Chair

Position Title: Chair

Classification: Full time, 4-year term

Reports to: ICC Executive Council Members

Description

The Chair is the international leader of the Inuit Circumpolar Council. They are the public face of the organization, representing Inuit of Canada, Alaska, Kalaallit Nunaat, and Chukotka at international forums and in the media. The Chair coordinates the 9-member ICC Executive Council in their implementation of ICC's mandate, to be contained in the 2026 ICC Declaration that is given by delegates to the 2026 ICC General Assembly. The Chair is a consensus builder, ensuring that each Executive Council member and the regions they represent are heard and reflected in ICC activities and decisions. The ICC Chair's primary point of contact is the ICC Executive Council. The Chair needs to have significant experience in leadership, knowledge of international affairs and foreign policy, and international Inuit priorities. The Chair interacts regularly with high-level politicians, diplomats, civil servants, and community leaders. This position requires extensive travel around the world to implement the ICC mandate as determined by delegates to the 2026 General Assembly.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders:

• Act as an ambassador for the organization at high-level meetings and negotiations as decided and directed by the Executive Council. This may include attending the meetings of the Arctic Council, multiple United Nations bodies and agencies, and foreign governments;
• Maintain close relationships with key public and private sector influencers, partners and stakeholders;
• Engage with stakeholders and ensure the Executive Council is kept informed of stakeholder views;
• Follow international geopolitical news and events to inform Executive Council discussions and decision-making;
• Ensure the Executive Council receives relevant information in a timely and accurate manner;
• Facilitate change and address potential conflicts with external stakeholders;
• Maintain positive working relationships with Inuit leaders from Inuit Treaty Organizations, Native Corporations, Inuit governments, and other Inuit regional organizations;
• Ensure the Executive Council receives an external expert professional opinion when requested.

Mobilize people:

• Lead all meetings of the Executive Council effectively and efficiently, bringing impartiality and objectivity to the decision-making process;
• Chair the sessions of the General Assembly of the ICC;
• Responsible for the convening and chairing the 2030 General Assembly meeting, following the ICC By-laws;
• Ensure that the Executive Council members are fully engaging the ICC regional offices in fulfilling ICC's mandate;
• Lead the Executive Council members in ensuring that they assume their duties and responsibilities as set out in the ICC Charter and By-Laws, and decisions of the General Assembly contained in the ICC Declaration and/or resolutions;
• Ensure that all Executive Council decisions are taken in the best long-term interests of ICC and that all Executive Council members take collective ownership of decisions and actions;
• Provide leadership and strategic direction to the Executive Council, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages respectful open dialogue and constructive debate;
• Ensure Executive Council members have the required resources both prior to and after Executive Council meetings, including briefing notes, background documents and media, accurate meeting minutes, etc.;
• Cultivate, maintain and ensure that constructive relationships exist between Executive Council members and other Inuit leaders.

Achieve results:

• Early in the mandate convene the ICC Executive Council to develop a strategic implementation plan for the ICC 2026 Declaration, in accordance with the ICC Charter and Bylaws and in line with the current capacity of ICC offices;
• Consistently track progress of the strategic implementation plan for the 2026 ICC Declaration.
• Coordinate Executive Council meetings, ensuring agendas are relevant and effectively managed, with sufficient time devoted to discussion of each item;
• Coordinate the development of pan-Inuit positions on specific issues of international concern;
• Assist with fundraising to support of the operation and activities of the Chair's Offices and assist ICC regional offices in raising funds for their operations and activities;
• Oversee the Executive Council's effectiveness, ensuring it operates in the best interest of all stakeholders and adheres to principles of good governance.
• Lead regular reviews of ICC committees and their performance and membership;
• Ensure a transition plan is prepared and ready for the new Chair and Executive Council members by the end of the term (July 2030);
• Other duties as required and determined by the Executive Council.

Required qualifications – skills and experience:

• Proven record of passion and commitment to advocacy for Inuit rights and priorities, supported by an understanding of the socio-political landscapes for all Inuit in the circumpolar world;
• Tact and diplomacy, with the ability to listen and engage with a broad diversity of individuals, governments, and organizations;
• Experience in governance and/or experience in a senior strategic leadership role;
• Ability to accurately and publicly represent and express the views of an organization;
• Experienced in leading high-stakes meetings and large events;
• Strong ability to network, build relationships, and foster a collaborative team environment;
• Comfortable addressing large audiences and possess superior public speaking skills;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, with fluency in Inuktut is an asset;
• Experience with fundraising for non-profit organizations and some experience with financial management;
• Familiar with Microsoft 365, including Outlook and SharePoint;
• Discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality.

Required qualifications – other:

• Must be an Inuk beneficiary, recognized by one of the four Inuit Treaty Organizations in Canada under their land claim agreement;
• Must have a valid Canadian passport OR the ability to acquire a valid Canadian passport;
• Comfortable with travelling internationally, including navigating connections in airports and rail stations, by themselves;
• Able to cope with periods of intensified timelines and short-notice deadlines;
• Must be willing to work evenings and weekends when required for events and travel.

ICC is committed to providing an inclusive learning and work environment. If there is anything we can do to ensure your full participation during the application process, please contact HR at directly and we will work with you to make appropriate arrangements.

About ICC and ICC Canada:

Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada (ICC Canada) is a non-profit organization dedicated to representing the interests of Inuit in Canada on matters of international importance. We bring local and regional concerns on transnational subjects to international forums where high-level decisions are made on issues that impact our Inuit homeland. We promote, advocate, and celebrate the totality of our Inuit culture: our knowledge, our language, our art, our beliefs, and our stories.

ICC Canada is led by a board of directors comprising the elected leaders of the four Inuit Treaty Organizations. The organization is managed by an all-Inuit elected executive, consisting of a president, a vice-president international, a vice-president national, and a secretary-treasurer. Staff members are responsible for day-to-day operations under the direction of the executive director.

ICC Canada is one of four regional offices of the international Inuit Circumpolar Council, which preserves and promotes the unity of Inuit as a single people within the circumpolar Arctic and advocates on behalf of all Inuit. ICC was founded in 1977, when Inupiaq Eben Hopsen Sr. invited Inuit leaders from Alaska, Canada, and Kalaallit Nunaat to discuss how to provide united, consistent responses to address increasing challenges to the Inuit way of life. ICC is now a major international Indigenous Peoples organization.  It is a Permanent Participant on the Arctic Council and holds Consultative Status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council, to name just two of its high-level undertakings. ICC holds a General Assembly every four years at which delegates from across the circumpolar region elect a new Chair and Executive Council members, celebrate Inuit culture, develop policies, and adopt resolutions that will guide the activities of the organization for the coming term. A General Assembly is also a celebration of Inuit culture – dance, music, art, traditional tattooing, storytelling. Every 4 years, coinciding with the General Assembly, the position of Chair – the international leader – rotates from one region to the next.