Indigenous Liaison

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: Administrative Officers (1221) 
• 2006 NOC-S: Administrative Officers (B311) 
• 2011 NOC: Administrative officers (1221) 
• 2016 NOC: Administrative officers (1221) 

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

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.

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.

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.

The employment outlook [pdf] in this occupation is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• Trends and events affecting overall employment
• Location in Alberta
• Employment turnover (when people leave existing positions)
• Occupational growth (when new positions are created)
• Size of the occupation

In Alberta, the B311: Administrative Officers occupational group is expected to have a below-average annual growth of 1.5% from 2016 to 2020. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 362 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.

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

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.