Mi'kmaq Indigenous Health Consultant (Designated)

The Opportunity

As a key member of the Equity and Belonging Team within the Health Equity, Safety and Wellness Portfolio, the Consultant provides expertise and guidance to advance and continuously improve culturally safe and appropriate health services for Mi'kmaw and Indigenous peoples at IWK Health. It involves building and maintaining strong relationships with Mi'kmaw and Indigenous Health leaders and partners across Nova Scotia to support coordinated approaches to health equity and reconciliation. The Consultant actively engages with Mi'kmaw and Indigenous communities, organizations, and health practitioners to better understand community priorities and support initiatives that improve health outcomes. This work is guided by Indigenous perspectives and aligned with IWK Health's policies, strategic commitments, and accountability to equity and reconciliation.

Central to this role is also contributing to a collaborative team effort to foster a culturally safe, diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all. Guided by the IWK Health strategic priorities, particularly the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Reconciliation and Accessibility (EDIRA) Strategy, the Consultant works closely with portfolio colleagues consisting of culturally-focused health consultants, patient navigators, program and service advisors and coordinators, along with organizational and system partners to develop, implement, and evaluate initiatives that promote cultural safety and belonging.

Working within the established policies, strategies, and frameworks of IWK Health, specifically, the Health Equity, Safety and Wellness Portfolio’s mandate, the Consultant brings Mi'kmaw ways of knowing and being to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs, policies, and initiatives. In collaboration with team members and organizational partners, the Consultant helps advance equitable access to high-quality, culturally safe services for Indigenous peoples while supporting workplace strategies that strengthen the representation, engagement, and success of Mi'kmaw and Indigenous employees and leaders.

As part of a collaborative portfolio team, and within the Portfolio’s mandate and strategic goals, the Consultant contributes to and leverages existing partnerships across the health sector, government, academia, education, research, business, and community organizations. Together with colleagues and partners, they help identify and implement promising practices, resources, and structures that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and Indigenous representation in both health service delivery and employment at IWK Health.

The Consultant also contributes to broader diversity, equity, inclusion, reconciliation, and accessibility initiatives across IWK Health. Working in partnership with colleagues across portfolios and programs, they help advance organizational efforts to address health inequities and improve the experiences and outcomes of underrepresented and equity-deserving communities.

Hours of Work

• Permanent Full-Time; 75 hours bi-weekly 
• Onsite with occasional remote options

Your Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in an Allied Health field, Public Administration, Health Services Administration, Business Administration, or relevant areas of study.
• Five years of related experience or a Master's degree plus three years' experience.
• Significant knowledge of Indigenous peoples across Nova Scotia and the Maritimes.
• Experience as a health professional is an asset.
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting and advocating for systemic change that addresses and advocates for health transformation initiatives that improve access and experience to the health system for Indigenous people in NS and reduces health inequities and anti-indigenous racism.
• Strong understanding and connection to Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw communities and demonstrated experience working with and engaging Mi'kmaw communities.
• Demonstrated experience in project management, coordination, facilitation, community engagement and qualitative research.
• Strong writing skills with demonstrated competency writing synthesized literature reviews, policy analysis, briefing notes and reports.
• Demonstrated planning, organization and time management skills. Ability to deal with competing priorities.
• Demonstrated critical thinking with demonstrated ability to assess and anticipate future needs, potential problems, directions and development for all aspects of strategic, financial, and human resource management.
• Strong communication skills and ability to develop and sustain coalitions, alliances, and partnerships with the members of the health care sector and external agencies. Community development experiences an asset.
• Ability to communicate and build coalitions effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders using a variety of methods.
• Innovative systems thinking with an understanding of working with priority communities.
• Demonstrated high standards of ethics, integrity, respect, accountability and upholding the public interest, and ability to use them effectively in decision-making.
• Leadership skills consisting of building a vision, team building, conflict resolution, goal setting, coaching, mentoring, delegation, change-leadership.
• Responsibilities are provincial in scope, resulting in regular travel throughout the province and occasionally elsewhere in Canada.
• A current Nova Scotia Driver's License and access to a reliable vehicle are required.
• Competencies in other languages considered an asset; Mi'kmaq preferred.

Walking alongside leaders across the organization to advise on organizational fulfillment of the TRC calls to action, the MMIWG calls to Justice and UNDRIP, advocating for safe services that are responsive to Mi'kmaw community needs.