Executive Director, Child and Family Wellbeing

About Us

At the Department of Opportunities and Social Development (OSD), we are a large and diverse department providing a broad portfolio of programs and services including Child and Family Wellbeing (CFW), Employment Support Services (ESS), Income Assistance (IA), Homelessness and Supportive Housing, and Disability Support Program (DSP).

Through our services, we advocate and help vulnerable Nova Scotians be independent, self-reliant, and secure. We work collaboratively across the province with a strong dedicated network of supports and staff to achieve desired and shared outcomes for all.

About Our Opportunity

We are hiring an innovative, inclusive, and highly collaborative Executive Director to lead our Child and Family Wellbeing division and provide inspiring vision and strategic direction. As our Executive Director, the leadership you provide is far-reaching, impacting province-wide child and family wellbeing services.

Reporting to the Associate Deputy Minister, you will provide corporate leadership and expertise in the design, implementation, and oversight of innovative strategies, policies, and programs that protect children and strengthen families. This role carries significant statutory authority and broad executive accountability across multiple program areas designed to support children, youth and families.

Primary Accountabilities

As the Executive Director, your decisions influence public trust, provincial reputation, legislative direction, and the safety of children and families across Nova Scotia. Some of your key accountabilities will include:

• Serving as the departmental authority for child and family services, shaping strategy, legislation, policy, and program delivery across the province.
• Leading a senior team of directors, managers, and subject matter experts responsible for high-risk, high-impact programs.
• Championing integrated, outcome-focused service delivery that promotes independence, self-reliance, safety, and wellbeing.
• Promoting innovation in child safety and family preservation, adoption, foster care, youth services, and prevention frameworks.
• Advancing system transformation by embedding research, quality assurance, risk management, and continuous improvement practices.
• Providing expert policy, legislative, and regulatory advice to the Minister, Deputy Minister, Associate Deputy Minister, and senior government officials.
• Building strategic relationships with advocacy groups, community agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and professional associations.
• Representing the Department in executive-level interdepartmental and intergovernmental forums.
• Overseeing financial stewardship, budget forecasting, procurement compliance, and resource optimization.
• Promoting a culture of inclusion, accountability, professional excellence, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications and Experience

You are an inclusive leader and strategic thinker who is dedicated to enhancing the programs and services designed to help the most vulnerable people of Nova Scotia be independent, self-reliant, and secure. As our Executive Director, you have a university degree in social sciences, public administration, or management, combined with several years of successful leadership experience in the delivery of children and family programs and services. A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Social Work is considered an asset.

Essential to your success in this role is your incredible people leadership skills. You create environments where teams are supported, inspired, and engaged across multiple locations and remotely. You understand the various programs and services our department offers, which enhance your abilities to solve complex problems and forge strong relationships of trust and collaboration across diverse groups and communities. You must have the ability to quickly understand a wide range of information from all programs and corporate divisions, other departments, external agencies, and partners.

Furthermore, you have:

• an ability to lead change, work collaboratively, build rapport with senior leaders across all levels, and to inspire creativity and motivate people and teams.
• the ability to synthesize complex social issues and work within the executive leadership structure to create and implement solutions that impact the quality of life of the citizens we serve.

You are committed to diversity and anti-racism in the workplace and place a high value on ensuring that the people you lead come to work in an environment that is inclusive, equitable and allows them to bring their best self to work every day. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential as you collaborate with staff and leaders across all levels.

We will assess the above qualifications and competencies using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Equivalency

We recognize that leadership experience can be gained in many settings. 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.

Benefits

Based on the employment status, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

Working Conditions

Excellent people skills and personal resilience are essential to succeed in this highly collaborative, human-centred environment.

As you lead at a Provincial level, there will be regular travel to offices throughout the various regions. Your decisions have a significant impact on the safety and well-being of both clients and staff, requiring your ability to balance conflicting views with multiple partners.

The demands of this position necessitate flexible hours and may require frequent attention outside regular business hours. Many services operate 24 hours a day/7 days a week and the Executive Director is often called upon to deal with escalated issues after regular working hours, on weekends and during holidays.

What We Offer

• Career possibilities: you will have access to multiple career paths, career guidance, and ongoing training for every stage of your career.
• Rewarding and versatile work: daily, you will get to see the impact you have in and around your community.
• Engaging workplace: you are respected, supported, and valued. We have forward-thinking policies and strategies and incorporate your feedback to enhance our services.