Executive Director | Recruitment, Equity & Engagement

Position Summary
Who are we looking for:

Are you looking for a new and rewarding leadership challenge in healthcare? Interior Health has an exciting opportunity for Executive Director | Recruitment, Equity & Engagement. The location for this role is flexible within the Interior Health Region of British Columbia. We are looking for people who want to make a difference in the communities in which they live, work and play. Apply today to join our amazing organization who was once again named as BC Top Employer for 2026!

Some of the benefits of joining Interior Health:

• An attractive remuneration package
• Excellent career prospects
• Employee & Family Assistance Programs
• Employer paid training/education opportunities
• Employer paid vacation
• Employer paid insurance premiums
• Extended Health & Dental coverage
• Work-life balance
• Relocation Allowance may be provided

Salary range for the position is $158,434 to $237,651. Interior Health establishes salaries within the minimum and maximum of the salary range based on consideration of the qualifications, experience of the applicant, and an internal equity review of the salaries of other employees.

How will you create an impact:

The Executive Director, Recruitment, Equity & Engagement is responsible and accountable for the establishment of recruitment, employee experience, engagement, and equitable people practice strategies for Interior Health (IH), guiding the organization’s overall strategic approach to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of health human resources utilization. The Executive Director will translate provincial mandates and IH-wide direction into operational strategies, while working with leaders across the organization to ensure the smooth integration of service delivery. This position will support the execution of the province of British Columbia’s Indigenous Recruitment and Retention strategy, supporting the implementation of the In Plain Sight report, and supporting the decolonization of Interior Health’s (IH) human resources practices. Additionally, this position is responsible for IH’s Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion strategies.

Reporting to the VP, People and Engagement, with strategic alignment to the VP, Indigenous Partnerships, the Executive Director brings their lived experience as an Indigenous person and is the integrator for a range of provincial and regional initiatives, playing a pivotal role in shaping IH’s commitment and advancement of reconciliation initiatives through its human resources strategy and practices. Specifically, while embracing a distinctions-based approach, the position plays a key role in the standardization and performance monitoring of practices, policies, and procedures to ensure they are in accordance with legislative, contractual, and organizational standards and promote an anti-racist, equitable and culturally safe culture in the organization, that enriches the workplace experience and provides exceptional and consistent service for Indigenous employees. The position will lead the development of an Indigenous workforce strategy and partner with teams within the People and Engagement portfolio to undertake hiring and selection redesign, including job requirements, assessment methods, panel composition, and develop community informed processes. The position will also be responsible for identifying and sourcing partnerships, internships, and leadership pathways to advance the objectives of the Indigenous workforce strategy. This includes negotiating and coordinating action plans with conflicting requirements; and ensuring strategic goals, objectives and operational plans for the portfolio are carried out in an effective and efficient manner.

What will you work on:

1. Provides IH leadership and direction in the development, implementation, and evaluation of efficient and effective recruitment, employee experience, engagement, and equitable people practice strategies that meet the current and future needs of employees and leaders as well as supports the organization’s operational and strategic objectives.

2. Provides organization-wide leadership in the creation and implementation of transformational strategies to drive change on a wide range of activities that meet IH’s vision, mission, and values through the introduction of organizational change initiatives, tools, and methodologies.

3. Formulates, implements and evaluates goals and objectives for the team and aligns them to the overall strategic direction of People and Engagement and Indigenous Partnerships portfolios. Responsibilities include conducting analysis of the current situation and the future requirements of the area, developing recommendations of specific goals and objectives, and setting priorities for planning and implementing strategies in conjunction with human resources partners.

4. Provides strategic leadership, expertise, and guidance to the People and Engagement portfolio, including the development of short-, medium, and long-term plans to enhance Indigenous recruitment, retention and employee experience, ensuring alignment with relevant IH policies and the overall strategic direction of IH, the Indigenous Health and Wellness Strategy, and Cultural Safety initiatives.

5. Accountable to ensure the organization’s overall strategic approach integrates Indigenous-specific anti-racism and identifies and removes systemic barriers to Indigenous peoples.

6. Accountable for the implementation of change initiatives, policy development, and operational requirements to ensure our people are supported in a culturally safe work environment.

7. Develops, builds and maintains mutually beneficial working partnerships, including with Indigenous communities, Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Indigenous-led organizations. Represents IH and its interests across various audiences and partner groups and collaborates and liaises with internal and external groups including regional health organizations, Health Employers Association of BC, union partners, other central agencies, provincial/national associations, and across provincial networks. Formally negotiates internally and externally and enters into contracts and/or letters of understanding on behalf of IH, and makes decisions involving complex and diverse issues with organizational-wide implications.

8. Continuously seeks opportunities to incorporate research, data and feedback into new or changing models while improving timeliness, cost efficiency, compliance and consistency of systems and processes.

9. Ensures that strategic planning, operational planning, and evaluation are focused on continuous quality improvement and that initiatives anticipate and respond to changes in collective agreement language and provincial legislation.

10. Provides key leadership representation of IH at the provincial tables, which includes reporting on implementation progress and risks, and ensuring deliverables are communicated appropriately.

11. Provides leadership and guidance to employees using effective management techniques; coaches and mentors employees; conducts performance evaluations and creates a learning environment that promotes and supports professional growth of all employees; participates in recruitment activities and makes hiring and discipline decisions.

12. Develops and manages portfolio budgets, monitors expenditures, conducts variance analysis, and implements corrective actions. Reviews and approves budgets, program plans, and policies. Oversees functional budgets and allocates scarce resources and human resources across portfolios and programs to meet service needs and fiscal requirements.

13. In alignment with IH’s Occupational Health & Safety Program, maintain a healthy and safe work environment through complying with and implementing applicable Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, responding to requests from WSBC, identifying hazards and communicating risks, ensuring compliance with employee training, conducting effective incident investigations and implementing required corrective actions.

14. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Honouring Interior Health’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), and Pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, preferential consideration and/or hiring will be given to qualified applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit).

Qualfications
Education, Training, and Experience
• A Master’s degree in Human Resources, Health Information, Business Administration or a related discipline or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience

• Ten (10) to fifteen (15) or more years of human resources/corporate experience including leadership in complex healthcare environments.

• Comprehensive knowledge of the social, economic, political realities of settler-colonialism and systemic racism and historic and ongoing impacts on Indigenous peoples in social and health contexts and Indigenous-specific mandates. Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of, and commitment to upholding legislative obligations and provincial commitments in the foundational documents: Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan, Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, the Distinctions Based Approach, Anti-Racism Data Act, and BC Human Rights Code.

Skills and Abilities
•Demonstrated deep understanding of own personal learning/unlearning journey in relation to Indigenous-specific racism and dismantling systems of oppression, as well as addressing racism more broadly. Demonstrated ability to articulate and share this journey to promote a culture of learning/unlearning and self-reflection.

• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination and embed Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility and an advanced expertise and unwavering dedication to engaging with diversity, centering equity, and advancing inclusion (DEI) and confronting/addressing broader issues of racism and discrimination.

•Models and supports full team commitment to Indigenous Cultural Safety and anti-racism and fosters a culture of continuous learning, equity, inclusion and belonging.

• Demonstrates humility and heart-led leadership.

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of related legislation and labour relations law, relevant collective agreements, labour relations and human resources practices, principles of union/management relationships, recruitment and retention processes, change and project management theories and practices, privacy legislation and HR practices concerning confidentiality of information.

• Extensive knowledge of Indigenous communities and cultural protocols and resources, and demonstrated skills in the area of Indigenous recruitment, retention, and employment.

• Extensive knowledge of employment issues impacting Indigenous Peoples.

• Demonstrated ability to center Indigenous employee experiences and voices to create organizational change to support a thriving Indigenous workforce.

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) communities and organizations.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively lead, direct, coach and develop staff, supported by significant knowledge of Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

• Demonstrated competence in human resources at the senior leadership level.

• Highly focused with proven ability to analyze information, create and execute strategic human resource strategies, policies, and plans.

• Demonstrated evidence of providing client and solution focused consulting services.

• Demonstrated ability to influence outside of formal reporting structures and navigate relationships to achieve positive outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to establish courses of action for self and others that are results oriented.

• Demonstrated ability to make formal presentations.

• Demonstrated ability to innovatively problem solve with a global perspective, make decisions and facilitate resolution of issues while being aware of the impact of actions on a system.

• Leading and building a team environment with integrity and trust through clear communication, coaching, and managing conflict resolution.

• Excellent communication skills including the ability to facilitate, negotiate and persuade others.

• Excellent organizational skills including the ability to prioritize workload to meet deadlines.

• Ability to deal effectively with all levels of staff.

• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.

• Lived experience with Indigenous populations and demonstrated extensive knowledge of Indigenous health care needs, services, and issues, as well as knowledge of culture, protocols, traditions, and ideology of Indigenous people and organizations in British Columbia.