Home to seven regional programs and comprehensive health-care services, Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN, pronounced wren) is committed to meeting the current and emerging needs in Waterloo-Wellington and beyond.
WRHN is redefining the health-care experience through collaboration and innovation, addressing barriers to access, advancing care delivery, and setting new standards in compassionate, empowered community-driven health care.
At WRHN, every patient is at the centre of everything we do as we strive to improve lives, inspire healing, and build healthier, stronger communities. By listening to patients and partners, we strive to connect communities to the right care, at the right place, and at the right time.
POSITION VACANCY: Innovation & AI Strategy
POSITION: AI – PDO Technical Lead
LOCATION: WRHN @ Midtown (formerly Grand River Hospital, KW Campus)
Position Summary : The AI-PDO Technical Lead provides technical governance and implementation readiness oversight to enable the safe, scalable adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN).
Embedded within the AI Portfolio & Delivery Office (AI-PDO), the role ensures AI initiatives align with enterprise architecture, data readiness, interoperability, cybersecurity, and infrastructure requirements.
The Technical Lead assesses feasibility, identifies technical risks and dependencies, and supports lifecycle gate reviews. Working across Digital Services, Decision Support, Data Governance, Privacy, and operational teams, the role coordinates integration pathways and data requirements. It conducts technical due diligence on vendor solutions and supports monitoring, validation, and documentation practices. The role also contributes to enterprise AI governance artefacts, technical assessment frameworks, and portfolio visibility, bridging AI strategy and technical execution.
Key Responsibilities:
Technical Governance & Readiness
- Lead technical feasibility assessments for AI initiatives.
- Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, interoperability standards, cybersecurity requirements, and infrastructure constraints.
- Participate in lifecycle gate reviews and identify technical risks and dependencies.
- Recommend integration approaches and readiness requirements.
Data Readiness & Infrastructure Coordination
- Evaluate data quality, completeness, accessibility, and suitability for AI models.
- Coordinate with Digital Services, Data Engineering, Decision Support, and Data Governance teams.
- Assess integration pathways, APIs, cloud environments, and infrastructure dependencies.
Vendor & Solution Technical Assessment
- Conduct technical due diligence on AI‑enabled vendor solutions.
- Evaluate architecture, scalability, interoperability, monitoring capabilities, and security posture.
- Support benchmarking and comparative assessments to reduce long‑term vendor dependency.
Monitoring, Validation & Lifecycle Support
- Support development of monitoring, validation, and assurance practices for AI systems.
- Contribute to documentation, operational handoff, and knowledge transfer.
- Help build repeatable technical assessment frameworks and governance artifacts.
Position Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Health Informatics, Data Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field
- Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience, in a similar role or environment
- Experience working in complex, and/or publicly funded environments
- Ability to explain complex technical concepts to non‑technical audiences
- Strong influencing skills across Digital, Data, Privacy, Cybersecurity, and operational teams
- Develops technical governance frameworks, identifies risks and constraints, and recommends solutions to leadership and governance bodies
- Ability to influences decisions through technical analysis and expertise, despite limited formal approval authority
Application Instructions:
EMPLOYEES OF LEGACY GRAND RIVER HOSPITAL ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATION ELECTRONICALLY USING THE EMPATH SYSTEM.
WRHN is committed to fair and equitable employment and in our recruitment and selection practices. We strongly believe in inclusion and diversity within our organization, and welcome all applicants including, but not limited to racialized communities, all religions and ethnicities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, Indigenous people, and all others who may contribute to the further diversification of our Hospital community. We are committed to providing and fostering a respectful workplace for all employees, free from violence and harassment.
Accommodations are available during all stages of the recruitment process in accordance with the Human Rights Code. WRHN is committed to complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) to provide an inclusive, barrier free workplace. We will accommodate the accessibility needs of individuals with disabilities to support participation in all aspects of the recruitment process. Should you require this accommodation, please contact Human Resources.
If you are seeking employment on a temporary work or study permit we recommend reviewing work permit restrictions as it applies to healthcare organizations in Canada. Individuals holding a work or study permit seeking employment in the healthcare sector may be required to complete additional steps in the process. This may also apply to current employees seeking renewal of their work permits. It is the accountability of the applicant and/or employee to ensure they are adhering to their specific work permit restrictions.
