Manager, Indigenous Research

University of Toronto; Toronto; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A Major Canadian University in Toronto is seeking a Manager, Indigenous Research to lead community-based and academic research initiatives. The successful candidate will cultivate strong connections with Indigenous communities and manage research frameworks that align with Indigenous protocols and academic standards. This role emphasizes collaboration and requires experience working with Indigenous stakeholders. Applications from diverse candidates are encouraged.

Qualifications

• Four years of relevant experience working with Indigenous communities.
• Strong understanding of systemic issues facing Indigenous communities.
• Significant knowledge of academic research environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop community-based research frameworks across subprojects.
• Oversee implementation of community-specific research.
• Strengthen relationships between subprojects and stakeholders.

Skills

Relationship building with Indigenous communities

Research grant development

Understanding of Indigenous culture and protocols

Excellent communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

Master's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

MS Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Teams

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Date Posted: 12/19/2025

Position Number: 00058609

Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

About us

Transforming Chemical Risk Management with Indigenous Expertise (CMITEx) is a new, ambitious, collaborative research initiative that seeks to re-envision chemical risk management with implications for pollution and climate change. The project brings Indigenous research methods to the challenge of profoundly transforming chemical risk management in Indigenous community-based practice, university labs and classes, regulatory practices, and policy development. This large, interinstitutional research project brings together 20 researchers and collaborators from institutions in Canada and Aotearoa (New Zealand), putting Indigenous experts as leaders in designing how chemical risk is evaluated and managed. It is a six-year-long collaborative effort supported by $22 million through the federal New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF). Our project puts Indigenous knowledges at the forefront of how chemical risk is managed in communities, research design, and policy in this urgent time of environmental change. You will be working with the project leadership team of M. Murphy (NPI, University of Toronto, Susan Chiblow (Guelph University), and Gunilla Öberg (UBC).

This position will be hosted at the TechnoscienceResearch Unit (TRU) at the University of Toronto, an Indigenous-led home for critical and creative research on the politics of technoscience with an emphasis on environment and data. Led by M. Murphy and Kristen Bos, the TRU has an internationally recognized focus on Indigenous STS, Indigenous Environmental Data Justice, and Indigenous approaches to chemicals and sustainability. The TRU is the administrative home for stewarding this project.

Your opportunity

Manager, Indigenous Research is responsible for developing, maintaining, and contributing to the development of our community-based and academic research, including building strong connections with Indigenous experts, communities, and organizations involved in the project as well as with governmental partners towards our project's objectives. The Manager, Indigenous Research will do some travel nationally and internationally to work with subprojects and partners. To align with our strategic priorities, and the specificities of this role, we encourage individuals from Indigenous communities to apply.

Your responsibilities will include

• Development of overall research framework across subprojects that combines Indigenous community-based research methods and academic research, guides translation, planning and implementation of Indigenous research project phases, and supports supervision of student researchers and postdoctoral fellows, with a focus on community-based research across multiple communities in Canada and New Zealand representing multiple nations, and across multiple institutions.
• Plan and oversee the implementation of community-specific research in the subprojects in aligns with governance protocols relevant to each community; that the Indigenous consent processes implemented are relevant for each community; the development and implementation of research agreements; the implementation of Data Sovereignty agreements; that the gathering of knowledge on and application of community-specific Indigenous cultural protocols are relevant to the project
• Guide and assist the development and implementation of institutional ethics protocols, provide planning and support in the development and dissemination of new Indigenous methods specific to chemical risk management.
• Build and strengthen relationships between subprojects – including lab coordinators, students, postdoctoral fellows, community researchers, and PIs - stakeholders and partners of strategic importance, supporting subproject collaboration between Indigenous practices and academic practices, Indigenous communities and institutions, supporting PIs and subprojects with liaising with Indigenous governments, organizations, community members, Elders, faculty, Indigenous students, and other collaborators through Indigenous research protocols, within the larger project in Canada and internationally.
• Developing or modifying project schedules to successfully guide the critical path to meet research project timelines, coordinating tasks for projects and other strategic initiatives with stakeholders
• Tracking and monitoring research activities, creating reporting tools to translate and bridge community and Indigenous knowledges with academic reporting, checking that projects adhere to ethical and privacy requirements
• Supervising community research staff at TRU, liaising and supporting community research staff across subprojects.

Essential Qualifications

• Master's degree or acceptable combination of equivalent experience
• Four (4) years' relevant experience working with Indigenous communities and peoples in a community-based research or post-secondary environment.
• Experience cultivating and maintaining relationships with community stakeholders including Indigenous organizations, Elders and Knowledge Keepers
• Significant knowledge of academic research environment, government and industry environment as relates to research
• Knowledge of key international research opportunities, grants, partnerships and of trends in academic research in a global context.
• Strong understanding of Indigenous culture and protocols, systemic barriers to access and success
• Effective research grant development skills with ability to understand and synthesize data from multiple sources, able to compile and present results.
• Ability to maintain stakeholder relationships using a deep understanding of complex issues and with demonstrated sensitivity and tact, ability to exercise tact, diplomacy and sensitivity, especially in cross-cultural and international environments.
• Strong understanding of systemic issues facing Indigenous communities
• Excellent listening skills, communication skills, written and verbal
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple competing priorities and deadlines
• Strong proficiency with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams.

Assets (Nonessential)

• Knowing an Indigenous language, or knowledge of the diversity of Indigenous languages
• Prior experience working with policies regarding Indigenous data sovereignty, such as OCAP and CARE
• Having familiarity with public debates surrounding chemical risk and/ or environmental issues of high relevance to Indigenous people, communities, or organizations

To be successful in this role you will be

• Accountable
• Motivated self-learner
• Organized
• Self-directed

Closing Date: 12/19/2025, 11:59PM ET

Employee Group: USW

Lived Experience Statement

Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.

Diversity Statement

The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission. As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see http://uoft.me/UP.

Accessibility Statement

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission. The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact [e-mail].