Organizational Development Leadership Consultant

Home to seven regional programs and comprehensive health-care services, Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN, pronounced wren) is committed to meeting the current and emerging needs in Waterloo-Wellington and beyond. WRHN is redefining the health-care experience through collaboration and innovation, addressing barriers to access, advancing care delivery, and setting new standards in compassionate, empowered community-driven health care. At WRHN, every patient is at the centre of everything we do as we strive to improve lives, inspire healing, and build healthier, stronger communities. By listening to patients and partners, we strive to connect communities to the right care, at the right place, and at the right time.

Position Vacancy : Organizational Development

Work Type: Temporary Employee; 4-6 months; until approximately May 31, 2026

Position: Organizational Development Leadership Consultant

Position Summary:

The Organizational Development (OD) Leadership Consultant is a temporary role that will lead the design and development of WRHN's enterprise Leadership Framework, establishing the core competencies, capabilities, and development pathways that define what great leadership looks like across WRHN.

This role will integrate modern learning principles, data-driven insights, and best-in-class practices to create a framework that strengthens leadership capability, supports WRHN's People Strategy and enables a high-performing leadership culture. Working in close partnership with the People, Culture, and Experience (PCE) team, this role will ensure alignment to organizational priorities, including leadership development, engagement, performance, and talent management.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities include:

The consultant will lead the end-to-end development and phased implementation of WRHN's Leadership Framework, ensuring alignment with WRHN's mission, vision, and strategic priorities.

Conduct Research and Assess Current and Best Practices

• Conduct comprehensive internal and external benchmarking of leadership models and frameworks, particularly within healthcare and people-centered organizations.

• Facilitate leadership consultations and focus groups to identify organizational priorities and leadership expectations.

• Propose core leadership competencies and behavioural indicators aligned to WRHN's mission and values.

• Validate through stakeholder engagement and executive input.

• Design early program structure and learning pathways.

Design WRHN's Leadership Framework

• Finalize and visually design WRHN's Leadership Framework and competency model.

• Develop foundational leadership programming and core offerings (e.g., management fundamentals, emerging leader programs).

• Integrate the framework into HR processes such as onboarding, talent development, and performance management.

• Design supporting material and campaign to effectively launch the Leadership Framework organization-wide and align it to early programming and HR processes.

• Collect early feedback from leaders and refine framework content accordingly.

Develop Leadership Programming and Core Offerings

• Deepen leadership culture through integration, recognition, and expanded offerings.

• Support the future state launch of the WRHN Leadership Academy and expand the leadership curriculum across multiple levels.

• Embed framework principles into recognition, succession planning, and leadership capability reviews.

• Develop evaluation tools and metrics to measure framework adoption and leadership growth.

• Partner with the PCE team to promote framework visibility and sustain engagement through storytelling and recognition.

FUTURE STATE GOALS* Integrate and Embed the Framework Across the Organization

• Maintain leadership excellence through continuous improvement, innovation, and alignment to WRHN's strategic priorities.

• Establish a continuous improvement and sustainment strategy, including governance and accountability structures.

• Recommend ongoing measurement and reporting mechanisms to assess impact on organizational performance and culture.

• Support the evolution of leadership recognition and career pathways aligned with the framework.

• Provide enablement tools, templates, and internal capacity-building support to transition ownership to WRHN's internal OD team.

Evaluate, Sustain, and Continuously Improve

• Develop a continuous improvement and sustainment plan for long-term integration and governance.

• Establish performance measures and evaluation tools to assess framework adoption, effectiveness, and impact on leadership culture.

• Recommend strategies to evolve the framework over time, ensuring alignment with WRHN's strategic priorities and emerging workforce needs.

• Support internal capability-building to transition framework ownership to WRHN's internal OD team.

Key Deliverables

• Comprehensive WRHN Leadership Framework document and visual model.

• Validated competency library and behavioural indicators.

• Leadership consultation summary and benchmarking report.

• Phased implementation roadmap (aligned to the four development phases).

• Early leadership programming design materials and facilitation guides.

• Recommendations for evaluation, measurement, and continuous improvement.

• Organizational toolkit to support long-term integration and sustainment.

The Consultant will bring the following:

• Proven experience developing leadership or competency frameworks within complex, multi-site, or unionized organizations (healthcare or public sector preferred).

• Demonstrated expertise in leadership development, adult learning, and competency-based talent management.

• Ability to translate research and stakeholder input into actionable frameworks and programs.

• Strong facilitation, consultation, and project management capabilities.

• Experience leveraging digital learning tools and data analytics to inform program design.

Applications will be received until 10 AM December 8, 2025

EMPLOYEES OF LEGACY GRAND RIVER HOSPITAL ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATION ELECTRONICALLY USING THE EMPATH SYSTEM.

Waterloo Regional Health Centre is committed to fair and equitable employment and in our recruitment and selection practices. We strongly believe in inclusion and diversity within our organization, and welcome all applicants including, but not limited to racialized communities, all religions and ethnicities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, Indigenous people, and all others who may contribute to the further diversification of our Hospital community. We are committed to providing and fostering a respectful workplace for all employees, free from violence and harassment.

Accommodations are available during all stages of the recruitment process in accordance with the Human Rights Code. WRHN is committed to complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) to provide an inclusive, barrier free workplace. We will accommodate the accessibility needs of individuals with disabilities to support participation in all aspects of the recruitment process. Should you require this accommodation, please contact Human Resources.

If you are seeking employment on a temporary work or study permit we recommend reviewing work permit restrictions as it applies to healthcare organizations in Canada. Individuals holding a work or study permit seeking employment in the healthcare sector may be required to complete additional steps in the process. This may also apply to current employees seeking renewal of their work permits. It is the accountability of the applicant and/or employee to ensure they are adhering to their specific work permit restrictions.