Scientific Associate - Shkaabe Makwa

Job Description

Shkaabe Makwa at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is the first hospital-based Centre in Canada designed to improve the health and wellbeing of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across Ontario by advancing wholistic models of mental health and wellness care that are rooted in traditional healing practices. We deliver care, co‑design research, and mobilize knowledge and tools to transform health systems and action community‑identified solutions to foster health justice.

Shkaabe Makwa is currently seeking a full‑time, regular Scientific Associate to join our team. The candidate will report to the Scientific Director of Shkaabe Makwa and will support a wide range of interdisciplinary and culturally safe research initiatives, spanning community‐based, population health, health justice and clinical research. The successful candidate will play a central role in supporting research methodology design, project implementation and coordination, data collection, relational partner engagement, and knowledge mobilisation activities across the Centre.

• Provide support and supervision for ethics approvals, data collection protocols and tools, data management, analyses and related research activities across multiple projects.
• Support planning and implementation of multiple research initiatives across the centre.
• Carry out and/or oversee research team data collection and analysis on behalf of the Project Leads, and review and analyse data to ensure quality and accuracy.
• Monitor and control project expenditures in accordance with project budgets and ensure accurate and timely reconciliation of expenses.
• Liaise with community partners, Elders and Knowledge Keepers who are partnering on research projects and ensure transparency, reciprocity, relevance, respect, and responsibility are prioritised throughout the research process.
• Create, manage, and monitor detailed work plans.
• Co‑develop accessible and inclusive knowledge mobilisation tools such as toolkits, newsletters, and workbooks.
• Support analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data and contribute to knowledge products, presentations, reports, and publications.
• Support Centre‑wide research knowledge sharing and learning processes.
• Participate in grant development, manuscript preparation and report writing as needed.

• Incumbent must be First Nations, Inuit or Métis.
• PhD in Public Health, Psychology, Education, Social or Behavioural Sciences or a related Social/Health Sciences field.
• 1 year of relevant experience in Indigenous health research.
• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, including co‑designing research that reflects lived experience and community perspectives.
• Demonstrated experience with interdisciplinary and collaborative research informing mental health and substance use policy and practice.
• Strong writing skills with experience developing reports, manuscripts, grant applications or policy briefs.
• Demonstrated ability working with diverse partners including Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Traditional Healers, service providers, system leaders and clinicians.
• Strong project management, organisational and interpersonal skills; ability to manage timelines across multiple projects.
• Deep knowledge of relational and culturally safe Indigenous research practices as well as Indigenous data sovereignty and data governance principles and approaches.
• Experience collaborating with diverse community groups and interdisciplinary teams, fostering strong, respectful relationships with Indigenous communities, healthcare providers and people with lived experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to working from an anti‑oppressive and anti‑racist lens, and ability to engage effectively with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Strong interpersonal, analytical and problem‑solving skills; able to manage multiple complex projects with exceptional accuracy and attention to detail.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain complex concepts clearly and effectively to a range of audiences.
• Experience supervising or mentoring staff and…