Careers @ Seabird
Come Work With Us
Seabird Island was founded in 1879 and is located in the upper Fraser Valley, three kilometers northeast of Agassiz, British Columbia. We are a multifaceted First Nations organization that includes government, business, service and non-profit. We exist to promote a healthier, self-sufficient, self-governing, unified, and educated community.
The Halq’émeylēm name for our reserve is Sq’éwqel, which translates to “turn in the river”. The English designation of Seabird Island is derived from the June 1858 grounding of the transport paddle-wheeler Sea Bird on an island bar in the Fraser River across from Sq’éwqel.
At Sq’ewqel, Seabird Island Band, we understand the value and importance of employing qualified, dedicated, and passionate people to work together. We know that a healthy community and our future growth is very much dependent on our key resources – our people. We employ over 300 employees that are passionate about and dedicated to our vision. Each workday, they help build upon Seabird’s successes to create a prosperous, vibrant, and healthy future for our people.
History And Culture
S’olh Tém:éxw is the traditional territory of the Stó:lō people. According to our sxwóxwiyám (legends, spoken history), we have lived here since time immemorial. The Stó:lō traditional territory extends from Yale to Langley, British Columbia. The Seabird Island community was formed in 1879 as a reserve held in-common for seven First Nations Bands and became an independent Band in 1959. Today, the community encompasses over 130 homes, which house more than 1,000 residents. Because First Nations people from seven bands formed Seabird Island, our people are a mixture of both Stō:ló and Nlaka’pamux, and historically we speak the Stō:ló dialect of Halq’émeylēm mixed with Nlaka’pamux.
Our community is guided by the humble, yet profound principle:
Xólhmetes mekw’ li te tém:éxwtset te Sq’éwqel
Seabird Island takes care of everything on the land.
Our Teams
As an employer, we’re guided by our ancestral teachings of treating people with respect, dignity, fairness, and integrity. We strive to collaborate respectively with one another to reach our goals. We are committed to building and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. All seven of our departments play a vital role in our organization and although each department, program or service may have its own mandate, all Seabird employees share common goals and visions for the future.
Executive: oversees the overall organization, direction, personnel, and communicates between Council and the Band.
Education: provides a supportive, culturally relevant learning environment for students of all ages. Overseeing the operations and curriculum at Seabird Island Community School, as well as at Seabird College and Adult Education.
Early Childhood Education: supports children to reach their full potential and encourages a lifelong journey of learning within a culturally supportive and safe environment. Programs are designed to meet the individual needs of the children physically, cognitively, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually.
Finance: coordinates the daily operations of the Seabird Island Band. They provide forward-thinking analysis and manage all aspects of the Band’s financial affairs and records.
Health & Social Development: provides health and social programming to clients in many parts of the province. They take a holistic view of health with consideration of the social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and cultural aspects of overall health and well-being.
Infrastructure: is responsible for our lands, as well as the overall planning, development, and management of the housing and public works resources (water, roads, security, maintenance), and custodial services.
Inter-Government Affairs: is responsible for documenting our membership and oversees our rights and title endeavors.
Joining Our Team
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU APPLY
- The first step in the process is to complete the online application, uploading your resume, and answering a few questions. Completing an application should take no longer than 15 minutes. If you are a Band Member, Community Member, or identify as an indigenous person, please include this on your application.
- We will reach out to schedule a virtual interview with you and through ongoing conversations, we will assess all essential qualifications.
- A pool will be established with all qualified candidates. If you are being considered for a position, Human Resources will inform you if further assessment is needed and may include personality profiling to see how you’ll fit in with our team, or skills assessments.
Communication throughout this process will be done by phone or email. Please ensure that your email address is valid and accepts messages from unknown users (don’t forget to check your junk box!). If your personal contact information changes at any time during this process, please contact humanresources@seabirdisland.ca; to provide your updated information. If you have a preferred method of communication, please let us know.
PLEASE NOTE: BENEFITS, PENSION & AND PERKS VARY BY JOB TYPE AND ARE CONFIRMED IN THE INTERVIEW AND HIRING PROCESS:
- Extended health and dental benefits, and matching pension up to 5%
- Long-term disability and life insurance,
- Professional Development and training opportunities,
- Equitable compensation,
- Working with an interdisciplinary team, from Healthcare professionals to Teachers, Administrative Teams to Addictions Specialists, Doctors to Early Childhood Educators,
- Variety in opportunities and paths to grow and develop, and
- An environment that values diversity through the respect and appreciation of each person for their individual attributes.
