(CASUAL) CO-DEVELOPMENT LEAD - PATIENT EXPERIENCE INITATIVE

Position Summary

Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) is strengthening its commitment to patient and family engagement in support of better experience and outcomes. This role advances patient and family‑centred care through co‑leadership in the design, evaluation, and improvement of hospital services. The role co‑leads with project sponsors and organizational leaders, shaping our selected key initiatives at the higher levels of influence.

What We Mean By Co‑Development

Co‑Development is the ongoing design and improvement of services. It is project based, not committee meeting focused. It is carried out by distinct skilled experts whose lived and/or living experience with mental health services informs their work. It means designing with a team of mixed experts and sharing responsibility and authority throughout.

Reporting and Collaboration

Reporting to the Manager, Quality, Recovery and Patient Experience, the Lead works as part of the team supporting the Patient Experience Initiative, with responsibility shared across the team and assigned according to each person’s skills. The work includes assessing current patient experience initiatives such as satisfaction surveys and feedback mechanisms, identifying opportunities to align with leading practices, co‑developing strategies to improve how patient experience feedback is collected, used, and shared, and supporting a strategy to increase transparency with patients and caregivers about the organization’s performance.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Shares responsibility with staff and leadership in the co‑development of patient experience initiatives
• Participates in the assessment of current patient experience measurement approaches (e.g., surveys, feedback tools, engagement methods)
• Identifies opportunities to enhance patient experience feedback collection, including diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility considerations
• Contributes to the development of recommendations aligned with leading practices in patient and family‑centred care and experience measurement
• Supports the co‑design of strategies to increase transparency and accessibility of patient experience and performance data for patients and caregivers
• Meets and works as part of the project team, in working sessions and workshops convened for specific projects rather than as a standing committee (the role may include work outside meeting hours to support project progress)
• Connects with Advisors and other relevant tables for project‑specific feedback
• Co‑develops materials, reports, and communications so they are patient‑ and family‑friendly, clear, and meaningful
• Works respectfully and shares responsibility to achieve project objectives, with tasks assigned according to skills
• Supports evaluation activities, including identifying meaningful measures of success from a patient and caregiver perspective
• Maintains confidentiality and adheres to hospital policies and guidelines

Qualifications

Skills are the primary qualification for this role. Lived and/or living experience informs the perspective a Lead brings; it is not a substitute for the skills the work requires. What skills are we looking for? We look for strength in some of the skills below and a willingness to build others. No one is expected to hold them all.

Education

• University Degree, College Certificate or Diploma in a related area of study, or equivalent work experience

Years of Work Experience

• 2‑3 years work experience in communications, facilitation, projects, planning, quality improvement or evaluation activities
• Previous experience working with clients and families affected by mental health, substance use health and/or addictions will be considered an asset

Knowledge and Skills

• Project and program coordination – planning, sequencing, and tracking the work (project management training is an asset)
• Program and strategy development
• Facilitation of meetings, working sessions, and workshops
• Patient engagement and co‑design/co‑development approaches
• Communication and engagement with diverse stakeholders, including clinical and administrative staff
• System navigation, including helping people move across services and supports
• Data interpretation and basic data literacy
• Quality improvement methods and approaches
• Research and evaluation methods, including evaluation design
• Patient experience measurement, including survey and feedback design
• Professional experience in communications, including plain‑language writing and developing clear materials and messaging for patients, families, and staff experience in mental health service delivery (an asset)

Perspective – Lived and/or Living Experience

• Lived and/or living experience accessing mental health services, as a patient or caregiver – experience with Ontario Shores an asset
• Ability to reflect on personal experience and connect it to broader system improvements
• Ability to see beyond a personal story. Personal experience alone is not a qualifier for this role. The skill is applying what that experience has taught, across a range of skills, to improve the projects and initiatives of Ontario Shores

Shared Commitments

• Commitment to improving healthcare services and patient experience
• Acts as a good‑faith ambassador for the projects and programs of Ontario Shores, bringing the values of quality improvement through the lens of what matters most to patients and families
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and respectful engagement

This position is anticipated to require a commitment of approximately 15‑20 hours per month.

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