Graduate oskâpêw

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.

Reporting to the First Peoples’ House onîkânîw, the FPH Graduate oskâpêw provides guidance and support to graduate students and creates space for open studies and undergraduate FNMI students to explore graduate program pathways on a part-time and full-time basis. The Graduate oskâpêw leads program development, delivery, coordination, administration, and reporting. The Graduate oskâpêw also provides services, including systems navigation, advocacy, referrals, and collaborative graduate 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 connections to culture, community, ceremony, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and other support networks, both on and off campus.

Working in close partnership with the UA faculty, open studies, undergraduate and graduate student advisors, instructors, the FPH Transition Year Program Associate Director, the okiskinohamâkew, and an interdisciplinary team, the FPH Graduate oskâpêw engages and collaborates with FPH Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers (TTKs), faculties, departments, units and campus and community partners and agencies to ensure graduate FNMI students receive academic supports. The position also contributes to broader campus education, advocacy, and awareness regarding FNMI graduate students, reconciliation, and equitable access to academic support at the University of Alberta.

The FPH Graduate oskâpêw provides individualized, short-term support to FNMI students navigating concerns related to graduate studies, 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. This role provides strengths-based, culturally responsive, and student-centred support.

FPH Centred Academic Planning and Collaboration with FPH Staff, Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers

• Collaborate closely with First Peoples’ House (FPH) Staff, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers to strengthen culturally grounded wellness initiatives and continuity of care.
• Maintains daily communication with First Peoples’ House (FPH), Elders, Knowledge Keepers, FNMI student supports, and other culturally grounded campus services to ensure culturally safe and holistic care.
• Incorporate First Peoples’ House teachings and groundings, cultural practices, ceremony, and teachings into holistic care planning where appropriate and student-led.
• Support continuity of care through culturally safe coordination between campus and community supports.
• Strengthen student connection to community as part of wellness and healing processes.
• Integrate FNMI cultural perspectives into programs, workshops, events, presentations, services, supports and resources to connect and provide a space for students to participate.
• Guide FNMI undergraduate students through the graduate admissions application process.
• Provide UA student expectations, such as UA governance, the university calendar, student policies and procedures, academic guidelines, and deadlines.
• Provide graduate studies information sessions for students at FPH orientation, including presentations, workshops, and events focused on graduate programs, services and supports on campus.
• Provide graduate students with guidance on graduate-level program requirements and course selection.
• Provide guidance to graduate FNMI students through the convocation process.
• Provide tools, resources and referrals to support FNMI graduate students as they explore career pathways.
• Coordinate and attend external events to promote graduate-level studies to both open studies and undergraduate students seeking to attend part-time or full-time studies.
• The Graduate oskâpêw will provide coverage at FPH and support collaborative programs, services and support, along with FPH opening and closing of the building.
• Participate in campus tours with the Indigenous lead and FPH staff to promote graduate-level studies and FPH programs, services and supports.
• Build and maintain relationships with FNMI graduate students, both new and existing, to recruit potential volunteers.
• Oversee human resources by recruiting and hiring graduate-level tutors as requested by graduate FNMI students each semester.
• Promote FNMI emergency funding, awards, scholarships, research, and grant opportunities for FNMI graduate students, and support students through the application and proposal development processes.
• Attend the Fall and Winter Convocation Honouring ceremonies with Elder or Traditional Knowledge Keeper (TTK).

Advocacy and Equity in Systems Navigation

• Advocate for culturally safe and equitable services for graduate FNMI students across campus and in external systems.
• Support FNMI students in navigating institutional, academic, and community systems to reduce barriers.
• Engage with external community partners, including FNMI health services, Alberta Health Services, social service agencies, child and family services (if required), housing supports, and financial assistance programs, to coordinate wraparound care.
• Identify and address systemic gaps that affect graduate FNMI students’ access to services and supports.
• Promote equitable access to resources through advocacy and culturally informed navigation of systems.
• Respond as needed to racism and discrimination that FNMI students may experience, as well as to inappropriate or harmful behaviour between graduate students and supervisors, Teaching Assistants (TAs), and Research Assistants (RAs), by informing the appropriate key partners and stakeholders for direction and support.
• Contribute to the well-being, retention, academic success, crisis prevention, and equitable access to services for graduate FNMI students across the university system.

Relationship Building and Collaborative Partnerships

• Engage and collaborate with FPH Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers (TTKs), faculty, departments, units, the Office of the Registrar, the Indigenous Enrolment Management Team, the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS), Association of Graduate Anthropology Students (AGSA), Indigenous Graduate Students’ Association (IGSA), Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement (SAGE), and Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) Teams, the Health and Wellness Services (HWS) Interdisciplinary Team, the Student Success and Experience Units, Residence Services, Accessibility Resources, Faculty, Academic Advisors, and Instructors, communication and marketing, and campus and community partners and agencies to ensure graduate FNMI students receive timely and coordinated academic supports.
• Build new and existing working relationships and maintain continuous communication with graduate-level writing, librarians, tutors, university staff, and community partners to support the cultural safety of FNMI students and maintain a graduate contact list.
• Utilize UA Enterprise Applications, including Bear Tracks, Campus Solutions, Slate, HCM, Freshservice, Gmail, Google (docs, sheets, forms), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Canva, and Canvas, to ensure the successful delivery of programs, services, and support.
• Ensure all graduate programs, services and support documents, spreadsheets, and notes are saved on the FPH Google Drive and maintain a file management system and process.
• Participate in the Indigenous Recruitment Circle to support current and prospective graduate FNMI students.
• Provide feedback, advice, and regular updates on graduate retention, student groups, alumni, mentorships, and identify and maintain graduate-level I-STEAM on campus.
• Build new and strengthen existing relationships with university faculties, departments and FNMI communities in both urban and rural areas.

Student Empowerment, Autonomy, and Strength-Based Support

• Promote FNMI student autonomy, resilience, self-advocacy, and connection to community.
• Support FNMI students in identifying their own goals, strengths, and academic pathways.
• Encourage informed decision-making and self-determined engagement with support and services.
• Foster resilience and empowerment through culturally grounded, strengths-based FNMI graduate-level wise practices.

Documentation, Ethics, and Regulatory Compliance

• Operates within strict confidentiality and legislative frameworks, including university policy, the Protection of Privacy Act (POPA), the Alberta Human Rights Act, the Government of Alberta Access to Information Act (ATIA).
• Maintain confidential student documentation in accordance with university policies, POPA and ATIA legislation.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and secure documentation of assessments, interventions, referrals, and academic graduate-level plans.
• Maintain compliance with ethical standards, privacy legislation, and institutional requirements.
• Ensure responsible handling of personal and health information in alignment with professional obligations.
• Manage a dynamic caseload of FNMI students requiring short-term support to FNMI students navigating concerns related to graduate studies, academic planning, stress, housing insecurity, financial barriers, family and community challenges, identity-related concerns, systemic inequities, and transitions into or through university life.
• Participate in the selection of annual FNMI awards by serving on committees to review annual award documents and the selection process.
• Collect stories from FNMI graduate students to promote successes.
• Provide relevant communication and marketing by developing or recommending content for graduate-level studies to increase program awareness across open studies and undergraduate levels and to increase participation in key areas such as IGSA and SAGE, the FPH website, and social media platforms.
• Collect monthly quantitative and qualitative data for graduate FNMI studies and submit a report to the onîkânîw.
• Conduct an annual review of the program, services and supports by developing, distributing and collecting both quantitative and qualitative data on the success and challenges of graduate-level studies and programs, and provide recommendations pertaining to the experience of FNMI graduate-level students to the onîkânîw.

FNMI Education, Outreach, and Campus Engagement

• Contribute to FNMI education, outreach, presentations, and campus-wide initiatives focused on reconciliation and support for FNMI graduate students.
• Participate in training, workshops, events, and educational initiatives to promote graduate-level FNMI student wellness and cultural safety.
• Provide outreach and consultation to campus partners on supporting FNMI students with concerns related to graduate-level studies.
• Support broader institutional understanding of FNMI graduate-level studies, reconciliation, and FNMI graduate-level frameworks.
• Collaborate with internal UA faculties, open studies, undergraduate and graduate student advisors, instructors, the FPH Transition Year Program Associate Director, the okiskinohamâkew, and an interdisciplinary team, the FPH Graduate oskâpêw, engages and collaborates with FPH Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers (TTKs), faculties, departments, units and campus and community partners and agencies to ensure graduate FNMI students receive academic supports.
• Other duties as required.

• Master’s degree required, along with demonstrated experience in post-secondary student services.
• Is First Nations, Metis or Inuit with a strong understanding of cultural protocols and ceremonial practices.
• Preference will be given to individuals fluent in their tribal language (Stoney, Dogrib, Cree, Chipewyan, Dene, Inuit, Blackfoot, Ojibwe, Mechif).
• Holds community connections with Elders, Traditional Knowledge Keepers (TKK) or cultural ambassadors.
• Holds a high level of understanding of FNMI students, families and community members as it pertains to living within a First Nation community, a Métis Settlement or an Inuit community (fly-in communities, rural and urban experiences, 60s scoop, IRS survivor or first-generation survivor ways of knowing).
• Training and demonstrated competence in FNMI cultural safety, trauma-informed practice, and anti-oppressive educational approaches.
• Current First Aid Training and Food Safety Training.

Application Instructions

Click "Apply Now" to submit your resume and cover letter.

This role requires confirmation of First Nation, Métis or Inuit membership or citizenship. Selected applicants will be asked for documentation prior to attending an interview.

This position is subject to all applicable terms and conditions of the collective agreement between the Governors of the University of Alberta and the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package.