Lead | Accessibility

Interior Health; Kelowna; Hybrid; CAD 91,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

An attractive remuneration package

Excellent career prospects

Employer paid training/education

Employer paid vacation

Employer paid insurance premiums

Extended Health & Dental coverage

Work-life balance

May be eligible to contribute to MPP

Job summary

Interior Health is seeking a permanent full-time Lead, Accessibility to champion inclusive and barrier-free care across the organization. You will lead initiatives, embed accessibility into policies and the employee lifecycle, and collaborate with DEI, HR, and leaders to advance the IH Accessibility Plan.

You will develop training, monitor progress, and engage staff, patients, and communities to foster belonging and equitable experiences.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in an accessibility-related field such as Human Resource Management, Organizational Behaviour, or Social Justice.
• 7+ years combined related experience with emphasis on accessibility or DEI.
• Experience overseeing employee resource groups and leading large committees.

Responsibilities

• Leads accessibility initiatives across IH in line with the IH Accessibility Plan to remove barriers and improve access.
• Collaborates with DEI, HR, and IH leaders to implement accessibility policies, procedures, and standards.
• Develops and facilitates training, materials, and engagement activities for employees on accessibility topics.
• Engages with staff, clients, patients, and community members to gather feedback and advance inclusion.
• Ensures adherence to provincial accessibility standards and keeps abreast of best practices and legislation.

Skills

Systematic thinker

Strategic thinker

Facilitation

Training delivery

Coaching and influencing

Analytical skills

Stakeholder engagement

Accessibility knowledge

Education

Undergraduate degree in accessibility-related field

Job description

Position Summary

Interior Health is seeking a permanent full-time Lead, Accessibility to champion initiatives that create a more accessible, inclusive, and equitable healthcare environment. This is an exciting opportunity for a collaborative leader who is passionate about removing barriers, advancing accessibility, and driving meaningful change for employees, patients, and communities across the organization.

Location

The worksite location is flexible within the Interior Health region.

What we offer

• An attractive remuneration package
• Excellent career prospects
• Employer paid training/education
• Employer paid vacation
• Employer paid insurance premiums
• Extended Health & Dental coverage
• Work-life balance
• May be eligible to contribute to MPP

The salary range for this position is $90,770 (min) to $113,462 (midpoint) to $130,48 (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 Lead, Accessibility oversees, organizes, and develops all aspects necessary to advance accessibility efforts, in particular the IH Accessibility Plan. The Lead, Accessibility works to embed related accessibility principles and practices across the employee lifecycle to develop a culture of belonging, while enabling equitable and inclusive workplace experiences.

Working in collaboration with the Business Partner, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Lead, Equitable People Practices, this role leads the implementation and continuous improvement of IH's Accessibility Plan, while coordinating the development and implementation of the actions, including new policies, procedures, and standards. The Lead, Accessibility acts as a liaison and collaborates with leaders across IH to support the incorporation of key accessibility principles into systems and practices.

The Lead, Accessibility provides guidance and subject matter expertise on accessibility, equitable access and barrier reduction through meaningful employee engagement and continuous listening to employee perspectives on workplace inclusion and accessibility. This role serves as an action-oriented champion for accessibility by staying informed of research, best practices, and benchmarks, while developing relevant approaches and initiatives in alignment with IH's strategic priorities.

What will you work on

• Leads the implementation of accessibility initiatives and actions across IH in accordance with the IH Accessibility Plan, aligning with IH's vision, mission, and strategic priorities while removing barriers and improving access for employees with disabilities, including neurodiversity, episodic, and invisible disabilities.
• Supports or collaborates on accessibility work in alignment with the provincial frameworks, acting as a subject matter expert to create a more accessible and inclusive environment for those accessing IH services or employed by IH, including staff, clients, patients, and community members.
• Leads and participates in projects and initiatives, while providing subject matter expertise for other IH programs.
• Leads community engagement initiatives to enable collection of feedback in support of IH's commitment to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
• Enables adherence to provincial accessibility standards and guidelines, including but not limited to the Accessible BC Act, while advancing accessibility through idea generation, planning, design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Stays informed about industry best practices in global accessibility research trends, data insights, and approaches to design programs that enable an equitable and inclusive employee lifecycle.
• Provides data stewardship for accessibility initiatives by developing and supporting self-identification data collection systems and reporting processes to help identify workforce representation gaps, barriers and opportunities.
• Develops, coordinates, and facilitates training sessions and educational materials for individuals and groups, to create an informed, educated, and skilled workforce capable of navigating various accessibility topics.
• Partners with other health organizations and colleagues across HR and other portfolios to enable compliance and implementation with current and future accessibility-related provisions in collective agreements, codes, and other legislative requirements as needed. Develops and manages effective working relationships across all levels of IH, the community and the province with whom work needs to be coordinated or interfaced.
• Acts as a liaison among department leaders, external partners and the Accessibility Committee to coordinate and advance IH Accessibility Plan actions. Oversees related employee collaboration efforts, such as the Accessibility Committee and various employee resource groups, to foster connection and alignment with overall accessibility approach and initiatives.
• In alignment with IH's Occupational Health & Safety Program, employees shall adhere to all Occupational Health and Safety policies and procedures at all times and attend all required training. Employees are responsible for reporting any identified hazards, unsafe conditions or incidents to the manager or supervisor immediately.
• Performs other related duties as required.

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

• Undergraduate degree in an accessibility-related field such as Human Resource Management, Organizational Behaviour, or Social Justice.
• Over seven (7) years of combined related experience with an emphasis on working within the accessibility or DEI space. Previous experience in a large, complex, and unionized environment is an asset.
• Supporting IH's commitment to DEI and accessibility, having lived and/or living experience would be an asset.
• Experience overseeing employee resource groups and communities of practice and comfort in leading large committees.
• Change management, project management, and/or experience executing strategies based on data analysis would be an asset.
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered.

Skills and Abilities

• Systematic and strategic thinker who fosters a consultative, employee-focused approach.
• High-level problem-solver who is comfortable coaching and influencing at all levels.
• Skilled facilitator with experience developing and delivering training on complex topics for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated capacity to tactfully and sensitively address accessibility-related issues.
• Current knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations, as well as IH policies, procedures, and collective agreements.
• Strong analytical, reporting, and relationship-building skills.
• Knowledge of, and experience working with, historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized groups; lived and/or living experience is an asset.
• Committed to improving accessibility, with a strong focus on inclusion and belonging.