Health Promotion and Education Specialist

Company : IWK Health

Req ID: 176199

Department/Program: Addictions Clinic, Mental Health And Addictions

Location: Halifax

Type of Employment: Temporary Hourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 18 months x 1 position(s)

Start Date: March 2024

Union Status: Non-union, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $38.7875 - $48.4843 /hour
Closing Date: March 19, 2024 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager of Adolescent Intensive Services, the Mental Health and Addictions Health Promotion and Education Specialist provides strong leadership and subject matter expertise in health promotion, population health, prevention, health equity, community engagement, harm reduction, and community development initiatives. This position involves extensive work with all facets of government, IWK and NSH staff, allied health professionals, as well as numerous intersectoral partners and a variety of community based organizations.

The Health Promotion and Education Specialist facilitates and fosters active communication, collaboration, and linkages among key decision makers, within and outside the community, that shapes policy and program design. S/he acts as a catalyst to mobilize and support community members in taking a more proactive role in health promotion and prevention practice. S/he also takes a leadership role in advocating for health public policy, influencing a service delivery system that reflects community development practices, and in creating a foundation for health promotion practice to be implemented.

The Health Promotion and Education Specialist responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Applying a population health approach to addressing the social determinants of health, particularly in relation to youth substance use and gambling prevention and mental health promotion;
• Analyzing and interpreting the impact of policy decisions on population health and health care; advocating and participating in the development of healthy public policy;
• Lead and manage projects, prepare reports, policy briefs and facilitate consultations as it relates to priorities.
• Applying and maintaining standards and best practices for health promotion/population health, youth health, substance use prevention and mental health promotion;
• Developing, implementing, and evaluating programs and strategies for health promotion initiatives;
• Working with and supporting a variety of volunteer and/or community-based organizations;
• Establishing and maintaining collaborative and mutually supportive partnerships with numerous intersectoral partners;
• Participating in strategic, business, operational, and other planning processes;
• Participating as a member of various working groups and committees.

Hours of Work

Monday – Friday; 37.5 hours weekly, generally 8:30am-4:30pm. Some evenings may be required. This is a remote position.

Your Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a health-related field required (i.e., Health Promotion, Public Health or Health Education preferred).
• Currently licensed with, or eligible to be licensed with, the relevant licensing body required, where applicable.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in community-based health promotion initiatives, population health, health public policy development and advocacy, program planning, and evaluation/research required.
• Previous experience in substance use and gambling prevention, mental health promotion, health promotion, public health, education, and/or community development an asset.
• Demonstrated competency in applying comprehensive health promotion approaches in the community required.
• Demonstrated understanding and working knowledge of Health Promotion Canada’s Health Promotion Competencies preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in population health, health promotion, and healthy public policy required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of best practices for protecting vulnerable populations, particularly children, youth and families.
• Strong analytical abilities to interpret data and convey results in a meaningful way required.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain collaborative and supportive partnerships with numerous intersectoral partners.
• Demonstrated effective communication (verbal and written), interpersonal, and leadership skills required.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative required.
• Demonstrated excellent time management, workload prioritization, and organizational skills required.
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills, including judgement, problem solving and decision-making abilities required.
• Demonstrated project management facilitation and team building skills required.
• Excellent research and analytical skills, particularly with regard to policy development preferred.
• Demonstrated advocacy skills preferred.
• Previous media experience an asset.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within the identified scope of employment, and to seek consultation where required from clinical resources.
• Valid Class 5 driver’s license, access to a reliable vehicle, and appropriate car insurance coverage required.
• Competencies in other languages an asset

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.