Location
Location: Thorold, ON
Temporary Duration
Approximate Duration: 6 to 9 months
Division
Health Promotion and Foundational Standards
Important Notices & Amendments
IMPORTANT APPLICATION NOTE:
Niagara Region is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. We are committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process. In recruiting for our team and this position, we encourage applicants that identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Metis or Inuit), People of Colour, part of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, or persons with disabilities. We also encourage candidates to self-identify in their cover letters. When a candidate voluntarily discloses this information in their application, it will be kept strictly confidential for the purposes of recruitment and statistics
This position currently falls within our hybrid model, allowing the employee to typically work a minimum of 50% of your time at your regular work location and the other 50% of time at home.
As an employer of choice, Niagara Region offers competitive salaries and benefits, a defined benefit pension plan, a corporate wellness centre, access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), mentorship and training programs, employee recognition programs, and more. In addition, the Region recognizes the value of having flexible work arrangements to support better work-life balance for our employees. Hybrid work arrangements may vary from one employee to another and may also differ in the number of remote workdays. These opportunities remain subject to the alignment of operational needs, business requirements, and customer service expectations.
Job Description
Job Summary
Salary Pending Review
Reporting to the Manager Planning Evaluation and CQI (Public Health), the Indigenous Health Specialist works to impact the health and health equity of Niagara residents by leading the development, planning, and implementation of the recommendations made throughout the Creating Our Way Forward Report. This position supports the programs and staff of Public Health and Emergency Services (PHES) to become more culturally competent and aligned with the Report recommendations.
As part of increasing cultural competence, the position will integrate an Indigenous lens and Indigenous perspectives into health promotion, community outreach, data collection and analysis, and knowledge mobilization, and will coordinate strategically reorienting current programs as well as initiating new work. This includes operational responsibility for liaising with internal and external partners, project coordination and facilitation, providing policy development, project leadership and assumes professional and strategic planning responsibilities related to this Program. To accomplish this work, the position will engage with Indigenous populations and organizations in alignment with the Indigenous engagement plans of the Corporate Reconciliation, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (RDEI) team.
The Indigenous Health Specialist will also support the Niagara Region’s Corporate Reconciliation, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (RDEI) team with Niagara Region-wide initiatives around Indigenous engagement and reconciliation. Although reporting to the Manager Planning, Evaluation and CQI; the Indigenous Health Specialist will participate in team meetings with the RDEI team to ensure alignment with corporate initiatives, and will report to the Director of Corporate Strategy & Innovation for the purposes of these Region-wide initiatives.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Science / Public Health / Indigenous Studies or a related field is required.
- Knowledge of Indigenous Culture and/or Indigenous Language fluency as well as demonstrated skill and competency to perform the role based on past work experience will be considered equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree.
- Master’s degree in Social Science / Public Health / Indigenous Studies or a related field is preferred.
Knowledge
- Indigenous strategy development and implementation (preferably evidenced by 2-3 years’ experience)
- Knowledge of Indigenous history, traditional culture, political structures, Truth and Reconciliation and context specific to Indigenous people in the Niagara region and the surrounding areas
- Indigenous Cultural Knowledge and/or Indigenous Language fluency is an asset
- Building community collaborations and partnerships (preferably evidenced with experience)
- Communication, relationship building and group facilitation skills
- Knowledge of data collection, analysis, research and evaluation
- In-depth knowledge of community programs
- Knowledge of social media, web and multi-media approaches
- Well-developed network of Indigenous Advisors and Elders will be an asset
- Knowledge of project management techniques/tools/software and partner engagement and consultation principles and techniques
- Additional training in project management is preferred.
Responsibilities
Leads strategic cultural competence activities across Public Health & Emergency Services in collaboration with the Niagara Region’s Corporate Reconciliation, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (RDEI) team and with external partners; (35% of time)
- Directs and provides leadership for the activities within the program strategy through providing work direction, setting priorities, assigning tasks/projects, determining methods and procedures to be used, resolving problems, and supporting the development of skills
- Develops and maintain a work plan to implement the Creating Our Way Forward Report and the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, seeking Senior Leadership Team’s endorsement
- Coordinates with the Corporate RDEI team to ensure the work plan is in alignment with the Corporation’s strategies for reconciliation and Indigenous engagement
- Supports divisions to implement the above work plan
- Champions the work plan both internally and externally
- Advises and provides strategic advice to the management team and Senior Leadership Team regarding the implementation of the work plan
- Provides appropriate and timely response or action regarding program activities, initiatives, events, inquiries as required both internally and externally to key partners
- Ensures mobilization of the work plan within the Division and the Department
- Formulates and executes internal departmental communications plans, in consultation with Public Health Communications & Engagement, to increase staff knowledge, awareness, and cultural competence around Indigenous peoples in Niagara and their health and health equity profile
- Works with PH Communications & Engagement and Strategic Communications & Public Affairs to formulate and implement strategic communications plans to support building effective relationships with a range of partners including Indigenous partners.
- Liaises closely with the RDEI team to ensure consistent messaging.
- Ensures adherence to assigned budgets and schedules, and quality of deliverables
- Ensures alignment and coordination of activity and quality of output between teams under their project direction
- Ensures staff has the information and resources to make successful plans and decisions
- Prepares reports to Staff, Management, Senior Leadership and Regional Council as required Maintains detailed status of activities and issues to present to the Medical Officer of Health, Senior Leadership Team, and other internal and external parties;
- Supervises a student who will be hired periodically to assist with these duties.
- Participates in provincial public health communities of practice for Indigenous engagement in Public Health.
Lead the development and coordination of policy as it relates to both program work and departmental work to enhance cultural competence of the organization and its employees, as well as Indigenous health more generally. (20% of time)
- In collaboration with the Indigenous community, reviews PHES policies, procedures, and interventions from an Indigenous cultural competency lens and recommend changes
- In collaboration with Human Resources, and with the input of the Indigenous community, reviews Department’s practices with respect to recruitment, hiring, and performance management to ensure a workplace that is welcoming and culturally appropriate for Indigenous persons. Recommend improvements where identified.
- Leads the coordination of policy changes and enhancements as it relates to program outcomes
- Develops policy and implementation guidelines within public health programs as it relates to the program
Builds and maintains relationships with key internal and external partners, including Indigenous partners in alignment and support of Corporate reconciliation and Indigenous engagement strategies. (20% of time)
- Collaborates with the Corporate RDEI team to partner with local organizations to address systemic and structural barriers for Indigenous health in regional programs and services
- In coordination with the RDEI team, acts as liaison between PHES and Indigenous communities and organizations, enabling increased mutual understanding and collaboration
- In coordination with the RDEI team, facilitates PHES leadership’s engagement with Indigenous communities and organizations to understand the needs of Indigenous peoples in Niagara with respect to health and health equity, and help broker changes in PHES in response
- Identifies opportunities for department leadership team to broaden and deepen relationships and networks with Indigenous communities, businesses and agencies to improve PHES programs and services
- Proactively meets with a range of partners both internal and external (other levels of government, Indigenous leaders, organizations and agencies) to network, build partnerships and gather information/insight on specific issues, issue resolution as well as to build and maintain strong working relationships.
- Ensures that knowledge exchange/translation happens with Divisional and Departmental key partners
- Provides appropriate and timely responses or actions regarding new activities, initiatives, events, inquiries etc. as required
- Attends Council/Committee meetings and other public meetings as required
- Organizes and attends internal and external meetings
Best practice in research & evaluation for Indigenous health: analyzes and evaluates historical and current data quality and data collection practices, and develops new data collection and analysis in collaboration with Indigenous partners to reflect their principles (15% of time)
- In conjunction with PHES analytics team and the Indigenous community, develops improved data quality and ongoing data collection to inform local quality and service standards with the Indigenous community
- Develops benchmarks and metrics to monitor and evaluate deliverables
- In coordination with the Corporate RDEIP team, engages with the Indigenous community, with PHES program managers, and with external health and social services agencies to understand health and health equity data needs to inform program planning, program implementation, and cultural safety
- Develops process maps of existing internal and external data collection, identify areas of concern in consultation with Indigenous partners, devise new procedures for process efficiencies and improving data collection and quality;
- Conducts critical review of existing data collection tools, ensuring data being captured is leveraged to make evidence informed decisions and ensure any Indigenous data gathered complies with the First Nations Principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession)
- Identifies potential funding sources, write grants and track funding of allocated funds related to the project;
- Acts as the PHES project lead for all persons involved with the project;
- Coordinates research and other activities with initiative partners to maximize alignment of strategies and actions;
- Identifies and coordinates with potential projects, activities, local collaborations and networks etc. within the community that align with project goals and objectives;
- Maintains detailed status of activities and issues to present to the Medical Officer of Health, Senior Leadership Team, and other interested parties;
- Provides ad-hoc reports
Guides work across Divisions and programs to ensure cultural competence of service delivery and improvement of Indigenous peoples’ health status. (10% of time)
- Mobilizes Public Health data and evidence and the perspectives of the Indigenous community to identify areas of strength and areas of improvement in PHES programing, particularly in serving Indigenous persons with greater cultural competence and with better targeting their needs.
- Promotes integration and awareness of cultural competence in program delivery, as well as the unique health needs of Indigenous peoples, internally through ongoing dialogue, activities, coordination and offering suggestions for consideration for internal and external partners.
- In collaboration with the Indigenous community, provides an Indigenous lens to program work such as mental health and addiction services, prenatal and reproductive health services, school and dental health services, environmental health and inspection work, and emergency services.
- Advocates and relates the program work to other strategic initiatives (i.e. Priority Matrix, Healthy Equity Strategic Plan).
- Monitors performance indicators to ensure that established standards and are met and measured.
Special Requirements
- Must maintain ability to travel in a timely manner to other offices, work locations or sites as authorized by the Corporation for business reasons.
- Regional staff strive to enable the strategic priorities of council and the organization through the completion of their work. Staff carry out their work by demonstrating the corporate values.
About Us
Niagara Region serves a diverse urban and rural population of more than 475,000 and is focused on building a strong and prosperous Niagara. Working collaboratively with 12 local area municipalities and community partners, the Region delivers high-quality programs and services that support the well-being of individuals, families and communities. Nestled between Lakes Erie and Ontario, the Niagara peninsula is home to fertile agricultural land, the majesty of Niagara Falls, vibrant modern cities, Canada’s most developed wine industry, and communities rich in history, recreation and culture. With a temperate climate, breathtaking countryside and easy access to neighbouring New York State, Niagara attracts more than 14 million visitors each year, along with new residents and businesses. Niagara Region values diversity in background and experience and is committed to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the community it serves, strengthening programs and services across Niagara. While specific qualifications are important for certain roles, we invite individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply. Our recruiters will evaluate your suitability for the role.
Closing Statement
Uncover the wonder of the Niagara Region and join a team dedicated to meeting tomorrow’s challenges TODAY!
Let us know why you would be an excellent team member by submitting your online application.
We thank all candidates for their interest however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
We confirm that we do not use AI in screening of applicants, and this position is an existing vacancy.
If you require an accommodation for the application process in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the alternate formats for contacting us are as follows:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 905-980-6000 or 1-800-263-7215
- Bell Relay: 1-800-855-0511
- In-person: Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold, ON L2V 4T7 – Human Resources Department
#INDNR
Work Location: In person
