Regional Director, Public Health Surveillance Unit

Job Description:
Job Title: Regional Director, Public Health Surveillance Unit

Work Site: PHSU

Status: Regular Full Time

Reference#: 138752-swa

Come work as a Regional Director with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)!

Vancouver Coastal Health is looking for a Regional Director to join the team at the Public Health Surveillance Unit team. Apply today to join our team!

As a Regional Director with Vancouver Coastal Health you will:

Be accountable to the Vice President (Public Health) and Chief Medical Health Officer for all matters relating to the operations of the Public Health Surveillance Unit (PHSU) with direct reporting to the Executive Director, Population Health. The PHSU is a source of health intelligence knowledge and capacity, to support the needs of regional, HSDA and LHA public health practitioners.

Oversee the development, implementation and evaluation of the PHSU’s core functions of health assessment, disease surveillance, epidemiological investigations and knowledge transfer. As a member of the Office of the Chief Medical Health Officer’s senior leadership team, the Regional Director provides expertise, guidance and decision-making in relation to these functions.

In collaboration and consultation with Medical Health Officers and other program Directors, work to establish best practice for monitoring disease trends and health indicators for the purpose of implementing effective prevention strategies for Vancouver Coastal Health communities.

In consultation with Medical Health Officers, provide epidemiological guidance for public health investigations.

For communicable disease outbreaks the PHSU provides a central co-ordination role, be an integral part of the regional outbreak management team.

Have key internal partnerships are with VCH Medical Health Officers, Public Health Nurses, Environmental Health Officers, Infection Control Practitioners, Population Health, Emergency Management, Health Planners, Population Continuums, Decision Support Services and others involved with public health delivery. Key external partnerships include colleagues involved with public health matters at other health authorities; municipal and NGO organizations; provincial, federal and international agencies; as well as academic institutions.

WHY JOIN VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH?

VCH is a world class innovator in medical care, research and teaching, delivering service to more than one million BC residents. At VCH, we embrace thinking boldly, taking smart risks, and “going first” when we believe it will lead to the best possible outcomes for patients and their families. We invite you to join us in creating healthy lives in healthy communities by showcasing our passion for care, connection to the communities we serve and our culture of teamwork that makes VCH a great place to work.

Comprehensive health benefits package, including MSP, extended health and dental and municipal pension plan

Grow your career with employer-paid training and leadership development opportunities

Wellness supports, including counselling, critical incident and innovative wellness services are available to employees and their immediate families

Award-winning recognition programs to honour staff, medical staff and volunteers

Access to exclusive discount offers and deals for VCH staff

QUALIFICATIONS:
Education & Experience:
PhD in Epidemiology or related discipline.

Preference will be given to candidates with at least five years of recent professional experience in applied public health practice in the areas of health assessment, disease surveillance, outbreak investigations and knowledge transfer activities within a large community-based healthcare organization.

Additional preference will be given to candidates eligible for a faculty appointment with UBC or SFU to support local training, research and public health capacity development.

Knowledge & Abilities:
Advanced knowledge of a range of statistical and analytical epidemiological methods

Proven experience in the analysis, interpretation and application of a variety of health data

Maintains current knowledge of new developments, trends and research in public health surveillance and recommends best practices accordingly.

Identifies new disease control issues and initiates projects to evaluate and control diseases of public health interest.

Applies superior communication skills to collaborate and influence internal and external stakeholders, providing advice, guidance and education and ensuring compliance with standards, criteria and regulations.

Demonstrates effective leadership skills and inspires a shared vision for the strategic development of health assessment and disease surveillance as a core public health function

Fosters collaborative and effective working relationships that promote cooperative goal achievement and contribute to an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.

Facilitates and negotiates for consensus and effective resolution of public health issues.

A high level of tact and diplomacy is required and an ability to understand other cultures to enable effective working across organisational boundaries and influencing without authority

Familiar with performance monitoring and reporting for core public health functions

Uses a variety of software applications at an advanced level to develop databases, conduct analyses, prepare presentations and reports.

Develop and implement an effective workforce plan in context of operational demands and environmental constraints.

Provides knowledgeable input into the planning and development of the budget and monitors expenditures and makes recommendations for corrective remedial action as required.

Ability to secure external funds for specific projects and collaborative work.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to delivering exceptional care and building a great place to work. At VCH, we value and accommodate unique differences to ensure that our staff and medical staff – both current and prospective – have the opportunity and are supported to thrive.

To build a strong and representative workforce, we are seeking candidates who will contribute to a caring and inclusive culture. We encourage applications from members of communities that are disadvantaged on any grounds under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including Indigenous Peoples, people of colour, people of all genders and sexualities and people with disabilities.

VCH is proud to be recognized as a Best Place to Work in Canada in 2021 by Glassdoor and Forbes.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for this posting.

***Employees of VCH must apply via the Internal Application Process. Refer to the https://my.vch.ca/working-here/job-postings site for How to Apply instructions. Current VCH employees who apply to this posting using this external site will be considered as an external candidate. Seniority will not apply.***

Thank you for your interest in Vancouver Coastal Health.