Occupational Health Practitioner

Halifax Regional Municipality; Halifax; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Halifax Regional Municipality is seeking a full-time Occupational Health Practitioner to enhance employee wellbeing and promote health initiatives. The role involves collaboration with various teams to support work connectedness and implement health programs. Candidates should have relevant education and experience in occupational health, along with strong interpersonal and analytical skills.

Qualifications

• Five years of experience in an occupational health background.
• Experience with disability case management in a complex environment.
• Knowledge of Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements work connectedness strategy.
• Promotes work connectedness across HRM business units.
• Provides support for employees returning to work after absences.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Analytical Thinking

Teamwork

Education

Post-secondary education in occupational health nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or related field

Accredited certification as Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN), Occupational Therapist (OT)

Tools

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Power Point

Excel

Job description

Halifax Regional Municipality is inviting applications for the permanent, full-time position of Occupational Health Practitioner in the Employee Wellbeing section of Human Resources.

Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is committed to reflecting the community it serves and recognizing Diversity and Inclusion as one of the Municipality’s core values. We have an Employment Equity Policy and we welcome applications from African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Women in occupations or positions where they are underrepresented in the workforce, Indigenous / Aboriginal People, Persons with Disabilities and 2SLGBTQ+ Persons. Applicants are encouraged to self-identify on their electronic application.

Reporting to the Manager, Health, the Occupational Health Practitioner will be responsible for our focus on work connectedness which promotes and aligns physical and mental health abilities with our various business units and work. The Occupational Health Practitioner will collaborate with HRM Health and Safety teams to identify injury prevention opportunities, assist HRM employees and business units focus on work abilities, support work connectedness through the promotion of early intervention best practices, provide dedicated coaching to employees and business unit leadership following extended absence from the workplace, support temporary and permanent work accommodations when required, and champion other general health & wellness related programs and benefits provided by Halifax Regional Municipality.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES :

• In consultation with the Manager, Health, develops and implements the work connectedness strategy at HRM.
• Promotes and champions work connectedness across HRM business units.
• Aligns work connectedness practices with HRM’s focus on building and maintaining a physically and psychologically safe and healthy workplace.
• Provides advice and expertise in partnership with management teams, union representatives, HR personnel and Health Specialists in more complex cases, while monitoring progress to ensure success.
• Provides support by removing barriers for employees returning to work following extended absences.
• Supports the integration of corporate initiatives and objectives in health and wellness into HRM Business Units and monitors compliance with existing policies and procedures.
• Develops reports and metrics to assess outcomes.
• Maintains the Job Site Analyses for HRM Business Units.
• Consults with Human Resources Business Partners, Health Specialists, and Business Unit Managers to establish and maintain standards, goals, and objectives for service provisions.
• Participates in business planning for the HR Business Unit, assisting in the development of standardized work procedures to ensure consistently when working with internal clients.
• May perform other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS :

Education & Experience :

• Post-secondary education in occupational health nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or related field.
• Accredited certification in one of the following considered an asset : Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN)Occupational Therapist (OT)
• Five (5) years of experience in an occupational health background.
• Experience with disability case management, in a complex and multi-union environment considered an asset.
• Experience using physical demands analysis, functional capacity evaluations, job safety analysis, and ergonomic assessment tools.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing Stay at Work / Return to Work philosophies.
• Previous experience supporting individuals overcome Stay at Work / Return to Work barriers associated with physical, neurological and / or psychological health conditions.
• Previous experience interacting with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia and Long-Term Disability programs.
• Experience working in a diverse and decentralized organization, ideally in the public sector considered an asset.
• Experience with employee attendance support programs considered an asset.
• Experience working with First Responders (e.g. Police, Fire, etc.) considered an asset.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must clearly demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Technical / Job Specific Knowledge and Abilities :

• Working knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation, applicable Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, codes, standards, and best practices.
• Effective interpersonal, diplomacy, and communication skills, with the ability to listen and gather information, and present to groups.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within a team environment with strong skills developing and maintaining productive working relationships with managers, employees, union representatives, and the public.
• Knowledge of labour relations principles and collective agreement administration.
• Knowledge of human resource principles and best practices.
• Demonstrated ability in developing and preparing correspondence and reports.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Word; Outlook; Power Point; Excel and employee health and safety on-line systems.

Security Clearance Requirements : Applicants may be required to complete an employment security screening check.

Please note – Testing may be conducted as a component of the selection process to assess technical and job specific knowledge.Candidates who are selected for testing, may be tested in a group setting, scheduled at the employer’s discretion.

COMPETENCIES : Analytical Thinking; Communications; Teamwork & Cooperation; Networking / Relationship Building; Visioning, Strategic Thinking & Innovation; Organization & Planning; Values & Ethics; Valuing Diversity

WORK STATUS : Full-time, Permanent

HOURS OF WORK : 8 : 30 a.m. to 4 : 30 p.m., Monday to Friday (35 hours per week); flexibility may be required due to client demands

WORK LOCATION : 8th Floor,Purdy's Wharf Tower 2, 1969 Upper Water Street, Halifax.

CLOSING DATE : Applications will be received up to 11 : 59pm on Sunday, August 25, 2024.