Métis Justice System Navigator

Albertametis; Town of Slave Lake; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful work in a supportive, team‑

Training and professional development

Job summary

The Otipemisiwak Métis Government is seeking a full-time Métis Justice System Navigator based in Slave Lake, AB. This role guides Métis Albertans through the Canadian justice system, advocates for clients, and supports them with documents, referrals, and resource access.

The navigator will work closely with legal professionals and community partners to address justice needs. Applicants should have a post-secondary degree in social work/criminal justice or related fields and 2+ years of relevant

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the Canadian Justice System and Indigenous justice issues.
• Understanding Métis history, culture, and communities is essential.
• Experience with report writing and grant applications is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Support and navigate Métis Albertans through the justice system.
• Maintain organized client files and documentation.
• Advocate for clients and attend court and legal appointments.
• Assist with drafting and filing legal documents as appropriate.
• Develop relationships with clients and stakeholders and share resources.

Skills

Justice knowledge

Métis history & culture

Grant writing

Interpersonal communication

Documentation & reporting

Education

Post-secondary degree/diploma in Social Work, Criminal Justice, Criminology, or related field

2+ years work experience in Criminal Justice or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams)

Job description

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.

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.