Indigenous Programming Specialist

Job Title: Indigenous Programming Specialist

Department: Indigenous Programming and Experience

Position Type: Permanent Full-Time

Hours: 35 hours per week

Application Deadline: February 5, 2026

Beginning with the Land:
Heritage Park rests on the traditional territory of the
Blackfoot Confederacy:
Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, and Amskapi Piikani. The land carries memory, story, and responsibility. This role is not simply employment; it is a continuation of those relationships.

The Invitation:
We invite someone who carries their teachings with care, walks with humility and strength, and is ready to share, listen, and grow alongside community. This role is about weaving Indigenous voices into the fabric of Heritage Park, so that every visitor experiences not only history, but living culture.

Department Overview:

The Indigenous Programming and Experience Division is a new division responsible for all Indigenous aspects of our year-round interpretation (education/public programming), key identified special internal projects as the park develops beyond the encampment. Heritage Park is known as a museum in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited. With the development of this new division, we take Indigenous to a new level beyond museums. Positions include seasonal interpreters (First Nations/ Métis), lead hand, and Senior Indigenous Advisor & Programmer.

Job Overview:

Under the direction of the Senior Indigenous Advisor and Programmer, this position is part of a new team creating space and reconciliation action in the day-to-day coordination of interpretive programming. This position will focus on developing Indigenous land-based programming and with collaboration options to engage like-minded staff to research and implement initiatives both new and established. Collaboration includes and is not limited to internal stakeholders but will include Knowledge Keepers from within singular nations. The Culture of Original Knowledge (COOK) Circle meets quarterly with the growth and development of this new division.

Who You Are:

Under You may have walked many paths — through ceremony, through community work, through teaching, or through formal study. What matters most is that you:

• Carry your own story and teachings with integrity.
• Have experience working with Indigenous communities and building respectful partnerships.
• Are comfortable guiding conversations about history, culture, and reconciliation.
• Bring creativity, adaptability, and a willingness to learn.
• Organized, flexible, adaptable, and capable of independent study, exhibit mature judgement, and have a proven ability to work well with others; and
• Basic computer skills to use programs like Outlook, Word, and Excel and conduct research using traditional methods and online.
• All successful candidates will be required to go through an enhanced security check (Vulnerable Sector Screening if working with minors) as a condition of employment.

What We Value:

• Relationality: Working together, guided by respect, reciprocity, and responsibility.
• Decolonial practice: Moving beyond institutional checkboxes, centering Indigenous perspectives in decision-making and storytelling.
• Storytelling: Honoring oral traditions and recognizing that stories are teachings, not just entertainment.
• Community connection: Valuing lived experience, cultural knowledge, and relationships as much as formal education.

What You Will Do:

• Carry stories: Share Indigenous knowledge, teachings, and perspectives through programming, interpretation, and events. Know and understand the difference between Oral Narratives and Storytelling.
• Build relationships: Work with COOK Circle, Guest Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and like-minded community partners to ensure programming is respectful, reciprocal, and rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing.
• Guide learning: Support staff and visitors in understanding Indigenous histories and contemporary realities, fostering dialogue that is relational rather than transactional.
• Hold space: Create opportunities for Indigenous voices to be heard and celebrated, ensuring programming reflects diversity across Nations and communities.

Responsibilities:

Operational Support

• Coordinates Indigenous interpretive programming, including organization and delegation of work assignments, collaborating and obtaining input from the team
• Shares expertise and conducts research to support the development and implementation of Indigenous interpretive programs and new initiatives;
• Contributes to team goals through observation and assessment of programs, then collaborates to propose recommendations and implement approved changes in Indigenous programming
• Assists and provide expertise in the coordination of tours with Indigenous components as required, including suggesting appropriate programming and assigning employees
• Prepares materials and venues for programs including coordinating logistics with other Park departments;
• Participates in recruitment, training, scheduling, supervision, mentoring and evaluation of seasonal staff and volunteers including seasonal Lead Hands
• Identifies key areas from collaborations where key expansion beyond test areas can further develop within the Park
• Provides day-to-day feedback and takes forward performance successes to Senior Indigenous Engagement Advisor & Programmer;
• Provides information on areas for improvement with timelines for performance challenges a key factor for improvement with seasonal and lead hand staff;
• Collaborates with other departments specifically for Indigenous initiatives as required,
• Knowledgeable and/or fluent in one of the three Indigenous languages within Treaty 7;
• Can set up a Métis tent and/or tipi in either Stoney Nakoda/Blackfoot style or all tent and tipi.

Organizational Excellence and Wellbeing

• Contribute to inspiring and immersive experiences at the Park by engaging in Heritage Park initiatives that align with our mission and vision, ensuring authenticity in our historical setting and stories.
• Actively support a positive work environment by creating an atmosphere of inclusion, engagement, belonging, and fulfillment for employees and volunteers, in line with Heritage Park values.
• Recognize all contributors to our community as integral to our success, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.
• Demonstrate responsible stewardship of our people, collections, and financial assets by driving growth with innovation, transparency, and financial sustainability, while embracing our historical assets and recognizing all contributors.
• Demonstrate commitment to workplace health and safety by complying with Heritage Park's Health, Safety and Environment Management System (HSEMS), following safe work practices, reporting work-related incidents, injuries, and hazards, participating in employer training, and adhering to policies including the Code of Conduct and the Workplace Violence and Harassment policy.

Special Clothing and Equipment:

• Business casual attire is required when in the office
• Appropriate costuming and safety equipment will be provided by Heritage Park; and
• Footwear, as designated by the Heritage Park Costume Department, will be provided by the employee.

Special Working Conditions:

• This position will require the incumbent to stand and/or walk for prolonged periods.
• During off-season, the position will mostly work within an office setting. During the season, the position requires some work in non-climate-controlled environments.
• This position is physically demanding, and the incumbent must have the ability to lift heavy items, stand for long periods of time and walk throughout the Park for extended periods during set-up, delivery and take-down.

Hours of Work:

• The standard hours for this position are 35 hours per week;
• The schedule will generally be five consecutive days per week; but flexibility to work a variety of shifts, including evenings and weekends is preferred.

What We Offer:

• A place where your voice matters and your teachings are respected.
• Opportunities to co-create programming with Indigenous communities.
• A supportive environment that values balance, wellness, and family.
• Full-time, continuous employment - a commitment to walk together for the long term.

• Compensation and benefits that honors wellness and family, including:

• Extended Health Care

• Dental Benefits
• Basic Life Insurance
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
• Employer-matched Pension Plan
• Flexible work arrangements where possible.

Practical Details:

• Location: Heritage Park, 1900 Heritage Drive SW, Calgary, AB.
• Start date: To be confirmed with the successful candidate.
• Heritage Park is committed to employment equity. Indigenous candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We welcome applications from all candidates who wish to create and work in space creating Indigenous system options, open space for Indigenous Oral Narratives, and Make relatives.