Director, Mental Health and Addictions (Operations)

IWK Health; Halifax; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Director of Mental Health and Addictions to lead operations and enhance healthcare for children and families. This role emphasizes person- and family-centered care, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. The successful candidate will work closely with interprofessional teams to implement transformational change and ensure high-quality, safe, and cost-effective care. Join a respected health sciences center dedicated to equity and inclusion, where your leadership will make a significant impact on community health outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a health profession required.
• Master's degree in Business Administration or related field required.
• 5+ years of healthcare leadership experience required.

Responsibilities

• Oversee program operations and advance healthcare for children and families.
• Lead health services innovation and promote a learning environment.
• Develop strategic priorities in care, learning, and research.

Skills

Healthcare Leadership

Financial and Budgeting Skills

Team Development

Communication Skills

Cultural Competence

Critical Thinking

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Health Profession

Master's Degree in Business Administration

Job description

Click here to apply as an internal applicant.

Company: IWK Health

Req ID: 201503

Department/Program: Mental Health And Addictions

Location: Halifax

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

Start Date: [Not specified]

Union Status: Management, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit

Compensation: $63.158 - $78.9478/hour

Closing Date: April 28, 2025 (Applications accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

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 approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers, and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. We focus on training and mentorship, recognize talent, celebrate successes, and support our staff with modern facilities and wellness programs.

We are committed to promoting an anti-racist environment and call out discrimination in our work and care. Located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people, we acknowledge the diverse communities we serve, including First Nation, African Nova Scotian, Indigenous, and LGBTQIA+ populations. We strive to eliminate discrimination, acknowledge biases, and reduce barriers, fostering a space of equity and belonging in both our care and employment.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Director, Mental Health and Addictions (Operations) to oversee program operations and advance healthcare for children, youth, and families across Nova Scotia and the Maritimes. You will lead with our values and strategic plan, guiding the organization toward becoming a high reliability healthcare provider. Your leadership will build on our culture of person- and family-centered care, professional excellence, and interprofessional collaboration. You will work in a co-leadership capacity with the Associate Chief of Psychiatry to develop and execute strategic priorities in care, learning, and research.

Reporting to the VP, Clinical Care and Chief Nurse Executive, you will foster participative decision-making, engagement, and shared governance within interprofessional teams. You will develop accessible physician co-leadership approaches and provide program, organizational, and system-level leadership. As an organizational leader, you will promote a learning and quality environment that is culturally and psychologically safe, emphasizing safety, interprofessional practice, and patient- and family-centered care within the health centre and community programs.

You will lead health services innovation by creating conditions for quality, safe, and cost-effective care. Focused on sustainable healthcare, you will evaluate and co-design models of care that incorporate family input, scope of practice, and care delivery. You will contribute to continuous process improvement and LEAN initiatives, collaborating with provincial partners. You will address professional practice issues across multiple professions, ensuring adherence to standards, ethics, and legislation.

Hours of Work

Monday - Friday, 75 hours bi-weekly. Participation in on-call coverage is required.

Your Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a health profession required; equivalent experience or education may be considered.
• Master's degree in Business Administration, Health Profession, Health Administration, or related field required.
• License or eligibility for licensure with the relevant health authority in Nova Scotia required. Equivalent experience may be considered.
• At least five (5) years of healthcare leadership experience required.
• Minimum of three (3) years of healthcare management experience in child and youth mental health and addictions is an asset.
• Experience coaching, developing, and leading high-performance teams with a focus on continuous improvement and outcomes.
• Ability to implement transformational change using systems thinking and quality improvement frameworks.
• Strong financial and budgeting skills, with the ability to synthesize data effectively.
• Proven success in building collaborative relationships and leading complex healthcare operations.
• Expertise in developing strategic partnerships through collaboration and project management.
• Excellent communication skills, both interpersonal and written.
• Training in cultural competence.
• Strong critical thinking, judgment, and decision-making skills.
• Alignment with LEADS in a Caring Environment Framework, demonstrating leadership capabilities in self-leadership, engagement, results achievement, coalition development, and systems transformation.

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that only selected applicants will be contacted for interviews or testing. If invited, you may request accommodations during assessments.

This is a Management/Non Union position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees. Clarify seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlements before accepting a position involving union status changes.

An employment offer is conditional upon background checks and credential verification.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure your internal applicant status.