SUN LIFE Financial Advisor

Financière Sun Life; Halifax; On-site; CAD 112,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Engaging workplace

Countless career paths

Client-focused environment

Job summary

Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness is seeking a Senior Advisor, Health Privacy to lead the province’s privacy framework across health sectors. You will advise senior leadership, guide privacy risk management, and coordinate across NS Health, IWK, and partners to protect personal health information while enabling responsible use of data for better health outcomes.

You will steward governance structures, manage complex privacy initiatives, and mentor a team of senior analysts, driving

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) and privacy regulations.
• Experience advising senior leadership on complex privacy issues.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coaching staff.
• Strong understanding of digital health and health information systems.
• Ability to balance privacy protections with data use for better health outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead ongoing development and governance of Nova Scotia's provincial health privacy framework.
• Provide expert advice to senior executives and system partners on privacy issues.
• Lead privacy initiatives, assessments, and policy development with province-wide impact.
• Develop recommendations on evolving privacy risks and emerging technologies.
• Interpret PHIA and related legislation for governance and compliance.
• Mentor and develop a team of senior privacy analysts.
• Represent the department on committees and strategic initiatives.

Skills

PHIA knowledge

Privacy governance

Privacy risk management

Information management

Health policy

Stakeholder advisory

Team leadership

Education

University degree in related discipline

Job description

About Us

The Department of Health and Wellness offers opportunities to grow and advance in a dynamic sector that touches the lives of all Nova Scotians. Along with our partners, including the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the IWK Health Centre, we’re committed to continually improving our health care system. With a focus on collaborative primary health care, urgent and emergency care, acute care, community‑based supports, digital health, capital infrastructure, and more, the department is thinking differently about how to plan, fund, legislate and monitor to improve access and service delivery. To do this, we need leaders at all levels of the organization who embrace a challenge and believe in their ability to make a difference.

About Our Opportunity

The Senior Advisor, Health Privacy provides strategic leadership in the development, implementation, and stewardship of Nova Scotia's provincial health privacy framework. The role facilitates the advancement of a coordinated, consistent, and risk‑based approach to privacy across the Department of Health and Wellness, NS Health, IWK, and health system partners.

As the department's senior health privacy expert, you provide advice and recommendations to leadership, government departments, health authorities, and system partners on complex and emerging privacy issues. The role is responsible for identifying risks, opportunities, and trends affecting the collection, use, disclosure, sharing, and protection of personal health information and for recommending innovative and practical solutions that balance privacy protection with the effective use of health information to support better health outcomes for Nova Scotians.

The position supports a broad range of provincial initiatives involving digital health, health system transformation, data governance, information sharing, artificial intelligence, electronic health records, and emerging technologies. The Senior Advisor must possess the ability to see the broader health system picture, anticipate future privacy challenges and develop practical solutions.

Working within a highly complex and fast‑paced environment, the role provides leadership on the interpretation and application of legislative requirements, governance frameworks, policies, standards, and best practices, ensuring privacy considerations are embedded into programs, services, technologies, and business processes across the provincial health sector.

Primary Accountabilities

• Lead the ongoing development, enhancement, implementation, and evaluation of Nova Scotia's provincial health privacy framework.
• Serve as the department's senior subject matter expert and trusted advisor on health privacy, providing strategic advice to senior executives, departmental leadership, health system partners, and government decision‑makers.
• Lead complex privacy initiatives, assessments, investigations, and policy development activities that have province‑wide implications.
• Develop recommendations and solutions on evolving privacy risks, emerging technologies, digital health initiatives, information‑sharing practices, and legislative requirements.
• Provide expert interpretation of the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) and other relevant privacy, information management, and health‑system legislation.
• Lead the development of privacy governance structures, policies, standards, guidance documents, and risk mitigation strategies that support a modern, integrated health system.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, tools, frameworks, and decision‑making approaches that strengthen privacy management, create efficiencies and organizational accountability.
• Support major health system transformation initiatives by ensuring privacy considerations are incorporated into planning, implementation, and operational decision‑making.
• Foster collaborative relationships with government departments, health authorities, regulators, legal counsel, and external partners to advance privacy objectives and address complex issues.
• Lead and mentor a team of senior privacy analysts, providing coaching, direction, quality assurance, and professional development support while promoting a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Represent the Department on provincial, interdepartmental, and national committees, working groups, and strategic initiatives related to privacy, and digital health.

Qualifications and Experience

As the successful candidate, you possess:

• A university degree in a related discipline such as law, public administration, health administration, information management, policy, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Significant progressive experience in health privacy, privacy governance, privacy risk management, information management, health policy, or a closely related field.
• Knowledge of the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA), privacy principles, privacy impact assessment methodologies, information‑sharing frameworks, and related legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated experience providing expert advice and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and executive teams on highly complex issues.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, including the supervision, coaching, and development of professional staff.
• Strong understanding of digital health, health information systems, electronic health records, data governance, emerging technologies, and associated privacy considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and deliver results in a high‑volume, politically sensitive, and rapidly evolving environment.
• Exceptional analytical, critical thinking, and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to assess complex issues and develop practical, risk‑informed recommendations.
• Superior communication, relationship‑building, and influence skills, including the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and achieve consensus across organizations.

Equivalency

An equivalent combination of training, education and experience will be considered. Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Additional Information

This is a Permanent status position.

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward‑thinking policies and strategies
• Countless career paths
• A dynamic, client‑focused office environment where service excellence and teamwork are our focus.

Pay Grade: EC 13

Salary Range: $4,322.15 - $5,402.66 Bi-Weekly

Employment Equity Statement: Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians, Persons of African Descent, Racialized Persons, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ Persons and Women in occupations or positions where they are under‑represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self‑identify on your electronic application.

Accommodation Statement: We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Candidates may request accommodations based on any grounds protected by the Human Rights Act. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail].

Current government employees may access this posting through the link below:

PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing information.

If you are receiving a pension from the Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan (PSSP) or any related plans, you cannot receive pension payments while contributing to the same plan. If you accept a position that requires PSSP contributions, your pension payments must be stopped. Please contact the Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation for more information.

Offer of employment is conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials, the results of which must be satisfactory to the employer. We thank all applicants for the interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All questions and concerns may be directed to [e-mail].