EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Wellness & Community Support Liaison (2 positions), Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG)
Full Time Position
Location: Thompson, Manitoba
Under the supervision of the MMIWG Liaison Unit Director, the MMIWG Wellness & Community Support Liaison will design and deliver culturally responsive and dignified trauma informed health and wellness supports for individuals who have been impacted by the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people (MMIWG2S+). This includes providing emotional and cultural wellness support to families, survivors, and communities who are impacted by gender and race-based violence. These health and wellness support services are available to any First Nation people on and off reserve belonging to one or more of the 26 MKO communities.
A crucial part of this role requires a deep understanding of the historical context of Indigenous peoples in Canada and how it contributes to the widespread impact of trauma. As such, they will be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma, understand considerations needed to contribute to wellness, integrate knowledge about trauma into communications and settings, and understand how to implement these into daily practice.
Role and Responsibilities
- Provide and/or arrange the provision of short-term safe and culturally appropriate emotional and mental wellness support while respecting individual and family beliefs, traditions, customs, and spirituality;
- Develop and implement a strategy to support community outreach, record keeping and participant information management;
- Plan, coordinate, and deliver healing, wellness, and other related programming
- Develop healing and wellness tools, workshops, and strategies;
- Assist in Indigenous cultural practices and protocols related to land-based healing and wellness activities;
- Initiate, facilitate, and maintain contact with family members and survivors
- Coordinate intake procedures and work collaboratively with the team;
- Responsible for new participant intake assessments and developing intervention, support strategies, and care plans with the ability to match resources and services to the individuals’ unique circumstances;
- Integrate trauma-informed and healing-centred practices into service delivery, promoting strengths, choice, and collaboration while reducing barriers to participation and support;
- Assist individuals and families in developing wellness and safety plans, including setting wellness goals to cope with challenging emotions;
- Refer individuals, families and survivors to Elders, Traditional Healers, and Knowledge Keepers as requested, while providing ongoing follow up;
- Plan, coordinate, and facilitate in-person meetings with families and community agencies to ensure families receive comprehensive wraparound supports;
- Attend community events and gatherings in support of family members;
- Support individuals and families working with Victim Services’ Family Liaison Contact and Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) Family Liaison Contact;
- Provide support to families and survivors of gender-based violence during court hearings;
- Maintain full and appropriate documentation, including proper utilization of internal database;
- Partners with community agencies and wellness supports to provide healing opportunities;
- Attend inter-agency meetings and community events;
- Perform various office administration duties as required;
- MKO is a political advocacy organization that works to represent the leadership and member First Nations. All staff at MKO may be given other duties as assigned that enable MKO to fulfill the mandate and responsibility to its member communities.
Other Responsibilities:
- Commit to continuous learning on the issue of MMIWG, violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and exploitation and human trafficking, including best practices in supporting impacted families and survivors.
- Perform various office administration duties as required.
- Ability to work overtime, occasional on-call shifts and work in a variety of outdoor settings.
- Travel to remote/isolated First Nations communities throughout Manitoba, usually at very short notice.
- Maintain strict confidentiality as outlined under The Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) and The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
- Maintain compliancy with governmental Child Abuse Disclosure requirements at all times.
- Engage in educational and training opportunities as needed.
- Participate as an effective team member with all staff in scheduled supervision and staff meetings, remain up to date with current knowledge and skills in pertinent areas, and complete assigned projects and tasks on time.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) is preferred but not necessary;
- Minimum of 3 years of working in the field of human services with adults and youth experiencing trauma, grief and loss, mental health and substance use issues;
- Experience working within a harm reduction and dignified trauma informed care framework.
- Understanding of various aspects of holistic wellness and considers all components relating to a person’s wellbeing including emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, and cultural needs.
- Demonstrated decision-making, interviewing, and assessment skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, self-motivation and the ability to work independently;
- Strong analytical skills, including the ability to perform research, and interpret, assess, and synthesize information in a logical manger and use in practice;
- Experience in program evaluation involving a variety of data collection and evaluation methods;
- Advanced organizational and time management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities while working in a fast-paced environment;
- Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to build and maintain positive working relationships and work with a variety of people, groups, and organizations;
- Understanding of, or commitment to learning, First Nations traditional healing practices and models of wellness;
- Excellent written communication skills for the purpose of developing background information, presentations, workshops, training materials, report writing, and other related materials;
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office software and Internet research tools;
- Must possess a valid driver’s license and be willing to travel;
- Must be able to obtain a satisfactory Criminal Record Check (including Vulnerable Sector Search), a satisfactory Child Abuse Registry Check and a satisfactory Adult Abuse Registry Check upon hiring;
- Ability to comply with all MKO policies and procedures.
Salary is dependent on qualifications and experience
Interested applicants are invited to submit their cover letter identifying the position applying for and resume, along with 3 professional reference listings (include a most recent employer reference) by 4:00 p.m. on September 3, 2026.
We thank all who apply and advise that only those selected for further consideration will be contacted. Preference will be given to qualified First Nation applicants; applicants are encouraged to self-declare in their resume or cover letter. No phone calls will be accepted.
Incorporated in 1981 as the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO). MKO is a non-profit, political advocacy organization that provides a collective voice on issues of inherent, Treaty, Indigenous, and human rights for citizens of the 26 sovereign First Nations we represent. The MKO First Nations are signatory to Treaties 4, 5, 6, and 10.
Please visit our website at mkonation.com
