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Indigenous Liaison

Indigenous liaisons help build and maintain positive and effective relationships between people of Indigenous (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit) cultures, people who are not Indigenous to Canada, and stakeholders who work for or are served by an organization that employs an Indigenous liaison.

Also Known As

Community Relations Specialist, Conflict Resolution Specialist, Dispute Resolution Specialist, Negotiator

NOC Codes

In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.

The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used.

Here is how this occupation has been classified over time.

2006 NOC

  • 1221: Administrative Officers

2006 NOC-S

  • B311: Administrative Officers

2011 NOC

  • 1221: Administrative officers

2016 NOC

  • 1221: Administrative officers

2021 NOC

  • 13100: Administrative officers

2023 OaSIS

  • 13100.00: Administrative officers
Duties
Updated Mar 31, 2020

In general, Indigenous liaisons promote cross-cultural understanding. They facilitate communications and connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. They may bring together people who represent Indigenous communities with people who represent their employing organization as well as government agencies and unions. They may also:

  • Arrange for consultation between their organization and Indigenous customers and communities and act as a mediator when necessary
  • Advise others in their organization about Indigenous issues, cultures, trends, and demographics
  • Suggest ways to establish and maintain good working relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees, clients, or customers
  • Work with others to identify and remove barriers to employment in their organization for Indigenous people
  • Work with community agencies to build awareness of Indigenous issues and support Indigenous employment and career development

Depending on the nature of their employer, Indigenous liaisons may:

  • Promote their organization’s services and policies in the Indigenous community
  • Promote their organization as a potential employer for Indigenous people
  • Facilitate Indigenous people’s access to their organization’s services
  • Educate people in their organization about prejudice against Indigenous people
  • Advise and help implement their organization’s strategies to intervene in and prevent cross-cultural difficulties
  • Identify resources available to Indigenous clients or customers
  • Seek respectful inclusion of Indigenous content in their employer’s programs and resources
  • Help develop and deliver programs and support services to Indigenous clients, customers, or workers
  • Participate in community activities and events to promote cross-cultural engagement
Working Conditions
Updated Mar 31, 2020
  • Strength Required Lift up to 5 kg

Indigenous liaisons most often work standard weekday office hours. They may need to attend evening or weekend meetings. They spend much of their time away from their offices delivering programs, acting as a community resource, and building community relationships. They may spend a lot of time travelling.

Interests & Abilities

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2006 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.

Administrative Officers

2006 NOC: 1221

Interest Codes

Interest Codes for This NOC Group
METHODICAL

Interest in co-ordinating office services such as admissions to post-secondary educational institutions, accommodation, relocations, equipment, supplies, forms, disposal of assets, parking, maintenance and security services; and in maintaining inventory and budgetary controls

DIRECTIVE

Interest in supervising and overseeing office administrative procedures; in administering policies and procedures related to the release of records in processing requests under government access to information and privacy legislation; and in establishing work priorities, delegating work to office support staff and in ensuring deadlines are met and procedures followed

SOCIAL

Interest in planning and arranging for the acquisition of administrative and office services

Your Interest Codes

To identify or change your interest codes, complete the Interests Exercise in CAREERinsite.

Reading Interest Codes
A Quick Guide

The interest code helps you figure out if you’d like to work in a particular occupation. 

It’s based on the Canadian Work Preference Inventory (CWPI), which measures 5 occupational interests: Directive, Innovative, Methodical, Objective, and Social.

Each set of 3 interest codes for this NOC group is listed in order of importance.

A code in capital letters means it’s a strong fit for the occupation.

A code in all lowercase letters means the fit is weaker.

Learn About Interests

Abilities

Typical ability expectations for this NOC group
Your abilities

To fill in or change the values for your abilities, complete the Abilities Exercise in CAREERinsite.

Mental Abilities

General Learning Ability

Verbal Ability

Numerical Ability

Visual Abilities

Spatial Perception

Form Perception

Clerical Perception

Physical Abilities

Motor Coordination

Finger Dexterity

Manual Dexterity

Understanding Abilities

A Quick Guide

You are born with abilities that help you process certain types of information and turn it into action. These abilities influence which skills you can learn more easily.

The abilities or aptitudes shown for this NOC group come from the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB). The GATB measures 9 aptitudes. It groups them into 3 categories: mental, visual, and physical.

The abilities scores range from 1 to 5, with 5 being stronger.

Learn About Abilities

Traits & Skills
Updated Mar 31, 2020

Indigenous liaisons need:

  • An interest in and respect for different Indigenous cultures
  • An interest in facilitating individual and organizational growth
  • An interest in building rapport with communities
  • Objectivity and broad-mindedness
  • Excellent communication skills, in person and in writing
  • Organization and time-management skills
  • Negotiation skills
  • The ability to work as part of a team
  • The ability to project a positive, professional image, on and off the job
  • The ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment

Indigenous liaisons should enjoy coordinating programs and services. They should be comfortable working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. These include Indigenous community leaders, government representatives, and managers at all levels of the organization.

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.

Top 10 Skills Employers Are Looking For

Administrative officers

2016 NOC: 1221

This chart shows which job skills are currently in highest demand for this occupational group. It was created using this occupation's 1028 most recent Alberta job postings, collected between Apr 15, 2024 and Apr 19, 2024.

Review these skills to learn:

  • Whether or not this occupation matches your skill set
  • What training you may need to get these skills
  • What skills to highlight in your resumé, cover letter, and interview.
Tasks: Establish work priorities and ensure procedures are followed and deadlines are met
Tasks: Review, evaluate and implement new administrative procedures
Tasks: Oversee and co-ordinate office administrative procedures
Tasks: Carry out administrative activities of establishment
Tasks: Assemble data and prepare periodic and special reports, manuals and correspondence
Tasks: Assist in the preparation of operating budget and maintain inventory and budgetary controls
Tasks: Co-ordinate and plan for office services such as accommodation, relocation, equipment, supplies, forms, disposal of assets, parking, maintenance and security services
Experience: 1 year to less than 2 years
Construction Specialization: Organized
Tasks: Administer policies and procedures related to the release of records in processing requests under government access to information and privacy legislation
Educational Requirements
Updated Mar 31, 2020
  • Minimum Education Varies

Indigenous liaisons need a combination of related education and experience. They must:

  • Be able to write concise reports, facilitate communication, and support group learning
  • Have knowledge about Indigenous communities, local history, cultures, and issues
  • Understand the field they work in (such as business administration, the oil and gas industry, or health care)
  • Understand their employer’s organizational structure, culture, and services or products

Some employers require applicants to have a high school diploma or 3 to 5 years of related experience. Others look only for applicants with a post-secondary diploma or degree in a field related to the organization’s business (such as marketing, social services, policing, education, resource extraction, banking). A cost-conscious attitude and computer literacy are definite assets. In particular, Indigenous liaisons should be able to use presentation software and related technology.

Experience with and acceptance by the Indigenous community is a definite asset. Job applicants may be expected to provide references from respected members of the Indigenous community.


To expand or narrow your search for programs related to this occupation, visit Post-Secondary Programs.

Completing a program does not guarantee entrance into an occupation. Before enrolling in an education program, prospective students should look into various sources for education options and employment possibilities. For example, contact associations and employers in this field.

Certification Requirements
Updated Mar 31, 2020
  • Certification Not Regulated

There is currently no provincial legislation regulating this occupation in Alberta.

Employment & Advancement
Updated Mar 31, 2020

Indigenous liaisons often work for large organizations. These may include school authorities, post-secondary schools, police forces, regional health authorities, government departments, oil and gas companies, banks, and large corporations.

Industry Concentration

This section shows the industries where the majority of people in this occupation work. The data is based on the 2016 Census.

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.

In the 1221: Administrative officers occupational group, 77.4% of people work in:

Employment Outlook

Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

  • Time of year (for seasonal jobs)
  • Location in Alberta
  • Employment turnover (when people leave existing positions)
  • Occupational growth (when new positions are created)
  • Size of the occupation
  • Trends and events that affect overall employment, especially in the industry or industries from the previous list

In Alberta, the 1221: Administrative officers occupational group is expected to have an average annual growth of 1.9% from 2019 to 2023. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 540 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.

Note
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For example, only some of the new positions to be created will be for this occupation. It also applies to other data for the NOC group such as number of people employed.

Source: 2019-2023 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook

This is a growing but still quite small occupation. There are a limited number of new positions created each year in Alberta.

Related Alberta Job Postings
Wage & Salary
Updated Mar 31, 2020

Salaries for Indigenous liaisons vary a great deal from one position to another. Factors include the size and nature of the organization, responsibilities of the position, and qualifications required. For example, Indigenous liaisons with professional qualifications earn salaries comparable to those with the same qualifications who are working in directly related professions.

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.

Administrative officers

2016 NOC: 1221
Average Wage
$32.61
Per Hour
Average Salary
$62,124.00
Per Year
Average Hours
37.3
Per Week
Average Months on Payroll
11.9
Survey Methodology Survey Analysis

Source
2021 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey

NOC 1221 Wage Profile

Unless otherwise noted, the data shown here is for all industries and all regions in Alberta.

All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production), and other forms of compensation.

To see the full survey data for this NOC group, visit the wage profile.

Other wage sources
To make an informed wage and salary decision, research other wage sources [pdf] to supplement this data.

A: High Reliability
Data Reliability Code Definition

High Reliability, represents a CV of less than or equal to 6.00% and 30 survey observations and/or represents 50% or more of all estimated employment for the occupation.


Hourly Wage

For full-time and part-time employees
  • Low
  • High
  • Average
  • Median
Starting
Overall
Top

Hourly Wage

For full-time and part-time employees
Wages* Low (5th percentile) High (95th percentile) Average Median
Starting $17.00 $39.32 $25.89 $25.00
Overall $19.79 $49.22 $32.61 $30.44
Top $24.04 $67.18 $40.52 $36.06

Swipe left and right to view all data. Scroll left and right to view all data.

* All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production) and other forms of compensation.

Pay brackets for hourly wages

  • Starting pay: average pay offered for entry-level positions
  • Overall pay: average pay across all employees in this occupation
  • Top pay: average pay offered to top-paid employees

Industry Information

ALL INDUSTRIES
Agriculture
Oil & Gas Extraction
Utilities
Construction
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade
Retail Trade
Transportation and Warehousing
Information, Culture, Recreation
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Leasing
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services
Business, Building and Other Support Services
Educational Services
Health Care & Social Assistance
Accommodation & Food Services
Other Services (Repair, Personal Services and Related)
Public Administration

Skills Shortage

Employers that Recruited in the Last 2 Years
20%
20%)
Recruiting Employers that Experienced Hiring Difficulties
18%
18%
Employers with Unfilled Vacancies of over 4 Months
2%
2%
Vacancy Rate
N/A
Related Post-Secondary Field of Study
  • Business, Management and Administrative Studies
  • Education and Library Studies
  • Human Ecology, Fashion and Food Sciences
  • Humanities and Languages
  • Social Sciences, Law and Religious Studies
  • Social, Community and Protective Services
Other Sources of Information
Updated Mar 31, 2020

Indigenous Works website: indigenousworks.ca

Ministry of Indigenous Relations website: www.alberta.ca/indigenous-relations

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada website: www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca

Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC) website: www.otc.ca

Get information and referrals about career, education, and employment options from Alberta Supports.

Updated Mar 31, 2020. The information contained in this profile is current as of the dates shown. Salary, employment outlook, and educational program information may change without notice. It is advised that you confirm this information before making any career decisions.

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