Tribal Liaison

This announcement is open continuous and will have ongoing screening throughout the process. 

Hello, we’re Metro! Metro is dedicated to shaping a better future for the greater Portland region. The work the people of Metro do every day benefits the lives of the people who live here, today, and tomorrow. 

Metro, the regional government for greater Portland, works collaboratively with communities to ensure a healthy environment, strong economy, and great quality of life for all of the region’s residents. Metro provides a diverse set of services, including stewardship of over 18,000 acres of parks, trails and natural areas; land use planning and management of the region’s urban growth boundary; creation of a long-term transportation plan and distribution of federal transportation funds; planning and oversight of the region’s solid waste system; building affordable housing and funding supportive housing services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness; and operation of regional visitor venues, including the Oregon Zoo, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts and Oregon Convention Center.

The Tribal Liaison will serve as a member of the Government Affairs and Policy Development (GAPD) team, which is part of the Chief Operating Officer / Council Office.   Reporting to the Director of Government Affairs you will work with a second Tribal Liaison working in the GAPD office. Both Tribal Liaisons will work across the agency with a broader, cross-departmental group of staff at Metro, which collectively comprises Metro’s Tribal Affairs program. 

The primary responsibilities of the Tribal  Liaison will be to support the Metro Council’s priorities through strengthening relationships and coordinating consultation with interested Tribal Governments; establishing and improving existing staff trainings in tribal sovereignty and self-governance, history, practices, and cultural and historic resource protection; supporting engagement with urban Indigenous community members in greater Portland; and providing occasional project management support to special agency projects.

The incumbent will also develop relationships with people and organizations with expertise on tribal histories, treaties, protocols, customs and traditions, natural and cultural resources, relevant economic enterprises, and issues of tribal sovereignty and self-governance. The Tribal Liaison will work with the Metro Tribal Affairs program to elevate the priorities and interests of Tribes and Indigenous Peoples directly to the Metro Council and agency leadership. 

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION                                              

At Metro, we strive to cultivate diversity, advance equity, and practice inclusion in all of its work. This means attracting and empowering a workforce that is inclusive of a broad range of human qualities. Workplace diversity is both a moral imperative and a business strength, essential to providing quality support and services to our region. Metro’s goal is to hire, develop and retain highly skilled and talented individuals across all departments and programs who best reflect the diversity of our community. 

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a field related to assigned responsibilities such as Native American studies, political science, public administration or anthropology, or any degree related to the job’s duties; AND
• Four years of directly related and progressively responsible experience providing tribal relations, government affairs and diplomatic relations, policy analysis and/or political communications services; OR
• Any combination of education, professional, volunteer and lived experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the classification duties and responsibilities.

The application packet: The application packet consists of the following required documents. Please ensure that you upload these documents in your online application. Make sure your application is complete, missing any part of these items could result in an incomplete application and will not be moved forward in the recruitment.

• A completed Resume that includes the details for each employer
  • Name of employer, working title  
  • Dates of employment; including if the work was full-time or part-time your title, 
  • Number of employees supervised 
  • Summary of your responsibilities
• A cover letter that describes your interest in this position and your perspective on the role and responsibilities of a local government in supporting tribal sovereignty.

Please mention you found this employment opportunity on the CareersInGovernment.com job board.

Interested in joining our team? Apply at oregonmetro.gov/jobs

• 

• Metro

• 503-797-1570