Indigenous Health Equity and Experience Specialist

Status: Regular Part - Time (0.8 FTE / 30 hours per week)

Rate: $33 - $42 per hour

Please note this is a **hybrid** position.

As part of the Holland Bloorview team, this role will help fulfill the hospital’s strategic plan and priorities, described in Holland Bloorview 2030. This includes creating the most meaningful and healthy futures for all children, youth and families. This will be achieved in an academic health sciences centre, with a focus on client and family centered, high quality and safe care, and a commitment to research, teaching, and advancing best practices in pediatric rehabilitation.

Located within the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Anti-Racism (IDEAA) portfolio, and reporting to the Manager IDEAA, the Indigenous Health Equity and Experience Specialist will be instrumental to building internal and system relationships and make a significant contribution to the developing area of Indigenous health equity. They will be providing advice and expertise to the manager IDEAA and senior management team and others as appropriate. This expertise will be particularly focused on Indigenous employees, clients and families and student experience. They will bring an intersectional expertise around Indigenous health equity and the Social Determinants of Health, paired with trained expertise and/_or_ lived experience as a member of an Indigenous community/nation.
- Please note that as key activities of this position are Indigenous-focused, preference will be given to Indigenous Peoples who demonstrate a strong connection to community and culture. Please identify your Indigenous ancestry (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis) in your cover letter._

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**

Supports the Manager IDEAA with establishing, building and maintaining relationships with Indigenous organizations and community leaders as well as providing advice to Holland Bloorview on the strategies needed to address organizational/systemic barriers to advance health equity for Indigenous clients and families.
- Support the efforts to reduce health disparities and advance Indigenous health equity by engaging with Indigenous organizations, elders and community leaders to better understand population health needs and initiatives. Personal experiences and perspectives will be valued by leadership on the implementation or advancement of Indigenous health equity.
- Play a critical role in helping to identify Indigenous disparities in health care access, service provision, quality of experience, and outcomes.
- Build strategic partnerships with both internal and external partners to develop and promote innovative mechanisms for service design and delivery.
- Plan, implement, maintain, and evaluate community engagements and partnerships to build system capacity.
- Manages projects, information and logistics of project deliverables.
- Plans and organize educational events, forums and meetings.
- Routinely reviews hospital dashboards, internal and external health equity data; analyzes trends to identify improvements and new interventions.

**MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES**

**Education**
- Master's Degree preferred (e.g. in a health related discipline, including but not limited to Indigenous Studies, Public Health, Health Administration, equity studies, sociology, or another related field); or an equivalent combination of education and employment experience.
- Advanced understanding of Indigenous-centred health concepts, the Social Determinants of Health, population health, and cultural safety in health care delivery settings.

**Health Equity Expertise & Knowledge**
- Knowledge of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- Basic knowledge of relevant legislation e.g., Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and Anti-Racism Act.

**Skills & Experience**
- Proven experience within or outside health care settings partnering with Indigenous communities and organizations as well as diverse multi-racial equity-seeking groups/ communities.
- Ideally, three (3) to five (5) years of recent related experience in some, or all of the following - work with Indigenous and equity seeking populations including experience with public and/or population change initiatives, program evaluation, program management; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
- Ability to lead advisory and consultation processes involving staff, external partners and community members, including the ability to maintain effective working relationships.

**Problem-Solving, Issues Management and Analytical Skills**
- Synthesize information addressing complex issues relating to strategic organizational initiatives.
- Excellent strategic thinking skills in addition to research, analytical, negotiation and conflict resolution skills.

**Consul