Director, Innovation and Transformation

Director, Innovation and Transformation

Business Planning and Strategy Division

Full-time Permanent (Hybrid: 2 days/week in office, 3 days/week work from home)

Target Hiring Range: $139,438 - $170,424 (Negotiable)

Background:

The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) serves as the voice of the province’s public hospitals, supporting them through advocacy, knowledge translation and member engagement, labour relations, and data and analytics with the goal of helping hospitals build a better health system.

The Director, Innovation and Transformation leads the development and execution of OHA’s new innovative strategy and evolving mandates aimed at empowering the Ontario hospital innovation ecosystem. This position provides strategic leadership in financing innovation from ideation to adoption, emphasizes fostering and championing a culture of innovation, engaging with stakeholders, and driving transformative initiatives that align with OHA’s strategic objectives.

The Director will work actively with OHA senior leadership, Board, and associated committees to help establish the new Innovation mandate at the OHA. Once the mandate is in place, the Director will work to build out the team and structure to deliver on this mandate and ensure its success. You will set specific departmental goals, define work processes, ensure compliance with operating policies and practices, facilitate communication with relevant personnel, directly manage assigned staff, and provide timely reporting.

The Position:

Reporting to the Chief, Innovation and Transformation Officer, you will be responsible for:

Strategic Leadership & Innovation Development:

• Experience leading a highly skilled and entrepreneurial team, and a strong commitment to developing direct reports.
• Ability to drive emerging strategy and work through the change management process of bringing a new vision to reality.
• Implement a comprehensive innovation strategy aimed at tackling healthcare challenges and enhancing patient care, ensuring alignment with the OHA’s mission and objectives.
• Provide leadership in supporting the hospital sector to scale proven innovations to tackle significant healthcare challenges and enhance hospital operations by leveraging advanced healthcare models and technologies.
• Act as an ambassador for the emerging innovation mandate and champion its success through engagement with senior leaders within the OHA as well as the hospital network.
• Establish the OHA’s role in empowering Ontario’s hospital innovation ecosystem that supports hospitals in the creation and sustainability of innovation within their operations.
• Participate in the ongoing strategic planning process as an integral member of the OHA’s management team.
• Work with the OHA Communications team to highlight and promote hospital innovations effectively.
• Explore and identify ways to stabilize and sustain financing to ensure growth of innovations in Ontario’s hospital system including building a hospital innovation commercialization “playbook”.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Establish and nurture strategic partnerships with external stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem, including academic institutions, startups, and industry leaders, to promote and drive innovation.
• Collaborate with executives, department heads, IT, operations, and clinical teams to seamlessly integrate OHA-supported innovations into hospital operations.
• Develop a process to ensure engagement with patients and families to incorporate patient-centered innovation into hospital services.
• Stay informed about industry trends, regulatory changes, and advancements in healthcare innovation.

Technology & Process Improvement:

• Monitor and advise on strategies to implement health technology innovation including (but not limited to) AI, virtual care, Health Information System Maturity, Robotics, and hospital remote monitoring.
• Establish metrics to measure the success and impact of innovation initiatives.
• Develop approaches to analyze hospital workflows with adoption of innovations and to identify inefficiencies and recommend process improvements initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with healthcare regulations and data security standards in innovative projects.

Research & Market Analysis:

• Work with hospitals to establish a process to identify, evaluate, and implement emerging technologies, processes, and practices to enhance healthcare system delivery.
• Create approaches to ensure the OHA is informed on industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices in healthcare innovation.
• Lead and work with OHA Long-Term Health Policy team to research, feasibility studies, and return-on-investment (ROI) analyses for potential innovations.
• Support the OHA’s efforts to benchmark hospital system innovation initiatives against top-performing healthcare systems, identifying areas for improvement and investment opportunities.

Project Management & Implementation:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in planning, executing, and scaling innovation projects.
• Develop and manage budgets for innovation initiatives.
• Prepare and present reports, proposals, and recommendations to hospital and OHA senior leadership, Boards, CEOs, and stakeholders.
• Oversee pilot programs and projects, ensuring timely execution and evaluation of outcomes.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and measure the success of implemented innovations.

The Candidate:

We’re looking for a candidate with a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Health, Innovation Management, Health Science, Medical engineering, or a related field. Clinical background (MD, RN, or similar) is a plus but not required. You are a seasoned and mature leader with at least 5 years of experience in healthcare innovation, digital health, strategy, or hospital administration. You have extensive experience working with Ontario hospitals with a strong understanding of hospital innovation landscape, a proven track record of leading innovation initiatives, managing projects, and implementing new healthcare technologies. You have experience working with healthcare startups, research institutions, or venture capital is a plus.

You have strong analytical skills and experience interpreting a strategic vision into an operational model, a collaborative and flexible style, with a strong service mentality, and needs to be seen as a team player who is committed to lifelong learning. You’re a hands-on manager with integrity and a desire to work in a dynamic, mission-driven environment; an effective communicator, with strong oral and written skills; and demonstrated commitment to the social sector with a passion for the organization’s mission is essential in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.

You have demonstrated the ability to lead organizational efforts in healthcare system and delivery innovation while empowering the broader innovation ecosystem. You collaborate effectively with the leadership team to develop comprehensive plans that align strategy with the accelerated adoption of proven innovations across the hospital system. You are committed to fostering excellence, building strong community linkages, and advocating for high-quality healthcare.

To Apply:

Potential applicants are invited to submit a resume and covering letter by April 17, 2025. We value the unique skills and experiences each person brings to the OHA and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment. We are committed to the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

If contacted for an interview, please inform us should accommodation be required.

Application Process and Requirements:

All applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada. The successful applicant must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (as defined by the Government of Canada) or have a valid vaccination exemption pursuant to the Human Rights Code. Further, they must provide proof of vaccination (or a valid exemption) prior to the start date, provide updated information as necessary, and comply with any ongoing vaccination-related requirements. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

WE ARE AN EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE EMPLOYER.