Are you passionate about improving health and healthcare? Are you a strategic leader with a proven ability to lead, develop and implement quality improvement initiatives? Do you have a deep understanding of implementation, adoption and evaluation of proven innovations and effective safety interventions, can you drive change?

If this sounds like you, join Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC)! HEC works with partners to spread innovation, build capability and catalyze policy change so that everyone in Canada has safe and high-quality healthcare.

HEC has the following vacancy:

Term: Permanent

Reports to: Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives & Engagement

Salary Range: $106,400 - $133,000

Location: Our head office is in Ottawa, Ontario; however, we welcome remote work outside Ottawa or a blend of onsite/work from home if the candidate is from the Ottawa area. Note that all staff are currently working from home. We are continually reassessing during the pandemic.

Strategic Initiatives and Engagement (SIE) Portfolio: With HEC's new strategy we’re working closely with colleagues and partners across the country to help shape a future where everyone in Canada has safe and high-quality healthcare.  We do this by identifying opportunities to accelerate improvements across our strategy focus areas, grounded in the quality and safety perspectives of lived experience, people in the workforce, value, culturally safe and equitable care and First Nations, Inuit and Metis priorities. We’re seeking to work with and for more people across the country and grow our reach and impact. Teams in the SIE portfolio are focused on: finding and promoting innovations; designing and launching initiatives to drive rapid adoption of quality and safety innovations; enabling meaningful patient engagement and partnerships, fostering relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Metis to address shared priorities and catalyzing policy change.  Recent initiatives have included LTC +, virtual care together, essential together.

Reporting to the Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives and Engagement, the Director provides strategic leadership and vision to the development and delivery of HEC’s strategic initiatives, programming, and engagement portfolio. The incumbent is a member of the Management Committee, and works closely with other committee members, staff, external partners, and subject matter experts to drive the implementation, adoption and evaluation of proven innovations and effective safety interventions.

Your core responsibilities include:

• Providing cross cutting leadership and strategic focus to navigate across portfolios; working closely with and representing/acting as VP’s backup/designate, as required.
• Providing strategic leadership to identify, design and deliver a suite of activities to improve quality and safety of care within and across health systems.
• Working with the VP to support relevant HEC Board committees (e.g., strategy working group) and the development and ongoing implementation and evaluation of HEC’s strategy and partner engagement.
• Leading team(s) that identify, rapidly respond to, and deliver special projects/strategic initiatives to enable evidence-informed decisions and improvement in the organization, funding and delivery of healthcare in alignment with HEC’s strategy, priority themes and lines of business.
• Working closely with the senior leadership team to lead the development of high priority and often rapid response new HEC programming, as part of HEC’s annual operational plan (workplan and budget), to deliver on strategy. Ensuring synergies/integration of programs/initiatives/services, activities with Finance, across the organization to maximize effectiveness and impact.
• Nurturing and supporting the growth and diversification of HEC’s partnerships and networks to deliver on strategy and expand reach and impact.
• Seeking new mission-driven ventures and partnership opportunities that are responsive to emerging needs.
• Conducting environmental scanning activities to provide input to strategic planning and program delivery.
• Building platforms and channels to share new knowledge.
• Promoting novel, scalable, and innovative initiatives that have a high probability of measurable impact, within HEC’s strategy focus area(s).
• Leading and responsibility for identification and design of new programming in one of HEC’s strategy focus areas – care closer to home and community with safe transitions, care of older adults with health and social needs or pandemic recovery and resilience

Education and experience you will need to have:

• Masters’ degree in health sciences, health policy, health administration, public health, healthcare delivery, or a related field is required.
• Minimum seven (7) years’ experience at a senior level is required, including at least five (5) years in a supervisory/management role, including substantive health services and/or health policy experience, preferably in a healthcare delivery organization and/or health policy environment.
• Bilingual in French and English is preferred (English communication skills at Advanced “C” level required).
• Advanced computer software skills in Microsoft Office suite and the ability to thrive in a virtual environment.

You will be a great fit for this role if you have:

• Inclusive leadership style and highly developed people management skills to foster strong internal and external relationships.
• Experience being part of a small dynamic team where you have been doing a lot with a little; you have vision for the future but are excited to roll up those sleeves and get in the weeds with your teams.
• Highly developed interpersonal and problem-solving skills. 
• Proven project management skills including the ability to plan and the ability to collaborate with other teams and across the organization. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. 
• Demonstrated time management skills. Well organized and attentive to detail. 
• Professional tact and diplomacy and confidentiality required. 
• Ability to work well in a dynamic and highly motivated team.

Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) is an equal opportunity employer and embraces diversity and inclusivity. HEC is committed to building teams with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views, as the more inclusive we are, the more impact we can have. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals, including visible minorities, Indigenous persons, and persons with disabilities. We thank all applicants for their interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.