Clinic Lead Health & Wellness Services

First Nations Health Authority; Ladysmith; On-site; CAD 99,000 - 136,000; Full time

Job summary

The First Nations Health Authority is seeking a Clinic Lead for their health and wellness services. This role involves leadership in a primary care setting, ensuring culturally safe services for First Nations people. Candidates should have a regulated health degree and extensive experience in primary care, particularly with First Nations communities. Strong skills in team management and crisis response are essential.

Benefits

Municipal Pension plan with employer contribution

4 weeks’ vacation, increasing with service

Access to group health benefits on day 1

Qualifications

• 6-8 years experience in primary care setting.
• Experience with First Nations communities, providing culturally safe care.
• Expertise in mental health and substance use support.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee clinic services, ensuring culturally safe care.
• Manage a team of non-physician service providers.
• Support operational growth and new clinical services.

Skills

Cultural Safety

Team Leadership

Crisis Response

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in regulated health profession

Job description

About Us

FNHA Overview

The First Nations Health Authority is a diverse and transformational health organization of professional, innovative, and dedicated team members and leaders.

The first of its kind in Canada, FNHA works as a health-and-wellness partner with BC First Nations to support self-determination and decision-making to improve health outcomes.

FNHA is proud to have been named one of BC’s Top Employers for 2025. Learn more about why we were selected here - https://reviews.canadastop100.com/top-employer-first-nations-health-authority

Title: Clinic Lead Health & Wellness Services

Salary: $99,899 - $117,528 -$135,158 per year (pay range explained below)

Contract: Permanent Contract

Hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm/ 9am-5pm Mon-Fri (core hours 9am-3pm Mon-Fri)

Location: Stz'uminus-Ladysmith located on the unceded territory of the Stz'uminus First Nation.

FNPCI Initiative

The First Nations-led Primary Care Initiative (FNPCI) aims to improve access to primary health-care services for First Nations people across BC in a way that is culturally safe and closer to home. The FNPCI is part of the province’s primary care strategy, which is integrating team-based care in communities throughout B.C. and changing the way primary care is delivered with the creation of primary care networks in partnership with the Regional Health Authorities.

In order to meet the health and wellness needs of First Nations people, it is very important that primary care is culturally safe and culturally informed where Indigenous ways of knowing and being are woven into services.

One of the main objectives of the FNPCI is to develop new First Nations Primary Health Care Centres in rural and urban locations across the province. The centres will provide access to culturally safe, quality primary health care services for First Nations people and their families. The aim is for clients to feel safe, welcomed, valued, respected and heard when they access care services at one of these centres.

About The Centre

In the Vancouver Island Region, the First Nations Led Primary Care Clinics (PCC) are Hub and Spoke Models that provide a unique opportunity to have a primary administration location and up to six different service site clinics. You’ll get to experience being a part of a wrap-around team of health and wellness providers that work across service sectors to provide comprehensive, culturally conscious team-based care. Although the administrative hubs are in Urban Centers, care is provided in communities that align across the spectrum of urban to rural to remote. These positions will each be aligned with one of our Administrative Hubs for the Coast Salish FNPCI. These Hubs are located in Tseycum (North Saanich), Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo), and Esquimalt (Victoria) and will aim to provide team based, trauma-informed care by striving to create a culturally safe environment in order to promote, maintain and/or restore client health.

Working at Vancouver Island Region PCC is guided by the foundational Vision and Seven Directives of the FNHA, emphasizing care, respect, and excellence in serving First Nations communities. The centre champions wellness and seizes the unique opportunity to drive transformative changes in First Nations health and wellness. It is an ideal place for those passionate about making a difference, who are open to cultural understanding, and ready to embrace challenges. As a young and evolving organization, Vancouver Island offers rich opportunities for transformational learning and personal growth, fostering a sense of purpose that goes beyond professional duties. Here, the work you do impacts not only the lives of those served but also your own, all while collaborating closely with culturally rich First Nations communities in British Columbia.

About The Role

Working within an innovative and growing team-based care environment, the Clinic Lead is responsible for the effective and efficient clinic service function, including leadership and oversight to non-physician and non-nurse practitioner direct care service providers of primary care. With a strong view to providing access to culturally safe care closer to home for First Nations people and their family members, the team provides access to western and traditional wellness services including mental health and substance use wrap around care. During the initial launch and development phase, the Clinic Lead provides strong, creative, relational, and progressive clinic leadership to the growing clinical and operational services team as we continue to expand both our existing services, as well as adding new clinical services. This position supports an interdisciplinary care team who provides primary care services in First Nations home communities. Regular travel is required, from the main hub site at the Slhexun sun’ts’a’ Clinic, Cowichan Tribes to Halalt, Lyackson, Penelakut, Ts’uubaa-asatx, and Ditidaht First Nation.

This role works in alignment with the Centre’s Governance model, which includes all Nations receiving services from the FNPCI, supporting each Primary Care Centre’s priorities and service model goals.

About You

Education

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in regulated health profession such as Public Administration, Social Work, Nursing or related discipline
  
  

Occupational Certification

• Current practicing registration in good standing with a British Columbia regulating body
  
  

Experience

• 6-8 years experience in working in a primary care setting
• Experience working with First Nations people and communities
• Strong skillset in providing cultural safety and trauma informed care
• Experience in mental health, substance use, and opioid crisis response is an asset
• Experience in financial and human resource management is an asset
• Experience working with Electronic Medical Records and encounter coding system for patient medical reporting is an asset
  
  

Knowledge

• Sound ability to practice using culturally safe and trauma-informed approaches
• Familiarity with the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (BC), the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the “In Plain Sight” report, the national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the impacts of these on health, health care and health care design for Indigenous people
• Familiarity with Traditional Healing practices, customs, values and traditions of local First Nations
• Ability to apply a two-eyed seeing approach to balance western and Traditional Indigenous worldviews in practice
• Knowledge of relevant socio-historical events relevant to First Nations in Canada
• Understanding of own intersectionality, power, privilege, and how these concepts may impact own work and perspectives
• Ability to apply critical reflection in practice
• An understanding of rural and remote communities and their inherent challenges and barriers
• Understanding and ability to practice with Nation based, community driven philosophy
• Knowledge of best practice standards and expectations for Registered Nursing and advanced practice as they relate to primary care
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability in clinical health care practice, education and program planning, development, implementation and evaluation
• Dedication to delivering the most current standard for health care practice and innovation in service delivery
• Strong comfort with learning new technology, and excellent computer skills
• Broad knowledge of legislation and government policies and procedures that relate to care
  
  

Please refer to Job Specification section of the Job Description for more details.

Working at FNHA

As a member of the team, you will have access to a wide range of employee benefits, including:

• Municipal Pension plan with an employer contribution of 9.31% (after 3 months)
• 4 weeks’ vacation, which increases with service to 5 weeks, plus 5 personal days, 1 volunteer day, and 14 public holidays including National Indigenous People’s Day, National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Easter Monday and Boxing Day
• Access to group health benefits and a Health Care Spending Account through Canada Life on day 1 of employment
• And more!
  
  

The First Nations Health Authority is committed to respecting diversity within our workforce; preference will be given to individuals who identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis.

Leading with culture, all FNHA employees complete San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training. We support our FNHA family members to be leaders in wellness and all staff members develop a yearly wellness plan as part of their performance partnership and goal-setting.

The Pay Range is the minimum (Step 1) and maximum (highest Step) annual base salary based on full time equivalent hours.

How To Apply

If this sound likes the opportunity for you, please click on the 'Apply for Job' button.

Closing date: Open until filled

For more information about us, please visit: http://www.fnha.ca/about/work-with-us

For information about https://www.fnha.ca/what-we-do/cultural-safety-and-humility and for information about https://www.fnha.ca/Documents/FNHA-Territory-Acknowledgements-Information-Booklet.pdf

If you have any inquiries or issues please contact FNHA Recruitment at http://mailto:[e-mail]

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