Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges

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This position is being offered as an Internal secondment or external contract with an end date of August 31 2027.

The internal deadline for this posting is December 18 2025 at 11:59pm.

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Centre for Teaching Excellence aims to foster teaching excellence innovation and inquiry by supporting instructor development promoting a community around teaching and nurturing a culture of teaching and learning at Waterloo. The primary purpose of the Educational Developer Indigenous Knowledges is to support faculty graduate student teaching assistants and postdoctoral fellows seeking to Indigenize and decolonize academic programs courses and pedagogy. Reporting to the SED Indigenous Knowledges the position will work closely with CTEs programming teams and curriculum team as well as interacting with staff from the Indigenous Initiatives and Equity Offices.

In the University of Waterloos Strategic Plan 2020-2025 it states We particularly recognize Indigenous students faculty staff and alumni. We are committed to learning about the rich history and culture of Indigenous people of this land and an institutional response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions calls for action. To enhance the effectiveness of this activity the ideal candidate will meet the articulated qualifications below and will be an Indigenous person (First Nations Status or Non- Status Métis or Inuk (Inuit). Lived experience in an Indigenous community or communities is required. The University is committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. The selection process for this position will follow the provisions for a special program as described by the Ontario Human Rights Code to address the underrepresentation of individuals from equity-deserving groups. Improving the representation participation and engagement of equitydeserving groups within our community is a key objective of Waterloos Strategic Plan 2020-2025. As such this position is open only to qualified individuals who self-identify as First Nations Metis or Inuit with lived experience of Indigenous world views cultures and values and strong ties to First Nations Metis and/or Inuk (Inuit) communities. We are asking each interested applicant to include a statement indicating if they identify as First Nations Métis or Inuit in their cover letter. Supporting documentation for membership/citizenship in an Indigenous community will be required and possibly additional information about community connection family and relationship to working with Indigenous communities/knowledges may be required if an applicant is invited for an interview.

Key Accountabilities

Consultation and Teaching Development

Plans delivers and evaluates faculty and some teaching assistant programming in support of Indigenous ways of knowing

Supports instructors seeking design consultations to enhance individual courses assessments and/or teaching and supervision approaches by building on Indigenization and decolonization frameworks

Supports instructors seeking to understand protocols for assignments visits or guests in particular courses

Sits on or consults with University committees related to Indigenization and decolonization

Collaborates with Indigenous Initiatives and any Faculty-based Lecturers in this area

Contributes to CTE staff member professional development and to other relevant programming offered by CTE as needed

Curriculum and Quality Enhancement

Provides consultations and programming in area of specialization to teams seeking to transform curriculum via redesign or new program development

Designs and facilitates curriculum exploration and/or program review for Indigenization at the Department or Faculty level for both undergraduate and graduate programs

Develops resources related to aspects of curriculum design and development including culturally-relevant assessment of student learning

Consults on embedding experiential learning approaches within programs

Relationships with Community

Connects with student- and faculty-facing counterparts in Waterloos Faculties and at the Affiliated and Federated Institutions (AFIWs)

Builds and maintains relationships with local Indigenous communities on behalf of CTE and the University of Waterloo

Networks with Indigenous educational developer community more broadly

Scholarly and Academic Contributions

Networks with educational development specialists at other institutions

Makes scholarly contributions to the higher education field

Represents the University of Waterloo at regional national and international professional meetings and conferences

Seeks opportunities to teach where appropriate

Required Qualifications

Education

Completion of a Masters degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent education and experience in Indigenous-specific frameworks together with knowledge of educational development and scholarship in higher education; PhD an asset

Experience

Relevant lived experience in Indigenous contexts is key

Experience teaching in higher education in any discipline is an asset

Background in educational development consultation and curriculum design

Experience with long-term individual departmental and/or institution-wide change management initiatives

The successful candidate will be First Nations Metis or Inuk (Inuit) Inuit with lived experience of Indigenous world views cultures and values and strong ties to First Nations Metis and/or Inuk (Inuit) communities.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Knowledge of Indigenous approaches to education Indigenous world views decolonization theories and practices the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and the importance of relationality/ community

Understanding of local Indigenous cultural contexts

Sensitivity to discipline-specific contexts and the challenges of change management in academia

Proven expertise in meeting and workshop facilitation and individual consultations

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively confidentially and autonomously

Quantitative and/or qualitative research skills together with knowledge of Indigenous methods and methodologies

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite familiarity with learning management systems ePortfolio tools like PebblePad

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research learning teaching and community building and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students faculty and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity anti-racism and inclusion. As such we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized including applicants who identify as First Nations Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit) Black racialized a person with a disability women and/or 2SLGBTQ.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application interview or workplace accommodation requests please contact Human Resources or ext. 45935.