Description
The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is seeking a visionary and strategic leader to serve as Director, External Relations. This senior position provides leadership for UNBC’s external engagement, fundraising, marketing and communications, reputation management, and relationship-building activities. The Director oversees a coordinated and integrated portfolio, ensuring all initiatives align with UNBC’s academic mission and institutional priorities.
Reporting directly to the President and Vice-Chancellor, the Director plays a key role in advancing UNBC’s public profile and guiding engagement with First Nations, governments, community organizations, alumni, donors, media, and the broader public. Through collaborative leadership and strategic oversight, the Director ensures that external relations initiatives are respectful, reciprocal, and focused on building long-term relationships.
Grounded in cultural awareness, Indigenous protocols, and the principles of reconciliation, the Director ensures that communications, fundraising, and engagement practices reflect UNBC’s values, regional context, and commitment to meaningful partnerships.
The Director provides leadership for an integrated external relations portfolio that includes:
- Communications and Marketing
- Alumni Relations
- Development and Fundraising
- Government Relations
- Community Engagement
Working in collaboration with senior leadership, academic units, and portfolio leads, the Director leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive external relations strategy aligned with UNBC’s strategic plan. The work is highly visible, often time-sensitive, and may require after-hours response to emerging issues. Success in this role depends on exceptional interpersonal skills, sound judgment, and the ability to lead effectively in complex and evolving environments.
Responsibilities
Strategic Planning
- Develop and implement an integrated external relations strategy aligned with UNBC’s strategic plan and commitments to reconciliation.
- Work collaboratively with Indigenous leadership, Elders, and internal UNBC partners to support relationship-building grounded in trust, reciprocity, and respect.
- Provide senior leadership for philanthropy and development, ensuring fundraising strategies are integrated with institutional priorities and grounded in values, relationship-based practice.
- Advise senior leadership on issues related to public affairs, reputation management, and key partners and interest holders engagement.
- Identify and assess external trends, issues, and opportunities affecting the University, including those impacting Indigenous communities and partners.
People and Change Leadership
- Ensure that Indigenous protocols, cultural practices, and appropriate acknowledgements are understood, respected, and followed in external relations activities, events, and communications.
- Lead and manage a large, diverse External Relations portfolio, fostering clarity of roles, accountability, professional growth, and high performance across teams.
- Organize the multidisciplinary team to facilitate an integrated approach to External Relations.
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and culturally respectful work environment.
- Direct institutional communications, including media relations, issues management, and crisis communications.
- Ensure consistent, clear, and compelling messaging across all internal and external channels.
- Represent UNBC at external meetings, ceremonies, and events, observing appropriate cultural and community protocols.
Financial and Resource Management
- Manage budgets, resources, and performance measures within the External Relations portfolio.
- Ensure awareness and alignment to UNBC policies, procedures and protocols or where needed, lead the development or changes.
- Establish a culture of accountability.
Risk Management
- Provide leadership in issues management, reputation management, and strategic communications, ensuring the University is prepared to respond effectively to emerging and high-risk situations.
- Develop, implement, and maintain a systematic approach to risk identification, escalation, and response within the External Relations portfolio, aligned with institutional risk management practices.
- Establish and oversee a formal issues management and communications framework.
- Monitor reputational risks and ensure compliance with laws, policies, agreements, and Indigenous protocols.
- Ensure consistent, timely, and coordinated communications during issues or crises, supporting institutional trust, transparency, and accountability.
Requirements
Qualifications
We are seeking a leader with extensive experience in progressively senior roles within one or more of the following areas: communications, fundraising, alumni relations, government relations, marketing, and community engagement.
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Leadership & Strategy: Senior-level expertise in leadership, relationship building, and strategic planning.
- Indigenous Engagement: Proven ability to work respectfully with Indigenous communities, governments, and organizations.
- Organizational Insight: Experience with integrated frameworks and collaborative approaches.
- Regional Understanding: Strong knowledge of the purpose and impact of a northern, regionally grounded university, and the ability to advance UNBC’s mission through meaningful community engagement.
- Communication Skills: Exceptional communication abilities.
- Contextual Awareness: Understanding of the social and economic foundations of Northern British Columbia.
- Team Leadership: Demonstrated success in leading large, multidisciplinary teams and aligning diverse functions toward shared institutional priorities.
- Collaboration: Ability to unite stakeholders with differing perspectives, fostering trust and shared purpose in complex environments.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, public relations, or a related field.
- The Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation is a strong asset.
An appropriate combination of education and experience may be considered.
Salary
The starting salary will be determined with consideration of the successful candidate’s relevant education, skills, and experience. The annual salary range for this position is $132,000 to $142,000. The position is located on campus, in Prince George with travel and engagement at UNBC’s other regional campuses, across Northern BC, provincially and nationally.
UNBC offers employee tuition waivers (includes spouse and dependents), excellent benefit and pension packages, as well as employee training and development opportunities. For more details please see http://www.unbc.ca/human-resources/employee-benefits.
Normal hours of work will be 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Employment Equity
The University of Northern British Columbia is fully committed to creating and maintaining an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment that is accessible to all. We are devoted to ensuring a welcoming, safe, and inclusive campus free from harassment, bullying, and discrimination. This commitment is woven into our motto and mission. In the Dakelh language, UNBC’s motto ‘En Cha Huná translates to “they also live” and means respect for all living things. Through the respect for all living things, we are able to grow and learn better together, each bringing our own unique individual differences and contributions to inspire leaders for tomorrow by influencing the world today.
Employment equity requires that we remove barriers and overcome both direct and indirect discrimination. In this way, the pool of excellent candidates increases substantially. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.
About UNBC
Since its founding in 1990, the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) has emerged as one of Canada’s best small research-intensive universities, with a passion for teaching, discovery, people, and the North. UNBC’s excellence is derived from community-inspired research, hands-on learning, and alumni who are leading change around the world.
Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have walked gently on the diverse traditional territories where the University of Northern British Columbia community is grateful to live, work, learn, and play. We are committed to building and nurturing relationships with Indigenous peoples, we acknowledge their traditional lands, and we thank them for their hospitality. UNBC’s largest campus in Prince George is located on the traditional unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, in the spectacular landscape near the geographic centre of beautiful British Columbia.
UNBC consistently ranks in the top three in its category in the annual Maclean’s university rankings. UNBC also recently placed among the top five per cent of higher education institutions worldwide by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
With a diverse student population, the University is friendly, inclusive, and supportive. Prince George is a city of ~80,000 people with impressive cultural, educational, and recreational amenities. For more information about living and working in Prince George, please refer to http://www.unbc.ca/experience and https://moveupprincegeorge.ca. Make your mark with this leading post-secondary institution.
To Apply
Applicants should create an applicant profile and apply for this position by uploading and submitting a cover letter and resume. This exempt/management position is an on-campus position, based at the Prince George campus.
The University of Northern British Columbia is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from the four designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities) as well as the 2SLGBTQ+ communities and individuals with intersectional identities.
Persons with disabilities, who anticipate needing accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, may contact UNBC Health & Wellbeing at employeewellbeing@unbc.ca. Any personal information provided will be maintained in confidence.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. We thank all applicants for their interest in UNBC however, only those applicants selected for further consideration will be contacted.
UNBC does not use artificial intelligence to screen candidate applications.
Priority will be given to applications received by February 15, 2026. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
