• Valid Class 5 driver’s license and operational vehicle is required.
• Acceptable attainment and annual maintenance of a Police Record Check with a Vulnerable Sector Check and a Child Intervention Check is required.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to work for the Otipemisiwak Métis Government under its newly ratified Constitution and be an instrumental part of the largest Indigenous Government in Canada.
• An opportunity to learn about Métis culture, history, and art.
• Meaningful work in a fun and supportive work environment.
• Training and professional development opportunities.

Métis applicants are encouraged to apply! 

The Otipemisiwak Métis Government thanks all applicants for their interest. We are committed to a fully human-led recruitment process and do not use artificial intelligence to review candidate applications. We take a deliberate and thoughtful approach to selecting candidates, ensuring integrity and equity at every stage.

As a Métis government, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government is committed to the recruitment, retention, mentorship, and advancement of Métis Citizens and other Indigenous Peoples while maintaining a fair and equitable hiring practices to foster a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace, and we value the lived experiences and cultural knowledge of all candidates.

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Please note that candidates who have been selected to move forward to the next stage of the recruitment process will receive an email to complete a short online video submission. If there are any concerns with this approach, you may discuss an alternative with our hiring team. Our team receives a large volume of applications and will reach out only as applicable.

If you experience barriers to applying or require accommodations at any stage of the recruitment and selection process, please contact employment@metis.org. We are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive experience.