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Company :  IWK Health

Req ID : 192519

Department / Program : Equity and Belonging , Clinical Care & Chief Nursing Executive

Location :  Halifax

Type of Employment : Permanent   Hourly FT ( 100%  FTE)   x 1  position(s)

Start Date : ASAP

Union Status :   Non-union , Management / Non Union Bargaining Unit

Compensation : $ 37.6098 - $ 47.0122   / hour

Closing Date : December 10, 2024  (Applications are accepted until 23 : 59 Atlantic Time)

This is a designated position. The successful candidate must be from the following designated groups in order to be considered; must self-identify as Mi'kmaw and be able to verify that they are a recognized member of the Mi'kmaq nation. When applying, please ensure your Candidate Profile and Personal Information is up to date which includes any self-identifications.

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia . People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values , and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black / African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants / Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

The incumbent provides leadership and guidance to achieve and continuously improve culturally safe and appropriate health services for Mi’kmaw and Indigenous peoples.  Essential to this end is enabling the development and support of a culturally safe, diverse and inclusive workplace.  The Consultant leads planning and implementation of activities focused on cultural safety and liaises, facilitates connection with and supports Mi’kmaw and Indigenous Health leads within Nova Scotia.

The Consultant applies Mi'kmaw ways of knowing and being in the planning, implementation and evaluation of policies, programs and activities with the aim of enhancing access to high quality, culturally safe and appropriate services for Indigenous peoples. They will also work across portfolios to ensure workplace policies and strategies support enhanced representation of Mi’kmaw and Indigenous Health Leads in addition to supporting respectful and safe working environments.

The Consultant engages with Mi’kmaw and Indigenous Health leads, communities and organizations serving Indigenous people to understand and act on improvement of health outcomes that are aligned with Mi’kmaw and Indigenous needs.  Building on the existing network of partnership tables within the health sector as well as with community, government, academic, education, research and business and community partners to incorporate promising practices in the development of resources and structures necessary to promote diversity in health and employment within IWK Health.

The Consultant will support diversity, equity and social inclusion activities with IWK Health that are specific to Mi’kmaw and Indigenous communities and collaborate with other portfolios that support under-represented and / or diverse communities and work to address health inequities.

Hours of Work

Permanent Full-Time; 75 hours bi-weekly

Your Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Allied Health field, Public Administration, Health Services Administration, Business Administration or relevant areas of study.
• Five years’ of related experience or a Master’s degree plus three years’ experience.
• Significant knowledge of Indigenous peoples across Nova Scotia and the Maritimes.
• Experience as a health professional is an asset.
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting and advocating for systemic change that addresses and advocates for health transformation initiatives that improve access and experience to the health system for Indigenous people in NS and reduces health inequities and anti-indigenous racism.
• Strong understanding and connection to Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw communities and demonstrated experience working with and engaging Mi’kmaw communities.
• Demonstrated experience in project management, coordination, facilitation, community engagement and qualitative research.
• Strong writing skills with demonstrated competency writing synthesized literature reviews, policy analysis, briefing notes and reports.
• Demonstrated planning, organization and time management skills. Ability to deal with competing priorities.
• Demonstrated critical thinking with demonstrated ability to assess and anticipate future needs, potential problems, directions and development for all aspects of strategic, financial, and human resource management.
• Strong communications skills and ability to develop and sustain coalitions, alliances, and partnerships with the members of the health care sector and external agencies. Community development experiences an asset.
• Ability to communicate and build coalitions effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders using a variety of methods.
• Innovative systems thinking with an understanding of working with priority communities.
• Demonstrated high standards of ethics, integrity, respect, accountability and upholding the public interest, and ability to use them effectively in decision-making.
• Leadership skills consisting of building a vision, team building, conflict resolution, goal setting, coaching, mentoring, delegation, change-leadership.
• Responsibilities are provincial in scope resulting in regular travel throughout the province and occasionally elsewhere in Canada.
• A current Nova Scotia Driver’s License and access to a reliable vehicle are required.
• Competencies in other languages considered an asset; Mi’kmaq preferred.
• This position is designated for a person of Mi'kmaw descent. It has cross-portfolio accountabilities and will work closely with leaders across the organization to advise on organizational fulfillment of the TRC calls to action, the MMIWG calls to Justice and UNDRIP, advocating for safe services that are responsive to Mi'kmaw community needs.

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview / testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management / Non Union   bargaining  unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and / or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

I f you are an employee of IWK Health , please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.