Social Worker

University-of-Albert; Edmonton; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Alberta’s First Peoples’ House is hiring an FNMI Social Worker to support FNMI students with culturally grounded, trauma-informed practice and holistic wellbeing. You will collaborate with campus partners to provide short-term, student-centered care focused on mental health, academic success, and community connection.

Reporting to the FPH team, you will engage in assessment, crisis intervention, care coordination, referrals, and wellness planning.

Job description

This competition is open to all applicants however; internal candidates and applicants who were former employees of the University of Alberta will be given priority consideration before external candidates. Please log in to verify your internal candidate status.

Location - This role is in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton.

Working for the Student Success Experience, First Peoples’ House

Is a place thoughtfully created with intention and care, and lead with sâkihitowin (love) ekwa
tapâtêyimisôwin (humility). First Peoples’ House (FPH) is a “home away from home” on North Campus for UA First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students; a space where learning is not only pursued, but lived, shared, and carried forward.

Here, knowledge is held in many forms: in quiet study and in spoken word, in the guidance of tutors and the wisdom of Elders, and with a warm heart of nourishment of community meals and the spirit of ceremony around every corner. This is a place to gather, to be supported, and to remember that education is a journey walked together. Within these walls, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) students are supported in every part of the FNMI student journey:

• Cultural Grounding: Elders who offer wisdom, connection to tradition, and teachings rooted in respect.
• Community and Nourishment: Access to snacks and shared meals that bring students together, supporting both physical well-being and belonging.
• Cultural Connection: Programming that honours, celebrates, and strengthens the FNMI community and ways of being.
• Personal Support: Dedicated staff who walk alongside a student’s path, offering care, advocacy, and encouragement.
• Learning and Voice: Guidance in writing and academics, where stories, knowledge, and ideas are nurtured and empowered to be heard.
• Academic Services and Support: Access to tutoring, academic learning workshops, writing mentors, librarians, and the FPH Kîsikwan (calendar).
• Graduate Support: Guided inspiration into graduate programs that outline services and supports.
• FPH Housing: Diverse, on-campus housing that provides secure, welcoming spaces for UA FNMI students.
• Financial Support: Dedicated First Nations, Métis, and Inuit awards.
• Transition Year Program: The First Peoples’ House (FPH) Transition Year Program (TYP) is an optional full-time program designed for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals seeking to enroll in their first year of university and to connect with the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit community on campus. For more information, visit uab.ca/fph.

Postion Summary

Reporting to First Peoples’ House onîkânîw, the FNMI Social Worker is dedicated to supporting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FPH) students at the University of Alberta through culturally grounded, trauma-informed, and relationship-based social work practice. This role exists to strengthen the mental health, wellness, academic success, community connection, and holistic wellbeing of FPH students by centering our ways of knowing, cultural safety, and self-determination in all aspects of care.

Working in close partnership with the UA Social Work Team, kise yôtin, FPH campus and community partners. The FPH Social Worker provides individualized short-term support to FNMI students navigating mental health concerns, academic stress, housing insecurity, financial barriers, family and community challenges, identity-related concerns, systemic inequities, and transitions into or through university life. First Peoples’ House recognizes the ongoing impacts of colonization, intergenerational trauma, racism, and barriers to accessing care, and this role will respond through strengths‑based, culturally responsive, and student‑centred support.

FPH Social Worker supports students through assessment, crisis intervention, care coordination, systems navigation, advocacy, referrals, and collaborative wellness planning. Services are guided by First Peoples’ House ways of being and knowing, and by perspectives on wellness that honour balance among emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. The role also helps students strengthen their connection to culture, community, ceremony, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and other support networks both on and off campus.

As part of an interdisciplinary care team, the FPH Social Worker collaborates with physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, academic supports, Residence Services, the Social Work Team, and community agencies to ensure that FPH students receive timely, coordinated, and culturally safe care. The position also contributes to broader campus education, advocacy, and awareness regarding FNMI student wellness, reconciliation, and equitable access to mental health supports at the University of Alberta.