PCMCH - Director, Health Equity

Company: The Hospital for Sick Children

This recruitment is being undertaken on behalf of the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health (PCMCH). PCMCH is a provincial organization hosted at SickKids with the mandate to provide evidence-based and strategic leadership for perinatal, neonatal, and paediatric health services in Ontario. The PCMCH office is located in Toronto, on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Wendat and Anishinabek Peoples. PCMCH's members and partners are located on traditional Indigenous territories across Ontario. PCMCH is grateful for the opportunity to work on this land. Learn more about PCMCH at http://www.pcmch.on.ca/.

Reporting to the Executive Director of PCMCH in this newly created senior leadership role, the Director of Health Equity is responsible for the development and implementation of a provincial Heath Equity Plan for perinatal, newborn, child and youth health in Ontario. The Director will facilitate embedding equity principles across PCMCH's work, translating goals and commitments into tangible action. The incumbent will work in partnership with other PCMCH staff and external partners to design and roll out programs and initiatives that address structural barriers, systemic inequities, and differential outcomes experienced by equity-deserving populations within the perinatal and child health system. The Director will hold senior leadership accountability to advance PCMCH's Reconciliation efforts, specifically to build meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and take concrete steps to address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.

This leadership role requires a highly collaborative individual who understands and values the importance of engaging with diverse communities to shape our work and has a track record of successfully working with partners such as government, service delivery organizations within and beyond the healthcare sector, patients and families, and community leaders to advance shared goals.  The Director will be a change agent who assesses complex system challenges through a critical, equity-informed lens and can work effectively within established structures to influence policy, practice, and culture.

Here's What You'll Get to Do

• Lead the development and implementation of a multi-year Health Equity Plan for perinatal, newborn, child and youth health in Ontario that is informed by equity-integrated data, robust community engagement and system priorities, and that provides the roadmap for PCMCH's equity work.
• Evaluate and publicly report on PCMCH's progress in implementing its Health Equity Plan, upholding the organization's commitment to accountability and transparency.
• Collaborate with Executive Director, Secretariat team, Governing Council and committees to embed equity, inclusion, cultural safety and anti-racism principles into PCMCH's programs and initiatives, bringing trauma-informed and distinctions-based approaches to the organization's work.
• Propose, plan and lead projects that address specific equity and inclusion gaps for priority populations such as Indigenous, Black, newcomer, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and those who may experience barriers related to income, literacy, or disabilities. This will include applying a deep understanding of how social determinants of health and intersectionality affect health outcomes and patient experience, seeking input and guidance from communities, building new partnerships, and employing strong project management, research, facilitation, and critical thinking skills to implement new initiatives with concrete and measurable goals.
• Supervise and support PCMCH's Program Manager, Indigenous Health Equity and Engagement in building relationships with Indigenous organizations and communities and implementing partnership initiatives that close the gaps in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
• Critically review and refine PCMCH's patient and caregiver engagement strategy to ensure that the organization proactively addresses barriers to participation for individuals with lived and living experience from diverse backgrounds and leverages their expertise in meaningful ways to co-design PCMCH's work.
• Strengthen the PCMCH Secretariat's knowledge, capacity and confidence to advance equity by facilitating professional development and training on tools such as anti-oppression frameworks, health equity impact assessments, Indigenous data governance frameworks, and leading practices for partnering with patients and families.

Here's What You'll Need

• Graduate degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in Health Administration, Public Health, Human Rights, Social Justice, Ethics, Equity Studies, Indigenous Studies or related field
• 5 - 7 years of progressive leadership experience advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism and influencing system-level change within healthcare, community services, government, or other large multi-stakeholder environments
• Advanced knowledge of equity, diversity and inclusion frameworks and principles, including intersectionality and social determinants of health, with proven experience embedding equity into organizational initiatives
• Strong understanding of inequities experienced by Indigenous communities including the impact of colonization and systemic racism, and an awareness of Indigenous governance structures, health and healing practices, data governance frameworks, and approaches to undertake meaningful engagement
• Track record of success in translating strategies into practical action by designing and implementing new policies, programs and initiatives
• Exceptional project management skills and experience leading teams in matrixed environments
• Ability to work well with a broad range of partners, navigating diverse and at times competing perspectives with integrity, humility, and respect
• Experience using equity-informed data and performance measures to identify disparities, guide action and demonstrate accountability, with experience collecting and analyzing data considered an asset
• Lived experience as a member of an equity-deserving group is strongly valued

Employment Type: Full-time, permanent, hybrid working model (3 days on-site/week)

PCMCH is committed to the achievement of equity, diversity and inclusion within Ontario's perinatal and child health system. This includes embedding equity and inclusivity into the work we do and into ensuring those who are involved in getting the work done reflect the diversity of the population and the needs of Ontarians. We welcome all individuals to consider being a part of our organization.