Available as a word (.docx) file here: UTF-8Director of Natural Resouces April 2025

Employment Opportunity Natural Resources Director (Full-time)

The Natural Resources Director (NRD) is a key management position within Saint Marys First Nation, responsible for overseeing all St. Mary’s First Nation’s Natural Resources and providing a strategic direction. This will be achieved by supervision of staff and contractors, tracking and reporting on the progress made, arranging meetings and other logistics.   The NRD is responsible for undertaking all work in a safe, positive, professional, and timely manner in liaising with SMFN’s Chief and Council, staff, Elders, community members, government agencies, other First Nations, industry, and other land users with respect to all the Natural Resources Department activities and instilling this culture with all staff under the NRD’s direction.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Natural Resources Director (NRD) shall be responsible for the following specific actions on behalf of the St. Mary’s First Nations (SMFN):

• Manage safety and promote a safe work environment for the Natural Resources Department and ensure all staff have the necessary training, safety resources and knowledge to conduct their work in a safe manner and ensure that the NRd and all staff adhere to and follow safe work policies and procedures.
• Direct supervisors to Forestry, Fisheries and AFS Programs to provide leadership and guidance to maintain a positive image and productive and solution-oriented working relationships by the department with SMFN Chief and Council, staff, Elders, and community members including youth;
• Work with SMFN Chief and Council, SMFN Natural Resource Working Group (Fisheries, Forestry, Lands) staff, Elders and community members including youth to ensure that SMFN’s Aboriginal Rights and Title and traditions and practices on behalf of SMFN members as a collective are protected, preserved and any effects from developments and/or land-based activities are minimized or mitigated
• Ensure that SMFN Chief and Council are kept informed in a timely manner of any potential infringements of SMFN members’ Aboriginal Rights and Title and traditions and practices along with recommendations to address the potential infringements
• Develop annual NRD operating, capital and project budgets in collaboration with the SMFN Natural Resource Working Group (Fisheries, Forestry, Lands) for review and approval of direct supervisor and/or SMFN Chief and Council
• Ensure all government land and resource referrals are responded to including but not limited to license, lease and permit applications (e.g. guide outfitters, trappers, back-country recreation, cabin and land occupancy permits, etc.), management plans (e.g. wildfire protection plans, range management plans, wildlife management plans (e.g. caribou and moose recovery initiatives), etc.), hunting and fish allocations (e.g. limited entry hunt allocation 5 year periodic reviews and fish catch allowances), highway maintenance plans and other government programs and initiatives in a timely professional manner that is within SMFN and its members best interests and take action to address SMFN collective members’ interests in consultation with the SMFN Working Group and/or Chief and Council
• Participate in strategic planning initiatives and act as a liaison between each initiative including the SMFN Community Comprehensive Plan, Emergency Response and Fire Recovery Planning and the SMFN Natural Resource Working Group.
• Coordinate engagement of other SMFN members in government initiatives such as moose, deer, and fish species inventory estimates and counts including annual fish and fish net counts in a fair and transparent process.
• Liaise and collaborate with WNNB on the Lands and Resources Committee and other organizations on natural resource initiatives including but not limited to participating in the Aboriginal Fish Strategy DFO and/or the to further SMFN’s members collective best interests in concert with the Chief and Council
• Work with the SMFN Natural Resource Working Group to develop a Natural resource funding strategy, to enable SMFN have expert participation, for review and approval by Chief and Council. The NRd will seek funding from government, industry, non-profit and other programs and initiatives to further SMFN’s resource management initiatives and programs to better SMFN members’ collective well-being including but not limited to species at risk legislation, caribou/moose recovery initiatives, SMFN Working Group, wildlife management improvement and habitat conservation, integrated engagement and other initiatives
• Oversee the maintenance of an accurate and up-to-date database of information, GIS Mapping, files and records of all referrals, permit applications, programs and initiatives occurring on and affecting lands, waters and resources within SMFN’s TT.
• Consult as directed with SMFN Elders, general membership, families and youth for advice and wisdom in an open and/or confidential manner with respect to planned resource based activities that may have any adverse effect on the environment, lands, water, air, wildlife, culturally important and/or spiritually sensitive areas used by SMFN members and incorporate this information as appropriate to further SMFN members’ individual and/or collective best interests with regards to planned resource based activities
• Obtain and keep current, all necessary maps, aerial photographs, charts, studies and other information in an organized filing system (GIS and on-line) relating to lands within SMFN reserves This is a priority action/initiative for SMFN First Nation.
• Present public reports and updates to SMFN members at SMFN internal community meetings as scheduled by Chief and Council and/or direct supervisor,
• Prepare, manage, and report any variances and actions taken pertaining to the Natural Resources Department annual and monthly budgets that the NRD controls

Qualifications and Competencies

-Post-secondary degree in Natural Resources or a minimum of 6 years of experience in the field

-Maliseet language is an asset but is not required

-Experience dealing with government affairs and regulatory review processes, record keeping, conflict resolution, negotiations and excellent communications skills

-Experience working with Aboriginal communities

-Experience with community engagement

– Ability to Budget and maintain accurate records

-Ability to multi-task, adapt in a flexible and fast-paced environment, and complete work with minimal supervision

-Strong research, analysis and report/proposal writing skills, plus organisational and project management skills

-Working knowledge of Microsoft software programs (MS Word, Adobe, Excel)

– Management experience

please provide Resume and Cover Letter to the St. Mary’s Human Resources Department by Monday May 6^th, 2025.

Email to:  cassandracarr@smfn.ca

Drop off on 3rd Floor, 150 Cliffe Street, Fredericton, NB, E3A 0A1 (Human Resource Department)