Access Navigator

Req ID:
Department/Program: PICU, Children's Medical Care 
Location: Halifax   
Type of Employment: Temporary Hourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 12 months x 1 position(s)
Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $ $ /hour
Closing Date: 3 December 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other's talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care is important to us. We are located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq people. Working in Mi'kma'ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities that also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportion of transgender and non-binary people of any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

Reporting to the Manager of Pediatric Critical Care, the Resource Access Navigator practices as a member of an interprofessional team to provide resource navigation services and family-centered care with children, youth, and their families in the Children's Health Program. The primary role of the successful applicant will be to connect families to health centers and community-based resources to enhance wellness related to the social and structural determinants of health. The Resource Access Navigator will also provide brief check-in interventions and psychosocial support with screening and assessment as required.

Other responsibilities include liaising with a range of health, community, and government services with an emphasis on building collaborative partnerships, facilitating resource acquisition, and advocating for resources to meet the client's needs to optimize their health and wellness.  The Resource Access Navigator will have responsibilities in supervising BSW student placements, teaching, program development, program evaluation, and quality improvement as needed. The Resource Access Navigator serves as a resource to other interprofessional team members on a direct and/or consultative basis as needed. 

7.5-hour shifts (between 08:00 and 21:00); Monday to Friday.

• Bachelor's Degree in social work required.

• Current license, or eligible for licensure, with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) required.

• Minimum of two (2) years related clinical experience required.

• Knowledge of the social and structural determinants of health, developmental milestones, life transitions, family systems, human behavior, mental health & addictions, intimate partner violence, psychosocial interventions, cultural safety, and children's health and wellness required.

• Knowledge of the Child and Family Services Act and other relevant legislation required.

• Experience in biopsychosocial social justice assessments to identify strengths and challenges that will influence optimal health outcomes.

• Experience in clinical case management, advocacy, and brief therapeutic interventions preferred.

• Demonstrated understanding of the social, structural, emotional, psychological, and cultural determinants/factors that affect well-being. 

• Demonstrated ability to use an anti-oppressive framework in practice.

• Demonstrated ability to reach a collaborative care plan with the client and family.

• Experience with critical analyses of social, economic political, and cultural factors that influence health and wellness and deconstructing fundamental assumptions, values, and beliefs that influence professional judgement.

• Demonstrated excellent time management, critical thinking, organization, decision-making, and problem-solving skills required.

• Demonstrated exceptional interpersonal, presentation, and communication (verbal and written) skills required.

• Experience in Meditech, MS Outlook, and MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) preferred.

• Competencies in languages other than English an asset.

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing), you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Healthcare bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units, or employment status are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.