Program Director – Northern Leadership and Treaties

The Gordon Foundation is a charitable organization with a long history of protecting Canada's water and
working in Canada's North. We deliver programs to support public policy development, implementation and
understanding by conducting and disseminating research, supporting leadership development, and providing a
forum for public discourse.
The Foundation’s Northern Leadership programming focuses on ensuring that policy impacting the North is
informed by northerners. This program builds on the Foundation’s history of supporting, mentoring, and
developing knowledge building opportunities for emerging leaders in Canada’s North and across the Arctic.
In line with this work, the Foundation runs the Understanding our Treaties initiative, which brings together
emerging Indigenous leaders to learn from experts about modern land claims. The cornerstone of Understand
our Treaties is its innovative Treaty Simulation model, where participants explore critical treaty issues from
caribou and fish co-management to impact benefit agreements. Understanding our Treaties is in high demand
across Canada as Indigenous communities and organizations are looking for creative ways of engaging the next
generation of treaty negotiators.
About the role
The Director will play a pivotal role during a formative time for the Foundation’s Northern Leadership and
Treaties programming, which includes ushering the Understanding our Treaties initiative into its next phase of
growth. Since 2019, Understanding our Treaties has built the networks and programming needed to address
gaps in treaty education for Indigenous communities, including through the delivery of 40+ Treaty Simulations
across Canada. Building on this success, the incoming Director will explore, evaluate and implement new
approaches to broaden the impacts of Understanding our Treaties.
Reporting to the CEO of The Gordon Foundation, the Director will lead a highly collaborative team to
continuously improve existing programming, while also building partnerships and funding needed to meet
growing demand. The team is driven by the purposeful impact of these programs, which the Director will guide
by providing material insights with a forward-thinking outlook.
We seek an engaging, collaborative, and strategic leader with a first-hand connection to Indigenous
communities, as well as strong relationship management skills, an understanding of public policy analysis and
development, government relations expertise, and experience managing staff and budgets.
 Only applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis) will be considered for
this opportunity.
 The salary range is $90,000 to $125,000.

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 The position includes a comprehensive benefits package.
 This is a permanent position.
 The position is remote or can be based in our Toronto office.
 The position involves regular travel across Canada and requires working flexible hours, for example,
during events.

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to info@gordonfn.org. Desired start is May 2026.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Only candidates invited for an interview will be contacted.
Key Areas of Responsibility
Program Design and Delivery
 Work with the President and CEO to develop a long-term strategic direction for the Understanding Our
Treaties initiative and other projects and translate this direction into implementation
 Work collaboratively with Indigenous communities and other partners to shape delivery of programming
 Manage program staff to ensure their success
 Manage program budgets
 Report regularly to the Board of Directors
 Report to funders
 Collaborate with Foundation staff on inter-program opportunities
Outreach and Promotion
 Work closely with Foundation staff to communicate the impact of the Foundation’s programming
 Develop partnerships and collaboration opportunities that will maximize reach and impact of
Foundation programming
 Develop and maintain relationships with representatives from different levels of government to explore
opportunities for funding and collaboration
Experience and Skills
If you don’t meet all the requirements below, we would still love to hear why you would be a great fit.
 Post-secondary degree in political science, public administration, Indigenous studies, development
studies, or environmental studies or comparable work experience
 5-7 years’ relevant work experience
 Program development experience
 A proven ability to build strong networks in northern and/or Indigenous communities, with various
levels of governments, and the not-for-profit sector
 Strong speaking and presentation skills
 Strong knowledge of human resources, project management, financial management, and program
evaluation
 Experience working with volunteer Boards of Directors
 Self-motivated and able to work largely independently