Indigenous Relations Program Lead

About the role

The Indigenous Relations Program Manager coordinates and supports Museum of the Rockies' Indigenous relations work across departments. This position helps sustain respectful, reciprocal, and accountable relationships with Native Nations, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, Indigenous artists, cultural representatives, contributors, and community partners.

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate Indigenous relations work that fosters respectful, reciprocal relationships with Native Nations, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, designated tribal representatives, Indigenous artists, cultural advisors, contributors, and community partners.
• Serve as a primary point of coordination for Indigenous relations across Cultural History, Collections, Paleontology, Education, Exhibits, and Public Programming.
• Oversee tribal relations to ensure equitable opportunities are provided for all willing tribes in MOR’s geographic region in working with MOR activities.
• Coordinate with MOR Departments for tribal visitation support processes, including scheduling, correspondence, agenda preparation, meeting materials, travel logistics, documentation, and follow-up.
• Coordinate with Cultural History, Collections, and the Associate Curator of Indigenous History to support research, documentation, collections care, and exhibit development related to Indigenous cultural items, histories, and community priorities.
• Coordinate with Paleontology staff on Indigenous relations needs related to tribal consultation, culturally significant sites, fieldwork, research communication, interpretation, educational content, and community engagement.
• Coordinate with MOR Education Department in working with Tribal colleges, K-12 schools, and governments to represent the needs of the Museum.
• Collaborate with relevant MOR directors and curators to develop and administer the overall oversight body that oversees MOR Tribal relations on all MOR activities.
• Identify and coordinate effective strategies for MOR’s Indigenous relations work, and track commitments made to Native Nations, contributors, artists, and community partners, across MOR departments.
• Cookout with MOR Education and Cultural History departments to conduct outreach to Native communities, including identified public cultural gatherings, such as powwows, conferences, and other significant tribal events, and report on feedback of tribal nations and communities.
• Represent the Indigenous Relations Program in MOR internal planning meetings that involve Indigenous relations, including project discussions, tribal consultation and coordination preparation, programming, exhibit development, educational planning, docent training, and community partnership work.
• Build a plan to present at conferences and scholarly venues to represent MOR Indigenous Relations Program to advocate the tribal relations process to museums, schools, tribal offices, and other requested education and outreach requests.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in any field.
• 3-5 years of experience coordinating projects, programs, events, meetings, outreach, or communications involving multiple stakeholders.
• 3-5 years of experience working with tribal governments, Indigenous communities, Native student organizations, cultural organizations, community partners, or relationship-based programs.
• Knowledge of the tribes within MOR’s geographic region.

Skills

• Significant experience working with Native communities, Native student organizations, tribal representatives, Indigenous artists, cultural workers, educators, or community leaders in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho.
• Established relationships with Native Nations, Indigenous communities, Native student organizations, Indigenous artists, cultural workers, educators, or community partners in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho.
• Experience in respectful internal relations with MOR Departments and staff members.
• Experience supporting communication between museums and Native communities, contributors, artists, students, cultural advisors, or community partners.
• Familiarity with Museum of the Rockies, including its departments, collections, exhibitions, programs, audiences, institutional priorities, and internal procedures.
• Experience coordinating tribal culturally responsive meetings, programs, visits, events, consultations, or community partnerships.
• Familiarity with museum work, collections care, exhibitions, public programming, education, tribal consultation, or Indigenous-centered cultural projects.
• Knowledge of NAGPRA consultation requirements for specific MOR staff.
• Knowledgeable of NAGPRA consultation requirements for specific MOR staff.