Aboriginal Professional Association of Canada

🌿 Looking for your next career move?

The IPAC Job Board is updated regularly with opportunities for Indigenous professionals across Canada.

This week’s postings include roles in mental health, municipal services, post-secondary leadership, housing, finance, and community programming.

Some of the opportunities featured this week:

🧠 Scientific Director, Shkaabe Makwa with CAMH
🚨 Municipal Law Enforcement Officer with The City of Thunder Bay
🎓 COO + Vice-President, Administration with Vancouver Island University
🤝 Program Coordinator with CMHA York Region
🏥 Manager of Quality, Patient Safety, and Risk with CMHA York Region
🏠 Accountant with Métis Capital Housing Corporation
📚 Rectorat with Université de l’Ontario français

These are the kinds of roles where Indigenous professionals can grow, lead, and make real impact in their communities and workplaces.

Browse the full job board here:
https://indigenousprofessionals.org/career-posts/

Tag someone who’s job hunting, thinking about a career change, or ready for their next step.

🪶 LinkedIn has features almost nobody is using.

And for Indigenous professionals trying to get noticed by recruiters, find clients, or build a following, these are some of the most useful tools on the whole platform.

I put 5 of them together in this carousel:

✅ The Services page (a search engine for what you offer)
✅ Featured pinning (your profile portfolio)
✅ Creator mode (turns Connect into Follow)
✅ Newsletters (long-form straight to inboxes)
✅ Private Open to Work (visible to recruiters only)

All free. All already in your account.

Know an Indigenous professional, entrepreneur, or student who needs to see this? Share this post and help it reach them 🙏

This week's job board round-up is live 🪶
Six new opportunities for Indigenous professionals across the country, ranging from executive leadership to consulting roles. Whether you're actively looking or just keeping an eye on the market, take a scroll:

✨ VP, Reconciliation & Social Accountability at the Canadian Medical Association (Hybrid/Remote)
https://indigenousprofessionals.org/job/canadian-medical-association-vice-president-reconciliation-social-accountability/
✨ Executive Director at Roberts Smart Centre in Ottawa
https://indigenousprofessionals.org/job/executive-director-13-11/
✨ Associate VP Research, Medical and Health Science at the University of Saskatchewan
https://indigenousprofessionals.org/job/associate-vice-president-research-medical-and-health-science/
✨ VP, People and Culture at Calgary TELUS Convention Centre
https://indigenousprofessionals.org/job/vice-president-people-and-culture-3/
✨ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant with the City of Thunder Bay
https://indigenousprofessionals.org/job/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-consultant/
✨ Manager, Economic Development at Coast Funds in Vancouver
https://indigenousprofessionals.org/job/manager-economic-development-2/

Know someone who'd be perfect for one of these? Tag them in the comments or send it their way. That's how good people land in great roles 💛

If you've ever stared at a blank resume and thought, "how do I even put this into words?" this one's for you. 🪶

So much of what Indigenous professionals bring to the table — like relational leadership, community knowledge, the ability to move between worlds — doesn't fit neatly into corporate resume templates.

But here's the thing. The language exists. And in 2026, with AI screening more resumes than ever, using the right words matters more than ever.

I put together 5 keywords that help bridge the gap. Words that get past the filters AND reflect how you actually work:

🪶 AI-Augmented
🪶 Cross-Cultural Competency
🪶 Relational Leadership
🪶 Community-Informed
🪶 Outcome-Driven

Full breakdown in the carousel ⬆️

Tag someone who needs to see this. And if you've got a favourite resume tip of your own, share it in the comments. Let's lift each other up. 💛

Pay Gap Reality Check.

New Statistics Canada data from the 2024 Labour Force Survey shows Indigenous employees in Canada continue to earn less per hour than non-Indigenous employees.

For core-aged employees (25 to 54):
First Nations off-reserve earned $33.37/hr
Métis in the provinces earned $35.67/hr
Inuit in the provinces earned $33.42/hr
Non-Indigenous employees earned $37.77/hr

The wage gap ranges from 5.6% to 11.6% depending on Indigenous identity.
Reconciliation at work has to mean more than statements and acknowledgments. It has to show up in pay, in promotion, and in who gets access to opportunity.

If your workplace has a reconciliation strategy, ask whether it includes pay equity. If it does not, that is the conversation worth having.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 2024.

Today, May 5, is Red Dress Day. A national day of awareness for the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people across Turtle Island.

Inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black's REDress Project, the empty red dress has become a powerful symbol of the lives stolen and the families still waiting for justice.

At IPAC, we hold space today for the families, the survivors, and the communities carrying this grief. Awareness is a starting point, not an endpoint. Real change requires action from governments, from institutions, and from all of us.

Wear red today. Listen to Indigenous-led organizations doing this work year-round. Support families. Demand justice.

Honour. Remember. Demand justice.

This week's Job Board Round-Up is live. 🔥
Six new Indigenous career opportunities across Canada, including senior leadership at the Weston Family Foundation, a deanship at Western University, and a research role with the National Council of Indigenous Midwives.
If you or someone in your network is exploring what's next, send this their way. Every share helps these roles reach the right person.
Browse and apply at indigenousprofessionals.org

★ Recognizing Excellence: Jenn Harper ★
Founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty, Jenn Harper, Anishinaabe-kwe, built her company from a literal dream.
In 2015, she had a vivid dream of Indigenous girls covered in lip gloss, laughing. She woke up and started writing her business plan. With $500 and a basement, she launched Cheekbone Beauty.
Today, Cheekbone Beauty is:
★ Sold at Sephora Canada and JC Penney in the US
★ A Certified B Corporation
★ Sustainable, vegan, and cruelty-free
★ A donor of more than $200,000 to Indigenous causes
Jenn holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Brock University (2023) and has been recognized on the 100 Women of Influence list.
Her mission stays the same. Helping every Indigenous youth see their enormous value in the world.
Tag Cheekbone Beauty in the comments to spread the love.

This is a question many Indigenous professionals think about when applying for jobs:

Should I include my Indigenous identity on my resume?

There’s no one right answer.

Sometimes it can help tell a stronger story, especially if your community work, lived experience, or cultural knowledge connects to the role.

Other times, you may want to keep the focus on your work experience and share more in a cover letter or interview.

The most important thing is that the choice feels right for you.

You do not need to over-explain.
You do not need to prove your identity.
You get to decide how your story is told.

Swipe through for a few things to think about.

Save or share with someone who’s applying right now.

A lot of people in our community are putting in the work, applying to jobs, and still not hearing back.

That can wear on you.

In many cases, it’s not about being unqualified.

It’s small details on a resume that make it easier for employers to pass over strong candidates.

We put together a few common things we see come up again and again.

If you’re applying right now, take a few minutes to go through this.

It might help more than you think.

Feel free to save it or share it with someone who needs it.