Full-Time Research Fellow Opportunity: Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society (VAFCS)

Research Fellow Opportunity (Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society (VAFCS))

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Salary: Range $30 CAD per hour

Duration: 2 years

Location: Metro Vancouver, BC (Hybrid job, at least 3 days on-site)

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The VAFCS Research Fellow will be responsible for playing a key role in conducting community-engaged research aimed at understanding experiences and barriers faced by social workers supporting survivors of gender-based violence, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifying policy pathways.

This research project is implemented through a partnership between the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society and the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society. This position will be based at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre (1607 E Hastings Street, Vancouver), and will involve working closely with other project team members, community research partners, and non-profit organizations in Metro Vancouver.

Qualified Aboriginal applicants will be given preference (in accordance with Section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code).

The Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society (VAFCS) is a non-profit community-led charitable organization serving the Urban Aboriginal community with a mandate to provide programs and services that will contribute to the cultural, educational, social, economic, and recreational development of Urban Aboriginal people. The Society manages over twenty programs through four locations in Vancouver aimed at creating a meaningful change of the Aboriginal population it serves.

The Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics, and Society (PIPPS) at Simon Fraser University is an interdisciplinary research institute focused on strengthening British Columbia’s capability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to major infectious disease events. Through its Health and Social Inequities Theme, PIPPS aims at identifying health and social inequities and assisting in identifying promising policy approaches to prevent or reduce risk of social and economic inequities in future pandemics. The Institute is based at Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Science in Burnaby.

RESEARCH FELLOW RESPONSIBILITIES

RESEARCH

• Undertake secondary and primary research activities.
• Conduct and analyse qualitative research including literature review, focus group discussions and interviews.
• Keep accurate records relating to research activities.
• Provide project management and administrative support as required.
• Draft outputs and deliverables reporting on research findings including project report and policy briefs.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Assist in establishing and maintaining effective work relationships with community research partners and nonprofit organizations across Metro Vancouver including through community mapping and outreach activities.
• Participate in developing and implementing strategies to engage community partners throughout research in a meaningful way.
• Participate in developing and implementing knowledge translation plans tailored to specific audiences and partners.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Undergraduate degree (Graduate degree preferred) in social sciences and related areas (e.g., Sociology, Gender Studies, Health Sciences, Public Policy, Anthropology)
• 1–3 years experience conducting research related to social and/or health inequities.
• 1–3 years experience working collaboratively in project teams.
• Demonstrated skills working in an organized and self-directed fashion.
• Effective written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong project management and organizational skills (planning, scheduling, and coordinating).
• Ability to use sound judgment, consistent logic, rationality, and objectivity in decision-making.
• Experience conducting community-engaged research.
• Experience liaising with partners from non-profit and government organisations including Indigenous organizations.
• Exceptional writing skills for community, policy, and academic audiences.
• Understanding of social, economic, and political issues affecting marginalized communities, especially Aboriginal peoples.
• Understanding issues and concepts around decolonization, anti-oppression, intersectionality, etc.
• Understanding issues around gender-based violence and existing support structures.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please send a cover letter and CV to HR@vafcs.org

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis from October 20, 2023, until the position is filled.