Indigenous Relations, Socio-Cultural and Community Planner

Are you someone with strong leadership and technical capabilities?  Do you enjoy building relationships and working collaboratively in a team environment with both internal and external stakeholders? Are you a thought leader, a trusted advisor and a problem solver? If you enjoy entrepreneurship and innovation, this opportunity is for you! As someone with excellent communication skills and business acumen, you will thrive in our fast-paced and agile environment.

Your opportunity

Our Planning and Design group is looking for an intermediate consultant with expertise in advising on the Duty to Consult and Accommodate, assessing and mitigating potential impacts to Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and/ or Interests, weaving Indigenous Knowledge into regulatory frameworks, and developing reconciliation frameworks. The successful candidate will play a key role in providing strategic advice, conducting impact assessments, and facilitating meaningful engagement processes between Indigenous communities and project proponents and supporting community engagement in Indigenous-led planning projects. 

You would join our team of multidisciplinary professionals which operates across the country and comprises environmental and socio-economic, policy, and physical, development planners; Indigenous consultation and engagement specialists; urban designers; landscape architects; and graphic artists. You will be a key part of our multidisciplinary group serving our Indigenous, public, and private clients on a variety of exciting projects across the country. 

The successful candidate will be based in our Vancouver office. We offer flexible work hours and hybrid work arrangement options to help balance the competing demands of work and personal life.

What your day will look like

Technical Execution 

• Lead and support baseline programs and effects assessments and mitigation development for Indigenous peoples, including Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and Interests and cultural impact assessments
• Lead and support the collection of Indigenous Knowledge, as well as socio-cultural and traditional land and resource use data collection
• Provide advice on current best practices and legal rulings related to the Duty to Consult and Accommodate (DTCA)
• Provide technical expertise and advisory support related to Indigenous Knowledge, Aboriginal and Treaty rights and interests, including best practices, cultural protocols and considerations, the integration of Indigenous Knowledge into assessment and planning processes, and other related matters (e.g., UNDRIP, FPIC, etc.) to project teams and clients
• Support, guide and develop resources to support understanding of DTCA and its impacts on Aboriginal and Treaty rights and interests
• Work with planners and project managers in coordinating and carrying out environmental assessments and permitting/approvals processes for a range of projects
• Lead the development, coordination and implementation of programs for Indigenous and regulatory consultation and work with our teams to prepare associated materials (letters, notices, etc.), activities (engagement events, meetings, etc.) and documentation (records of consultation, databases, etc.)
• Synthesize and analyze background document research, planning inputs, and engagement outcomes, including identifying key themes and planning considerations
• Collaborate with and support technical and professional staff from across the company and sub-consultants to complete project assignments
• Communicate with clients, community leaders and members, staff and others regularly clearly and professionally, both orally and in writing
• Provide mentorship to and manage more junior staff including delegating project-related tasks to team members with an appropriate level of direction, guidance, review and feedback
• Undertake project management and project coordination roles
• Support or lead business development and proposal work as required
• Travel for project work across Canada as required
• Other duties as assigned

Learning & Development 

• Commit to self-development and ongoing learning and professional development
• Contribute to the career development of supporting staff, including technical direction, coaching, and mentoring
• Contribute to Dillon’s corporate profile through active participation in professional associations and committees

What you will need to succeed

• A degree in planning, geography, environmental science or a related field, preferably at the Master’s level

• Atleast Six (6) to eight (8) years of related work experience, preferably in the consulting industry
• Experience with provincial environmental assessment (EA) and federal impact assessment (IA) legislation and various assessment processes
• Experience working with and/or for Indigenous communities in Canada in the areas of Indigenous Knowledge, traditional land and resource use, and socio-cultural assessments
• Experience preparing and delivering Indigenous consultation programs for a range of clients, including developing communication materials and program documentation
• Experience facilitating meetings and workshops
• Experience working with Indigenous communities and understanding of culturally-appropriate approaches to planning and engagement
• Demonstrated experience providing mentorship to and managing more junior staff
• Ability to work in a fast-paced consulting environment with multiple project demands and timelines
• Adaptive and responsive in the face of emerging challenges and opportunities
• Strong communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills - must be proficient in report and plan writing and able to prepare high-quality deliverables
• Versatile and adaptable with the ability to work in a self-directed, multidisciplinary team setting
• Highly developed critical thinking skills
• Professionalism and personal accountability for attention to detail, time management, and organization skills to achieve quality, schedule, and budgetary expectations
• A desire for continuous learning, professional development, and tackling new challenges
• Business acumen and understanding of the consulting environment
• Willingness to travel, as needed
• Able to work across multiple time zones, as needed
• A valid driver’s license

Compensation 

Expected Salary: $75,000 - $95,000

Dillon is including the salary range that we in good faith believe may offer for this position. It will be dependent on the successful applicant’s education, experience, and skills, in addition to internal equity and geographic region. Dillon reserves the right to pay outside of the posted range, contingent on factors unrelated to an applicant’s gender or other status protected by provincial and/or federal law.

Why choose Dillon

Dillon is powered by people who are technically proficient, passionate about socially important projects, and motivated to deliver superior, tangible results. We strive to remain at the forefront of technology and innovation, and are empowered to continually grow and develop. 

We live our core values:

• Reliability: words result in actions that build trust;
• Achievement: do the work to hit the target;
• Continuous development: always learning; always adapting; always growing;
• Creativity: discover new possibilities;
• Courage: do the things that matter, especially when it’s hard;
• Inclusiveness: enabling belonging to draw strength from our differences.

In addition, we offer:

• Employee share purchase plan
  • Dillon is 100% employee owned and share ownership is open to all employees.
• A competitive compensation package
  • Comprehensive health benefits
  • Generous retirement savings plan
  • Student loan repayment assistance with matching employer contributions
• Flexible work hours and remote working options
  • Dillon values its staff and the contributions that are made each day and understands that work arrangements can differ based on personal needs and business needs.  We are taking a trust-based approach to offer a variety of flexible and remote work options to help balance the competing demands of work and personal life.
• Learning and Development opportunities
  • As a knowledge-based business, the organic growth of our knowledge and skills occur through our work performance and roles. The creation and sharing of knowledge allows us to take local knowledge to scale, capture lessons learned through experience, and continuously improve service delivery. The development of self and others is an evident and measured core behaviour within our organization.
  • We use a composite approach to development including coaching to build the how, mentoring to share lessons, advising to round out perspectives, and co-creation of knowledge through internal, learning opportunities.
• Focus on Innovation
  • The ability to anticipate, examine, and adopt new and innovative solutions is a crucial driver for the continual and progressive advancement of our business performance. In our culture, people are empowered to reflect and question current practices and seek forward looking solutions to today’s problems and tomorrow’s opportunities.
• Employee and Family Assistance program
  • A variety of EFAP tools and online resources to support well-being are available to all employees.
• Wellness Subsidy
  • Our employees can take advantage of wellness subsidy that can be put towards expenses for a variety of health and/or wellness related activities such as gym membership, purchase of home fitness equipment, yoga classes  and dance classes

About Dillon

Dillon is a proudly Canadian, employee-owned, professional consulting firm specializing in planning, engineering, environmental science and management. We partner with clients to provide committed, collaborative, and inventive solutions to complex, multi-faceted projects. With over 20 offices and more than 1000 employees across Canada, Dillon offers a wide range of services related to building and improving facilities and infrastructure, protecting the environment, and developing communities.

Now operating for over 75 years, we continue to strive for excellence in everything we do. Dillon has been listed as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for the past 16 years and has the distinction of having achieved Platinum Club member status in this program.

Employment Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Dillon

Dillon is committed to the principles of employment equity, inclusiveness, and diversity within our organization. We strive to achieve a workplace where opportunities are based on skills and abilities and that respects and values differences. 

Inclusion is more than a word to us, it is the way we choose to run our business. Please connect with us if you require accommodation in the interview process. We would love to hear from you!

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