Quality Improvement Specialist

**Friends of Ruby**

Friends of Ruby is dedicated to the journey and well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, aged 16-29 through mental health services, social services, and housing through Mental Health services, a Youth Drop-In Centre, and a Transitional Home.

**Position Summary**

The Quality Improvement Specialist reports to the Manager of Knowledge and Design in the Strategic Initiatives department.

**Main Duties & Responsibilities**
- Work with multiple stakeholders to analyze and review current state of policies, processes, and workflows.
- Use data to assess and identify opportunities for improvement, facilitate group discussions, develop, and implement changes using change management practices.
- Analyze, develop, and disseminate new knowledge regarding care and safety, quality improvement, risk reduction, and improving data driven decision-making.
- Facilitate the identification, development, implementation, and monitoring of quality improvement initiatives enabled by expert working knowledge of improvement methodologies and project management strategies.
- Engineer (define, design, implement) safe and efficient clinical and/or operational systems to decrease risks of safety incidents using Human Factors engineering principles.
- Assist in the selection and analysis of quality-related performance indicators to monitor organizational, program, and/or unit level performance to ensure alignment with strategic direction.
- Collaborate with clinical programs to implement recommendations that improve client and staff safety by completing safety reviews, investigating safety incidents, analyzing data, identifying trends, and implementing recommendations.
- Develop and implement organizational and service-related documents, including but not limited to policies, procedures, manuals, forms, workflows, briefings, program charters, and other documents as needed.
- Lead quality improvement initiatives and projects that enhance client safety, satisfaction, and trust in FoR care, while reducing risk.
- Builds organizational capacity for improvement through coaching and mentoring, and shares knowledge of patient safety principles legislated standards and quality. improvement methodology. (e.g., reliable design, Human Factors, PDSA, root cause analysis, FMEA, lean, value stream mapping).
- Foster a culture of continuous quality improvement, safety, and risk reduction.
- Promote a “just culture” environment.
- Other duties as assigned.

**What you bring to the role**:

- An undergraduate degree in engineering or a health care related discipline, or a combination of Project Management and/or LEAN Certification.
- Minimum of 2-5 years of relevant work experience in quality and safety.
- Knowledge of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act (FIPPA) and Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
- Demonstrated ability to utilize quality improvement tools and methodologies.
- Ability to review and analyze data and ability to generate written and verbal reports.
- Self-directed and strong collaborative skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with demonstrated ability to develop trusting, credible relationships.
- Excellent problem solving, decision-making, critical thinking skills and ability to generate ideas and fresh perspective.
- Ability to deal with multiple complex issues and manage multiple priorities.
- Strong mediation and conflict resolution skills and ability to remain third-party neutral.

**Qualifications include but are not limited to**:

- Undergraduate degree in Engineering or Healthcare administration required.
- Experience in Quality improvement science (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma, High Reliability), Human Factors engineering, Service design, Change/risk management, Project management and Statistical analysis required.
- Demonstrated computer skills using MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, etc.).
- Experience in negotiation, facilitation, problem solving, decision-making, critical thinking, analysis, organization, and time management, and interpersonal required.
- Experience conducting quality assurance and establishing systems to improve data integrity.
- Exceptional organizational, analytical, problem-solving and attention to detail
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to adapt to an evolving work environment and tolerate ambiguity.
- Experience with the non-profit or social services sector, specifically housing and/or mental health is an asset.

**Additional Requirements**
- Satisfactory clearance of a Background Check.
- Must be qualified to legally work in Canada.
- Willing to work from our two locations in downtown Toronto.

**COVID-19 Protocol**

Friends of Ruby believes that immunization against COVID-19 is an individual and societal responsibility and that we must do everything possible to protect our clients, families, employees, students, volunteers and contractors against the spread of COVID-19. As a condition of em