Director, Indigenous Health

• Organization  BC Patient Safety & Quality Council
• Location  Within BC
• Closing Date  Open Until Filled

BCPSQC is committed to an equitable, diverse and inclusive workforce. We recognize that there are a variety of experiences that contribute to the overall qualifications for each role. If you feel that you could excel in this position, but do not necessarily meet the formal requirements, we want to hear from you!

In particular, we encourage women; First Nations, Métis and Inuit persons; members of visible minority groups; persons with disabilities; persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas at the Council to apply.

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Role Summary

The BC Patient Safety & Quality Council builds a foundation of quality, provides advice and makes recommendations to the Minister of Health on matters related to patient safety and quality of care in all health care sectors.  The Council brings health system stakeholders together in partnership to promote and inform provincially coordinated, innovative, and patient- and family-centred approaches to patient safety and quality in British Columbia.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director, Indigenous Health provides leadership and expert guidance to strategic and operational planning, implementation, co-ordination and evaluation of specific initiatives, program, tools and resources to improve the health status and create a culturally safe and equitable environment for Indigenous people. Supporting a visionary, innovative, and creative approach to Indigenous health, the Director develops, fosters and maintains meaningful, respectful and collaborative relationships with Indigenous communities while working with leaders and programs within the Council to ensure organization-wide capacity is strengthened.

The Director provides strategic leadership to the Indigenous Health focus within the Council through the development and delivery of Indigenous initiatives designed to improve outcomes and experiences of care. The Director acts as an advisor to the Council’s Senior Leadership Team on Indigenous health issues and acts as a central hub for Indigenous health initiatives at the Council. The Director develops and maintains liaison and advisory relationships with Indigenous Health Leaders, Indigenous partners and collaborates with a variety of community-based agencies and programs throughout BC.

The Director provides input and direction in the development of Indigenous health initiatives and strategies to the Council. The Director identifies gaps and opportunities for improvement activities and development projects within the mandate of the Council, including the mobilization of internal and external funding sources to support these initiatives. The Director represents the Council at regional, provincial, national, and international levels by liaising with community-based agencies throughout the province, developing partnerships with relevant health agencies and educational facilities.  The Director collaborates with government agencies and Indigenous communities in the development of strategies to improve the health of Indigenous people and their families in British Columbia. The Director is accountable for the development and implementation of project goals and works collaboratively with provincial Indigenous leaders and teams in the attainment of these goals.

Key Accountabilities

• Provides expert advice and consultation to the Senior Leadership Team with respect to identifying ongoing and emerging health needs and systemic health service barriers that the Indigenous population of BC experience and develops strategies to address these issues.
• Provides an Indigenous lens to Council programs to ensure program and project design and scope are fully inclusive of and culturally safe for Indigenous people and seek to address anti-Indigenous racism. Implements effective processes to assess project risks, identify risk mitigation strategies, and monitor risk throughout the project lifecycle. Compiles, analyzes, summarizes, and communicates data to support program initiatives.  Evaluates whether program objectives/milestones are met.
• Provides strategic leadership and accountability for the planning, alignment, actions and evaluation of Indigenous projects and initiatives to advance Indigenous cultural safety. Ensures consistency with Council’s overall strategic plan, Truth and Reconciliation recommendations, and provincial mandates to improve the health of Indigenous people.
• Ensures organization, Council (Board), Ministry, and other reporting requirements are maintained such as identifying and tracking metrics as they relate to the deliverables of In Plain Sight report recommendations.
• Provides leadership and representation of the Council aton boards/committees for Indigenous peoples. Collaborates with health authorities, Ministry of Health and key provincial organizations to develop and lead efforts to improve the quality of care for Indigenous populations throughout British Columbia.
• Consults and collaborates with Indigenous agencies, organizations and community groups to address Indigenous quality of care issues and establish strategies for strengthening community capacity, especially those pertaining to patients and their families.
• Develops and maintains key partnerships with relevant health agencies, educational facilities, and Indigenous communities and groups.
• Represents the Council at various forums such as meetings, workshops, and conferences in order to share information, provide education, give presentations, and facilitate inclusion of Indigenous peoples.
• Supervises designated staff, determines performance expectations in collaboration with appropriate stakeholders, and provides performance coaching and evaluation for all direct reports. Investigates work and staff issues and where necessary initiates disciplinary action up to and including termination.
• Compiles, analyzes, summarizes, and communicates data to support program initiatives. Evaluates whether program objectives/milestones are met.
• Develops and oversees annual budget for the Indigenous Health department. Responsibilities include working with Executive Director for budget planning and monitoring, adjusting operations to meet projections, approving expenditures, and identifying and costing new initiatives, and strategies and opportunities for saving. Prepares fiscal reports as required.
• Prepares, negotiates, and administers contracts for projects related to the Indigenous Health initiatives.
• Identifies and pursues opportunities for supporting new activities and improvement initiatives. Performs other related duties as required.

Qualifications

A level of education, training, and experience equivalent to a Masters degree in a relevant discipline, such as Indigenous studies, nursing, population and public health, epidemiology, health psychology, or sociology, with a minimum of ten (10) years of recent, related experience working with Indigenous communities in a hospital or public health care, including eight (8) years at a leadership level and significant Indigenous health-focused experience.

Demonstrated knowledge of Canadian colonial impacts on Indigenous people in social and health contexts, supported by significant knowledge of Canadian and Indigenous ideologies, including knowledge and understanding of Indigenous cultural safety, cultural humility, Indigenous-specific racism and anti-racism; Knowledge and understanding of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), In Plain Sight, Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls calls for justice, and other related policies and reports; Knowledge and respect of Indigenous approaches to health and wellbeing, Indigenous cultural traditions, ceremonies, protocols, traditional wellness practices; Lived experience with Indigenous populations and demonstrated extensive knowledge of Indigenous health care needs, services, and issues; Demonstrated ability to leverage policy and regulatory mechanisms to facilitate change including working understanding and experience with the Ministry of Health.

Demonstrated ability to initiate and maintain collaborative working relationships; Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; Demonstrated facilitation, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills; Demonstrated ability to work respectfully, knowledgeably, and effectively with Indigenous people; Strong conceptual and policy-oriented skills; Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex ideas and information; Demonstrated ability to creatively problem-solve with a global perspective to incorporate the organization’s systems and strategies when developing viable solutions to problems; Demonstrated ability to establish courses of action for self and others that are results oriented; Demonstrated ability to lead change and to build and manage teams; Experience in negotiating, facilitating, building consensus, and effectively collaborating to build relationships that promote the achievement of cooperative goals and contribute to an atmosphere of mutual respect; Ability to operate relevant equipment including word processing, spreadsheet, and database programs.

This position is open until filled.

Send resume and cover letter to: careers@bcpsqc.ca

As per the current Public Health Order, full vaccination against COVID-19 is a condition of employment with the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council as of October 26, 2021.

Note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted; others will be kept in our database for future consideration.