Senior Executive Director Health System Infrastructure

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, improved supports for mental health and addictions, 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 Executive Director, Health System Infrastructure leads the departmental team responsible for the broader health system infrastructure strategy, planning, and reporting.  This includes strategic planning involving health system partners which includes in the Nova Scotia Health Authority, and the IWK Health Centre, and extends to understanding of the long-term care sector as well as the Office Addictions and Mental Health.  This work requires working closely with the Department of Public Works as well as Build Nova Scotia.

The Senior Executive Director is also responsible for the development of appropriate governance and delivery models to align departmental and health system processes as it relates to access and flow initiatives and health infrastructure planning including involvement and oversight of major P3 initiatives.  This work is in a complex environment with multiple partnerships required for the delivery of initiatives and requires the capability of navigating challenging relational dynamics and building strong new relationships.  In this environment, a collaborative approach to focusing on government priorities is necessary.  While this position will focus on infrastructure needs, how these needs interact with operational requirements will necessitate close working relationships throughout the system to build an understanding of the ‘whole of’ health system to ensure the system is collectively focused, as best as possible, on the evolving infrastructure needs of the province.

Generally, the Senior Executive Director leads the design, development, and delivery of risk management frameworks to protect assets, information, and resources of the health system and identifies and leverages partnerships in the health system provincially and federally, providing expertise to policy development to improve the effectiveness of the health system.
The Senior Executive Director is responsible for having the skills and commitment required to advance policies, solutions, and strategies that are anti-racist and culturally responsive. 

Primary Accountabilities

The Senior Executive Director will work closely with other Senior Executive Directors and the Executive Leadership Team of the department. As member of the senior leadership team, they will participate in setting strategic directions for current and future programs and initiatives ensuring alignment with government core priorities, and ensuring that policies, procedures and enabling systems are in place and operating effectively to support key aspects of overall infrastructure planning and strategy, health system access and flow, performance, and accountability.

The Senior Executive Director will provide strong leadership, clear vision, and a team-based approach to the management of the Health System Infrastructure Division. They will lead the effective formulation, development, and administration of DHW policy and standards, ensuring program strategy, direction and policy is evidence based, meets the needs of the population, and are within established budgets and overall government and health system priorities.

They will be the department's expert on infrastructure strategy and capital planning, providing advice and counsel to the Minister and Deputy Minister to ensure infrastructure development meets the current and future needs of Nova Scotians, considering population growth, demographic changes, population health needs, equity-focused needs, efficiency and sustainability.

The Senior Executive Director will represent the Department before Executive Council and Cabinet Issues committees as required, preparing confidential policy recommendations, long term strategies, and action plans for effective issues management. They will then implement policy decisions taken from Cabinet, and other approved policy responses that support program development, address operational issues and practices, and enable evaluation of policy changes.

The Senior Executive Director ensures the effective management of human and financial resources by setting and evaluating staff performance targets, promoting diversity and a healthy workplace, demonstrating leadership competencies, respecting corporate human resources practices, promoting teamwork and individual development, maintaining internal communication, monitoring revenues and expenditures, adhering to procurement guidelines, acquiring goods and services in the most cost effective manner, and accurately forecasting budget requirements for the fiscal year.

Qualifications and Experience

As the successful candidate, you will have a Bachelor's degree with extensive years of progressive management.  Experience providing leadership within the health sector will be viewed as an asset however other combinations of education, training, and/ or related experience will be considered. A Bachelor or Master’s degree in a health-related discipline, a related professional designation, extensive government planning and reporting experience, and/or infrastructure planning will be considered an asset.

You will have experience in program/service strategy development and evaluation.

The Government of Nova Scotia has adopted the LEADS Leadership Framework.  During the interview, candidates will be expected to express how they have demonstrated the key behaviours and capabilities required to effectively lead in a caring and inclusive environment. LEADS Domains includes Leads Self, Engage Others, Achieve Results, Develop Coalitions and Systems Transformation.

Please follow LEADS (novascotia.ca) for more information: LEADS 

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.

Benefits

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

Normal work week is 35 hours/week, 7 hours/day

Required to work overtime on occasion

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.