FT Indigenous Food Sovereignty Coordinator (FSC)

Status: Full-time, permanent (funding until 2029)
Location: London, ON (on-site)
Hours: 35 hours/week
Salary: $55,680 to $69,600 per year
Paid Time Off: Vacation, health & personal days, spiritual/cultural days, professional development, and birthday
Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental and more
Pension: HOOPP (defined benefit pension plan)
Posting Date: December 20, 2024
Deadline: January 10, 2025

Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) is a diverse, dynamic, multiservice Indigenous health and wellness agency. We strive to provide quality, wholistic health services by sharing and promoting traditional and western health practices to enable people to live in a more balanced state of well-being. SOAHAC provides services to Indigenous people including those who live on and off reserve, status, non-status, Inuit, and Metis within the Southwest, Waterloo Wellington and Erie St Clair regions. SOAHAC has a mandate of ensuring that health services are accessible, of high quality, and are culturally appropriate. It is SOAHAC’s objective to build health care capacity within Indigenous communities.

Are you a knowledgeable and driven individual who is passionate about making a tangible difference? We are looking for an Indigenous Food Sovereignty Coordinator (FSC) to join our team at our London site. Reporting to the Integrated Care Manager and in conjunction with the Traditional Food Bag Program Lead the Food Sovereignty Coordinator (FSC) will be play a central organizing role in this Indigenous-led, community-engaged research that is designed to support and expand the current activities of SOAHAC’s Traditional Food Bag Program and food insecurity programs, by co-creating, operationalizing, and documenting a range of participatory land-based activities related to traditional foods (e.g., cooking classes, gardening, and hunting/harvesting activities), thereby planting the seeds for Indigenous food sovereignty for Indigenous people in the city of London, Ontario.
SOAHAC’s Traditional Food Bag (TFB) Program called “Minomode-zewin nunge-gehwin”, which translates to “healthy ways of eating” was created in 2021 as a response to the food insecurity needs of urban indigenous people, while also addressing their desire for more traditional foods in their diets.

Why work with us?
• Make an Impact: Your work will amplify SOAHAC’s mission, ensuring that Indigenous communities have access to vital, wholistic health services.
• Innovative and Collaborative Environment: Work in a multidisciplinary setting that values the exchange of ideas, innovation, and collective learning.
• Professional Growth: Benefit from meaningful professional development opportunities in a culturally rich environment that supports your career aspirations.
• Supportive Benefits Package: Enjoy competitive pay, a supportive benefits package, and meaningful time off to ensure your personal well-being.

What you’ll do:
• Program Functions: Planning, designing, organizing and coordinating activities for a series of land-based activities and learning spaces that expand the current offerings of the traditional foods and food insecurity programs at SOAHAC to create rich, well-supported spaces to grow and share knowledge associated with diverse traditional foods and traditional foods practices. Build relationships with local knowledge consultants, the TFB local advisory committee and research team based at Western University.
• Collaboration with Western University and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR): Outputs will support key learnings and best practices of the TFB Program, and they will be
shared broadly with varied audiences, including community health and health care practice, Indigenous academic and policy contexts. Examples include: yearly reports, recipe books, program video recordings, manuals and guides, participation in conferences and professional meetings. • Community Engagement: Create opportunities to broadly share learnings with community members.

What we offer:
• Cultural and Personal Development: SOAHAC offers a culturally supportive environment where personal and professional growth is encouraged. You’ll have the chance to make a lasting impact on Indigenous communities while building your career.
• Supportive Work Culture: Join a team that values collaboration, respect, and shared success. You’ll be supported every step of the way as you work to amplify SOAHAC’s message.
• Inclusive Employment Practices: SOAHAC values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.