Minneapolis, MN

Position Title: Tribal Collaborative Project Coordinator

Organization: University of Minnesota‘s “First We Must Consider Wild Rice” Collaborative

Location: Minneapolis, MN

Organization Overview: Launched in January 2018, Kawe Gidaa-naanaagadawendaamin Manoomin (First We Must Consider Manoomin/Psiη) is a collaboration among tribes, intertribal treaty organizations, and University of Minnesota faculty, staff, and students, that prioritizes tribal views and needs as they work together to learn about and protect Manoomin / Psiη (Wild Rice). 

Position Overview: The individual will support the “First We Must Consider Wild Rice” Collaborative, an interdisciplinary partnership with various Upper Great Lakes region tribes working to protect and support Manoomin (Ojibwe) / Psiη (Dakota) / Wild Rice and its human and more-than-human relatives. Responsibilities include administrative, logistical, and communication assistance to further the project. The individual will be supervised by Prof. Crystal Ng (Dept. of Earth & Environmental Sciences) and will also have frequent interactions with other researchers and tribal partners.

Duties: 

• Engage with readings and other forms of learning (including recordings, seminars, etc) about the project’s background, tribal sovereignty and treaty rights, importance of wild rice for tribes around the Upper Great Lakes, basic ecology of wild rice, past and ongoing tensions between University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and tribes (especially around wild rice).
• Support for hybrid meetings, such as calendar invites, Zoom, and agenda creation.
• Support logistics for multiple annual project conferences or other workshops.
• Assist with logistical support for field work planning.
• Meet with the team through regularly scheduled and ad hoc meetings to help with coordination.
• Managing expenses related to purchasing and travel logistics. Communications (30%):
• Maintain email correspondence through UMN’s “Salesforce Marketing Cloud” database.
• Update and manage project website and social media.
• Assist team members with publications such as informational flyers, project reports, and academic journal articles.
• Assist with biophysical or social science fieldwork (may include overnight travel).
• Assist with biophysical or social science data analysis.
• Assist with drafting, copy editing/proofreading, and formatting text for publications.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Strong interest in working respectfully with Indigenous community partners.
• BA/BS or a combination of related education (e.g., AA/AS) and work experience to equal four years.
• Ability to comply with University purchasing and travel procedures.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong ability to work collaboratively within a team.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience and/or learning about Indigenous issues and community-engaged research.
• BA/BS (or related education) in a field related to Indigenous studies, natural resource science/management, environmental science/policy/law, and/or earth/geosciences/engineering.
• Experience with Google Drive and Calendar as well as Zoom.
• Experience managing a website and social media account.

Salary/Pay: $24.50 per hour

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.