Executive Director at the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning

Evenings and Weekends Consulting; Yellowknife; On-site; CAD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Evenings and Weekends Consulting, in partnership with Dechinta, is seeking a skilled Executive Director to lead the organization in navigating growth and change. The role involves providing strategic leadership, fostering relationships within northern Indigenous communities, and ensuring effective financial oversight. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of Indigenous issues and experience in organizational leadership, aiming to further Dechinta's mission of cultural revitalization and community engagement.

Benefits

20 days of vacation per year

10 wellness/sick days per year

Access to a pension or RRSP/TFSA matching plan

Extended health and dental benefits

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of social, economic, and political contexts for northern Indigenous communities.
• Strong knowledge of trauma-informed approaches.
• Prior experience in leadership capacity in a non-profit.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership aligned with the organization’s mission.
• Cultivate relationships with Elders and community members.
• Oversee financial and operational strategies.

Skills

Leadership

Relationship Building

Cultural Safety

Problem Solving

Communication

Education

MA in a relevant field or equivalent

Job description

Dechinta has engaged Evenings & Weekends Consulting to collaborate on the recruitment process for their next Executive Director. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Laëtitia Eyssartel, Managing Director at Evenings & Weekends Consulting, by email at [e-mail] or apply by clicking on here.

About Dechinta

The Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning is an Indigenous land-based initiative delivering accredited post-secondary education and research experiences in the North. Led by northern Indigenous experts, Dechinta aims to engage students, researchers and community members in transformative academic programs based on the unique needs of Indigenous communities in the north. Our work is centered around three main pillars: Land-based post-secondary accredited programs, research and creative practice and community engagement.

Vision:

Our Vision for Dechinta is Threefold

• to offer land-based culturally informed Indigenous educational programming designed and developed in the North, guided by the needs of communities;

• to create innovative training and research programs that are central to the development of an emerging northern research and knowledge economy; and to

• work collaboratively with community members, Elders, and knowledge holders to offer support in creating programs that foster community well-being and cultural revitalization in the North

Mission: At Dechinta, we are brought together by our care for the land, each other, and our desire to revitalize and practice Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Dechinta is dedicated to creating a future of Indigenous cultural revitalization through a reconnection with the land. Through our programs, we strive to create Northern Indigenous communities that are radically self-determining, healthy, sustainable, and connected to Indigenous knowledge and practices. We aim to ensure that the education we offer is accessible to all community members, including parents, youth, women, and Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ people.

You can meet our team here.

About the Executive Director role

This is a meaningful opportunity for an individual who thrives in supporting teams and organizations as they navigate growth and organizational change. Reporting to the Board of Directors, you will work closely with the Dechinta community to advance strategic priorities and bring the organization’s vision to life.

Dechinta is at an important crossroad in its organizational journey, and the new Executive Director will be key in supporting the organization in securing new short and long term funding relationships and exploring what’s needed to further deepen the Dechinta’s impacts.

You will use your people centred approach, deep listening skills, and draw on your past experience and networks to build the reach of Dechinta in the north, including with various levels of government and post-secondary educational institutions. As a key ambassador and representative of the organization, you will continue to raise the organization’s profile and deepen engagement with Elders, community members, academic & research partners, funding partners, students, and all of Dechinta’s key audiences and constituencies.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Provide strategic leadership and direction aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and values.

• In partnership with the Board of Directors, collaborate on the development of the strategic plan while ensuring budget, employees and organizational goals/objectives are aligned to mission and purpose.

• Oversee the development and operationalization of multi-year strategic and annual work plans.

• Cultivate a high trust and transparent working relationship with the Board with open communication about organizational performance and impact against stated goals.

• Working with the Board, to help support the development of an engaged Board, that is representative of the community Dechinta serves.

• Develop risk mitigation strategies and advise the Board on organizational liability and emerging risks.

Culture and relationship building:

• Cultivate and centre northern Indigenous knowledge, values, and laws into how the organization does its work and delivers programming so that the connection to culture and community is strong and resilient.

• Build meaningful, respectful, and collaborative relationships with northern Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, and communities to ensure that programs are informed by northern Indigenous values, principles, and cultural practices.

• Create a nurturing and collaborative environment that builds intercultural understanding and an appreciation for differences

Financial & Operations Oversight

• Implement strategies that build the organizational capacity to achieve established goals and objectives while managing for future growth.

• Guide organizational policy and framework development to support a positive, inclusive, and collaborative workplace culture where all employees feel welcomed and valued.

• Develop and implement appropriate fiscal, operational, funding, marketing, human resources, and technology strategies across the organization so that there is organizational capacity to achieve established goals and objectives.

• Oversee the financial status of the organization, developing short and long-term financial plans that support the growth of the organization. Develop and monitor the budget, develop appropriate strategies to mitigate risks and address issues. Ensure sound financial controls in place and ensure the organization is operating in a manner that is aligned to mission, purpose while supporting the needs of the programs, faculty, and employees.

• Ensure compliance with CRA, Corporations Canada, and other relevant regulatory frameworks.

• Lead performance management, mentorship, and development plans for direct reports.

Strategic partnerships

• Identify, build, and leverage strategic relationships and partnerships that enable Dechinta to achieve its mission and purpose.

• Collaborate with post-secondary institutions to develop highly relevant and timely programs that result in a steady growth of student enrollment.

• Secure, sustain and expand revenue generating partnerships that support existing and future program delivery.

• Build and galvanize networks of support and change coalitions on policy issues that have high impact on northern issues related to Dechinta research.

• Identify and develop relationships with potential community and funders, formalizing partnership opportunities on initiatives that advance shared goals.

• Act as a public ambassador and spokesperson for Dechinta

• Lead the development of public-facing communications that elevate awareness of the organization's work.

Program & Impact Oversight

• Support the Faculty team in challenging colonizing practices that have influenced research and education

• Support the creation of relevant, dynamic and engaging land-based and experiential learning solutions that build confidence, capabilities and resiliency of students, communities, and Elders.

• Support the Director of Programs with developing and implementing programs that support a positive student experience and are complimentary and aligned to the academic program.

• Stay attuned to sectoral trends and work with the team to identify future programming opportunities and academic programming priorities.

• Cultivate partnerships with a wide range of constituency groups and partners to amplify program impact.

Job Requirements:

• A deep understanding and knowledge of social, economic and political contexts that impact northern Indigenous communities

• Strong knowledge of cultural safety, trauma-informed approaches, and an ability to work closely with diverse Indigenous communities

• Prior experience in a leadership capacity in a non-profit/organization

• Demonstrated success in supporting organizations navigating change, including overcoming deficits and loss of major funding sources

• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing fundraising strategies

• Strong ability to build relationships & effective and reciprocal working partnerships with a wide range of constituency groups including Federal and Provincial governments, First Nations Government, academic institutions, and local band councils

• Well-developed leadership skills with the ability to work collaboratively with others, share leadership, motivate a diverse team in a hybrid/geographically spread working model

• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic plans and priorities

• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills to assess challenges, develop solutions and assess and mitigate risk

• A strong financial acumen

• An ability to navigate and address conflicts with tact, nuance and empathy, and trauma-informed

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills (English)

• Your leadership and approach is guided by and anchored in northern Indigenous worldviews, laws, and values

• Extensive experience in Indigenous land based education and research

• An MA in a relevant field or equivalent

Assets:

• Certifications in wilderness first aid, mental health first aid, PAL

• Ability to hold a conversation in an Indigenous language relevant to Dechinta’s communities

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

Compensation & Work Environment

Salary Range: $135,000 – $150,000 based on 37.5 hours per week
* Salary will be commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Time off & Benefits:

• 20 days of vacation per year, 10 wellness/sick days per year and access to paid culture and bereavement leave days.

• Access to a defined-contribution pension or RRSP/TFSA matching plan (7% up to $10k/year)

• Extended health and dental benefits

Work Location:

• The successful candidate will ideally be able to work on a regular basis from Dechinta’s office in Yellowknife.

• Travels within the Northwest Territories and to Ottawa are to be expected from time to time.

• Dechinta is prepared to contribute to reasonable relocation costs for the selected candidate.

Term: Full-time

Posting Details

The posting will be open until the position has been filled. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

We strongly encourage applications from northern Indigenous candidates, especially those that identify as women, Two Spirit, folks living with disabilities, and/or of diverse sexual and gender identities.

If you don’t tick all the requirements outlined above but are deeply excited by this role, we would still love to hear from you.

If you require any accommodations for the job application process, do not hesitate to contact [e-mail].

The Selection & Interview Process

• Please submit your application through our portal here. You will be asked to submit the following:

• Your resume

• A letter of interest, which should include:

• Your understanding of the issues Dechinta addresses, what connects you to these issues, and what motivates you to join the organization

• The relevant experience and/or skills you can contribute to Dechinta

• Your connection to northern Indigenous communities

• You will also be asked to answer some questions through the application portal

• If you are legally entitled to work in Canada

• Your postal code

• If you are from a northern Indigenous community

• Pre-screening: Candidates will be pre-screened in collaboration with Dechinta by Evenings & Weekends Consulting. This process may include scheduling a short introductory call with prospective candidates.

• First stage: Successful candidates will be invited to join a virtual first round of interviews. A second round of virtual interviews may be held if necessary.

• Second stage: Candidate(s) who successfully complete the first stage of interviews will be invited to meet the team and Elders in-person and may be expected to attend programming activities led by the team in Yellowknife.

• Note: Evenings & Weekends Consulting and Dechinta may only be able to meet with applicants selected to move forward in the hiring process, but Evenings & Weekends Consulting will provide an update on the outcome of the process to all applicants.
  
  

About Evenings & Weekends Consulting

Evenings & Weekends Consulting was created to support emerging organizations, activist groups, charities, labour unions, academic institutions, and community groups by combining our experience and expertise with theirs, as we work together to solve problems, seize opportunities, and make good change happen.

As a values-driven consultancy, we are committed to advancing equity, justice, and social change through ongoing collaboration.

We recognize that every situation, campaign, initiative, and project is different, so we approach each with the uniqueness and curiosity that it deserves. Our clients get innovative and effective solutions tailored to their specific needs.