Indigenous Rights, Knowledge & Land Use Researcher / Senior Researcher

The Role

This role supports research that helps Indigenous communities document, organize, analyze, protect, and use knowledge about lands, waters, resources, cultural values, historical and current land use, cumulative effects, and potential impacts to rights and interests.

The work may support:

• impact assessment and regulatory processes
• rights and title research
• Crown consultation and referrals
• hearings, tribunals, and submissions
• community engagement and verification sessions
• land and resource planning
• funding proposals and reporting
• and internal community decision-making

You will use Trailmark software as part of this work. Trailmark helps make research easier to organize, protect, verify, analyze, and turn into useful outputs. It supports interviews, participatory mapping, surveys, field observations, documents, photos, audio, spatial data, permissions, and reporting workflows in one place.

The software does not replace good research judgment, relationships, ethics, or careful analysis. It supports them.

At the Senior Researcher level, we are looking for someone who can take on the majority of day-to-day research delivery, including community travel, interviews, participatory mapping, analysis, client communication, and strong draft reporting, while working closely with Trailmark’s senior staff.

This role is collaborative by design. You will work closely with Trailmark’s senior research, consulting, software, and project staff, and will be supported in learning Trailmark’s methods, software workflows, and approach.

We are looking for someone who brings their own experience and judgment, while also being willing to adapt to Trailmark’s way of working. This position is open to applicants anywhere in Canada. Trailmark’s central office is in Victoria, BC, and a desk will be available for team members who prefer to work in person or spend time working alongside senior staff.

Responsibilities

Indigenous Knowledge, land use, and rights research

You will help design and carry out Indigenous Knowledge, land use, oral history, cultural heritage, cumulative effects, and rights-related research projects.

This may include developing research plans, interview guides, surveys, mapping methods, consent materials, and verification processes.

Interviews, mapping, and engagement

You will conduct or support interviews, oral history sessions, participatory mapping sessions, community workshops, field visits, and verification meetings.

You will work with Elders, Knowledge Holders, harvesters, land users, youth, stewardship staff, leadership, consultants, and legal teams.

Analysis and reporting

You will review and analyze interviews, maps, transcripts, survey responses, field observations, archival material, documents, and spatial information.

You will help prepare reports, technical memos, briefing notes, community summaries, presentations, regulatory submissions, and map-based products.

Strong writing is important in this role.

Regulatory and project support

You will help prepare material for use in impact assessment, consultation, referrals, hearings, tribunals, land and resource planning, and other decision-making settings.

This role requires working knowledge of Canada’s regulatory and impact assessment processes, the Duty to Consult, Section 35 Aboriginal and Treaty rights, and major Aboriginal rights and title case law.

This is not a legal advice role.

Trailmark software and data management

You will use Trailmark software to help organize research workflows, manage information, support mapping and survey work, and protect sensitive information through permissions and access controls.

You do not need to be a software developer. You do need to be comfortable learning digital tools and helping clients use technology in practical, respectful, and secure ways.

Project coordination and collaboration

Depending on experience, you will manage or support project schedules, budgets, scopes, fieldwork logistics, travel planning, participant coordination, client communication, and deliverables.

You will work collaboratively with senior staff and project teams to ensure Trailmark’s methods, standards, and client commitments are followed. You should be comfortable taking initiative, managing tasks and deadlines, and asking for guidance when needed.

We’re looking for someone who

Has experience with Indigenous Knowledge, Traditional Knowledge, Indigenous land use, land use and occupancy, oral history, cultural heritage, impact assessment, rights and title, or related research.

Can conduct respectful interviews with Elders, Knowledge Holders, harvesters, land users, and community members.

Has experience with participatory mapping, GIS-informed research, or spatial information, or is ready for training.

Can develop or support interview guides, surveys, workshop plans, consent materials, research plans, and verification processes.

Has strong qualitative research skills, including transcript review, thematic analysis, synthesis, and careful interpretation of narrative material.

Can write clearly for community, technical, regulatory, legal, and funding audiences.

Understands, or is ready to deepen their understanding of, Canada’s impact assessment and regulatory systems, Aboriginal and Treaty rights, the Duty to Consult, and Section 35.

Is willing to learn and apply Trailmark’s research methods, software workflows, templates, and approach to working with Indigenous Knowledge and sensitive community-held information.

Can take initiative while working collaboratively with senior staff, project teams, and clients.

Is organized, responsive, and able to manage multiple relationships, deadlines, and deliverables.

Is willing and able to travel to Indigenous communities, including remote communities.

Handles confidential, sensitive, cultural, spatial, and community-held information with care.

Helpful experience

Indigenous Knowledge or Traditional Land Use studies

Rights and title research

Impact assessment or environmental assessment

Regulatory submissions, referrals, hearings, or tribunal support

Community-based research, monitoring, or Guardian programs

Participatory mapping, GIS, or spatial data review

Survey design, qualitative coding, workshops, facilitation, or focus groups

Project management, proposal writing, budgeting, and reporting

Indigenous data sovereignty, OCAP, research agreements, consent processes, or knowledge-sharing protocols

Working with Indigenous governments, lands departments, stewardship programs, consultation offices, or legal teams

Experience using Trailmark or similar research, mapping, field data collection, or consultation tracking software

Knowledge of an Indigenous language is an asset.

You do not need to have experience or training in every area. We are looking for someone who is careful, capable, relational, organized, and willing to keep learning.

Benefits

Health spending account

Flexible remote or hybrid work environment

Option to work from Trailmark’s Victoria office

Vacation starting at two weeks per year

Mentorship from senior staff

Training in Trailmark software and research workflows

Opportunity to grow into additional project leadership responsibilities

Opportunity to work with a small team on projects that support Indigenous rights, land and water stewardship, cultural knowledge, data sovereignty, and community decision-making

Compensation

Researcher: $80,000–$86,000

Senior Researcher: $87,000–$92,000

Final salary will depend on experience, writing strength, project management skills, regulatory knowledge, software comfort, and ability to work respectfully and confidently with Indigenous communities.

How to Apply

Please send your resume and a short cover letter to ***email_hidden*** with the subject line:

Job Application – Indigenous Rights, Knowledge & Land Use Researcher / Senior Researcher

In your cover letter, please tell us about why you are interested in this field and your experience.