Director | People Safety & Prevention

Interior Health; Keremeos; On-site; CAD 119,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remuneration package

Career prospects

Employee & Family Assistance Programs

Training/Education opportunities

Vacation paid

Insurance premiums paid

Extended Health & Dental coverage

Work-life balance

Relocation allowance

Job summary

Interior Health is seeking a Director, People Safety and Prevention to lead the WHS strategy across the IH region. The role drives policy development, risk management and proactive prevention programs to ensure healthy, safe workplaces.

You will oversee a team of WHS professionals, partner with executives, and influence provincial safety directives. The role emphasizes strategic leadership, stakeholder collaboration, and compliance with Occupational Health & Safety standards to improve quality

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field.
• Ten years of senior leadership experience in a large, multi-union setting.
• Strong knowledge of occupational health and safety regulations for healthcare.

Responsibilities

• Lead and advise on workplace health, safety and prevention initiatives across Interior Health.
• Ensure compliance with laws, regulations and directives affecting IH operations.
• Develop and implement policies, programs and services for health, safety and prevention.
• Manage budget, staffing, and performance metrics for the department.
• Advise executives and stakeholders on significant safety issues.
• Mentor staff and participate in recruitment and disciplinary decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication

Change management

Mentoring and coaching

Education

Master’s degree in Occupational Health and Safety, Industrial Hygiene, HRM, Health Informatics, Business Admin or related field

10 years in a complex management/leadership role in a large multi-union environment

Comprehensive knowledge of employee health and safety regulations in healthcare

Job description

Position Summary

Are you looking for a new and rewarding leadership challenge in healthcare? Interior Health has an exciting opportunity for Director, People Safety and Prevention. The location for the role is in the Interior Health region and relocation allowance may be provided. We are looking for people who want to make a difference in the communities in which they live, work and play. Relocation allowance may be provided, to join our amazing organization who was once again named as BC Top Employer for 2026!

Some of the benefits of joining Interior Health

• An attractive remuneration package
• Excellent career prospects
• Employee & Family Assistance Programs
• Employer paid training/education opportunities
• Employer paid vacation
• Employer paid insurance premiums
• Extended Health & Dental coverage
• Work-life balance
• Relocation Allowance may be provided

The salary range for this position is $118,923 (min) to $148,653 (midpoint) to $170,951 (max) per annum, based on 1.0 FTE. Interior Health typically establishes salaries within the minimum and midpoint of the salary range based on qualifications, experience of the applicant, and an internal equity review of the salaries of other employees.

How will you create an impact

The Director, People Safety & Prevention, provides leadership and advice to set the direction for the establishment and execution of strategies, actions, and implementation plans that enable and promote the effective and efficient delivery of workplace health and safety (WHS) services across Interior Health (IH). The Director leads a team of WHS professionals and together they develop policy, lead change, and are recognized experts in high impact and sustainable health and safety management and prevention programs and practices to support healthy work environments, the prevention of injuries, and strategic safety leadership.

The Director interacts with and maintains broad internal and external contacts for the purpose of setting the WHS framework for IH. Internally, the Director builds and maintains relationships with senior leaders, managers, and staff within the organization. Externally, the Director fosters and influences the organization’s relationship with the provincial Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) directorate, government agencies, other Health Authorities, trade unions, and special interest groups related to WHS strategies within IH.

What will you work on

1. Works collaboratively with internal and external partners and provides leadership and consultation in the successful design, planning, implementation, integration, and evaluation of workplace health, safety, and prevention initiatives across IH.
2. Partners with leaders across IH to inform, plan, and execute workplace health related legislation, regulations, collective agreements, standards, policies and other directives impacting IH operations.
3. Provides leadership and expertise in the development of strategic employee health, safety and prevention policies, procedures, programs and services for IH and ensures consistent standards are developed provincially.
4. Ensures regulatory compliance and oversees incident tracking, investigations and response to WorkSafe BC and other regulatory agencies in relation to orders and reports.
5. Identifies broad determinants of safety and emerging issues in the local, provincial, federal and international arenas that could influence or impact quality and safety within IH workplaces.
6. Works with the Executive Director and leaders across the organization to develop key performance measures, identify best practices, and implement focused efforts to improve quality and safety in IH workplaces.
7. Establishes short-, medium-, and long-term goals and objectives for the People Safety & Prevention team with clear planning and prioritization framework considering constraints, opportunities and challenges in order to ensure priority work is completed.
8. Develops effective health and safety management systems, policies, program design, and service delivery functions to support the achievement of healthy and safe workplaces.
9. Advices the Executive Director of significant issues arising that may adversely affect the operation or reputation of the organization.
10. Acts as a senior subject matter expert in the designated areas of workplace health, safety, and prevention both internally to the organization, as well as externally on industry tables and with peer leaders across the province by regularly attending Advisory committees on behalf of the organization.
11. Provides leadership and guidance to employees using effective management techniques; coaches and mentors employees; conducts performance evaluations and creates a learning environment that promotes and supports professional growth of all employees; participates in recruitment activities and makes hiring and discipline decisions.
12. Develops and recommends the department budget, monitors expenditures, performs variance analysis and reporting, and implements remedial action. Manages the department within the approved budget in a manner that is responsive and sustainable.
13. In alignment with IH’s Occupational Health & Safety Program, maintain a healthy and safe work environment through complying with and implementing applicable Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, responding to requests from WSBC, identifying hazards, and communicating risks, ensuring compliance with employee training, conducting effective incident investigations, and implementing required corrective actions.
14. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Honouring Interior Health’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), and Pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, preferential consideration and/or hiring will be given to qualified applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit

Qualfications

Education, Training, and Experience

• A Master’s degree in Occupational Health and Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Human Resources Management, Health Informatics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Ten years of recent related experience in a complex management/leadership role in a large multi-union environment preferred.
• Comprehensive knowledge of employee health and safety regulations and an understanding of a complex multi-union healthcare environment.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to effectively lead and support management teams. Inspires a shared vision and aligns performance goals and objectives for team and individuals with organization strategies while maintaining group cohesiveness, motivation, commitment, and effectiveness.
• Ability to unify, energize, and motivate people.
• Ability to drive and facilitate change.
• Demonstrated ability to execute and hold others accountable for results.
• Ability to influence others at all levels of the organization and well as external partners.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, including the ability to make effective presentations to groups.
• Ability to anticipate potential points of controversy and manage them accordingly.
• Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively using verbal, written and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to articulate and model core values and inspire others to do the same.
• Ability to develop and implement innovative, credible and practical solutions that provide long term impact.
• Ability to successfully utilize management strategies and programs.
• Demonstrated ability to use benchmarking and research to improve performance.
• Demonstrated ability to function effectively in a highly dynamic fast paced environment with complex planning processes across multiple projects.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.