ABOUT US

Ts’elxwéyeqw are one of the tribes of the Stó:lō – People of the River – and are part of the broader Coast Salish collective. The Ts’elxwéyeqw are the First People of the Chilliwack River watershed in the Central Fraser Valley of southwestern British Columbia.

Long before contact, there were strong First Nations peoples in a beautiful valley territory. These early peoples were the original members of the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe. The Territory is the ancestral home and spiritual realm of the Ts’elxwéyeqw communities with the original villages around Sxótsaqel Chilliwack Lake, in a portion of their traditional territory, which is today referred to as the Chilliwack River Valley. Evidence of thousands of years of continuous occupation by the Stó:lō and their ancestors is documented through a range of disciplines including oral history, written history, ethnography, and archaeology.

With the creation of the Indian Act, the once strong and territory based First Nations, became seven Indian Act First Nation communities. The modern-day bands that constitute the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe include: Ăthelets (Aitchelitz), Sq’ewqéyl (Skowkale), Shxwhá:y, Th’ewá:li (Soowahlie), Sxwoyehálá (Squiala), Ch’íyáqtel (Tzeachten) and Yeqwyeqwí:ws (Yakweakwioose).

OUR MISSION AND VALUES

We achieve strength, unity, and success by managing natural and cultural resources for the well-being of our people and our environment.

Our decisions and actions are driven by our six (6) core values:

Unity – Working and living as one Tribe.

Harmony – Between our people, environment, and economic development.

Family – Caring for our youth, neighbours, and future generations.

Culture – Preserving our language, history, practices, and traditional foods.

Nature – Managing our natural resources sustainably for the benefit of the Tribe.

Respect – For each other and for our environment.

WHO YOU ARE

YOU are a team player and work cooperatively, with strong communications skills and excellent time management abilities to support the stewardship and monitoring work of Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe Management Limited (TTML), both on the land and in the office.

YOU will have a robust work ethic, with the ability to work independently and get things done in a timely fashion managing and coordinating multiple priorities.

YOU will bring great attention to detail – taking accurate field notes, photos, measurements and data – and will handle sensitive information, including culturally sensitive site information, with confidentiality and care.

YOU are friendly and professional with a high level of integrity, and are comfortable building respectful relationships with community members, Elders, land users, industry and government representatives.

YOU will have a passion for sharing your strengths and abilities in pursuit of TTML’s mission.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities

As a representative of Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe,



a Ts’elxwéyeqw Guardian embodies Tribe stewardship values through the protection and preservation of natural and cultural resources. A central aspect of this role will be working on the land, within Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe Territory in an environmental monitoring capacity. The Ts’elxwéyeqw Guardian will work in a variety of environmental, stewardship, and culturally relevant initiatives and projects.

The Ts’elxwéyeqw Guardian will monitor activities connected to referral files and report on compliance or negative changes in ecosystem health including air, soil and water quality measurements.

The Ts’elxwéyeqw Guardian uses strong observational skills to complete detailed reports of their monitoring activities within the territory. These findings are uploaded into a tracking portal and support and inform decision-making. The Ts’elxwéyeqw Guardian applies their relevant work experience in environmental studies, environmental monitoring, geography, land stewardship planning, fisheries, forestry, governance, legal studies, heritage studies or other relevant experience to enrich their monitoring work.

The Ts’elxwéyeqw Guardian is an excellent communicator who can manage conflict calmly, and work respectfully with individuals in challenging or sensitive circumstances. They can also confidently speak to their roles as a Guardian at gatherings, meetings, and public engagements.

This position reports to the Executive Director. The position is based out of the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe office in Chilliwack.

Qualifications

Required

- Relevant work or study experience in environmental studies, environmental monitoring, geography, land stewardship planning, fisheries, forestry, governance, legal studies, or Indigenous heritage studies.
- Experience in ArcGIS (or similar GIS and mobile field data collection tools) and Microsoft Office platforms such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
- Excellent organizational, reasoning, and decision-making skills, with the ability to follow direction and motivated to work independently.
- Keen observational and problem-solving skills to proactively identify hazards and ensure safety of self and others, with the ability to respond effectively in emergency or major incident situations.

Preferred/Assets

· Understanding and knowledge of the Ts’elxwéyeqw culture, traditions and history.

- Respect for Stó:lō culture, traditions, history, and current land/resource issues, and a dedication to learning.

· Solid experience with and knowledge of working with Indigenous Organizations and/or remote Indigenous communities.

· Experience with field data collection tools and program/funder reporting.





· Field training or certifications such as a Land Guardian or environmental monitoring certificate, Occupational or Wilderness First Aid, Resource Road Driving, Bear Awareness, Swiftwater Safety or RISC Archaeology training.

Working Conditions (Mental, Physical & Environmental)

· The Ts’elxwéyeqw Guardian must be able to work outdoors year-round in varying weather conditions and challenging terrain. The role frequently involves hiking in remote areas.

· Ability to lift, move, or carry up to 20-40kg.

· Individuals must possess and maintain a Class 5 BC driver’s license and be confident driving the company vehicle along forest service roads within the Traditional Territory.

· Work closely with management/all staff on a day-to-day basis.

· Dealing with large amounts of data.

· Dealing with tight timelines.

· Dealing with highly sensitive situations.

· Some travel is required.

· Occasional early mornings, evenings or weekends may be required to align with field and monitoring schedules.

In Return For Your Expertise

Every employee at TTML is key to our success as we are a small team that works collectively together to ensure we make positive change in our environment. Appreciating that we work and contribute in different ways, we have a culture that is centered around caring for our work, our team, our partners, and our communities we work in.

We offer a competitive annual salary of $58,000 – $68,000 and commensurate with your experience for this role, plus comprehensive benefits after a 3-month probationary period including extended health benefits, STD, LTD and Pension Plan.

This is a full-time (40 hours per week), salaried position, located at our Chilliwack office. Some travel to attend meetings, conferences or training is required.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following to [email protected] noting in the subject line “Ts’elxwéyeqw Guardian” no later than November 4, 2026 at 4:00 pm PT.

- A cover letter outlining how your previous experience and education would support this position.
- An up-to-date Resume/CV.

The successful candidate will be asked to provide references, and a satisfactory criminal records check. As this role involves operating a company vehicle on resource roads and working in remote areas, the successful candidate must comply with TTML’s fitness for work and drug and alcohol policies.

We encourage applicants to submit applications as soon as possible, as applicants will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. We thank all applicants for their interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

TTML hires based on skills, ability, and qualifications; however, in support of our strategy to achieve our employment goals for Indigenous Peoples, qualified Indigenous applicants will be given priority.

Pay: $58,000.00-$68,000.00 per year

Perks:

- Company pension
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- On-site parking
- Vision care

Work Location: In person

📌 Ts'elxwéyeqw Guardian (Chilliwack)
🏢 Ts'elxweyeqw Tribe Management
📍 Chilliwack