Exciting opportunity with Interior Health! We are looking for a Lead, Climate Change & Health!
About the role:
The Lead, Climate Change & Health provides subject matter expertise, project management, and strategic leadership on issues relating to climate change and health. Working closely with the Medical Health Officers, Environmental Health and the Healthy Communities team, the Lead, Climate Change & Health leads the implementation of climate change and health initiatives across Interior Health (IH), and plans and conducts monitoring, reporting, and evaluation activities related to this work.
The Lead, Climate Change & Health collaborates with the Population Health portfolio to work with community partners on issues involving climate change adaptation and health. The Lead, Climate Change & Health works with Environmental Health and other IH staff to synthesize the rapidly evolving literature on climate change projections, health impacts, and adaptation options to ensure that IH senior leadership are informed, and forms research and knowledge translation partnerships to ensure that knowledge gaps are addressed.
Some typical duties:
• Leads the implementation of IH climate change and health adaptation actions and strategy within the Chief Medical Health Officer (CMHO) Portfolio. This includes working with the Medical Health Officer, Environmental Health, Healthy Communities teams, and senior leaders to coordinate, plan prioritize activities, develop timelines, allocate resources and implement change management plans.
• Coordinates the monitoring and evaluation of priority climate and health initiatives in the Chief MHO Portfolio, documents performance trends and recommends modifications to improve the climate change-related programs. Organizes and maintains an up-to-date database of priority initiatives relating to climate change and health and supports broader organizational initiatives relating to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
• Collaborates with the Medical Health Officer, Environmental Health and Healty Communities teams on other work related to climate change and health.
• Assists Healthy Communities team with climate change evidence and actions, and supports community outreach efforts to contribute to a strategic and effective process.
• Contributes to relationship building with external partners, and contributes to intersectoral action initiatives with municipal and First Nation staff (e.g., emergency managers), as well as those that provide health-related services and other allied services.
• Supports IH Aboriginal Health to advance climate change and health adaptation in Indigenous communities and populations throughout the health region. This includes advancing partnerships with urban Indigenous and Metis organizations.
• Pursues, develops and maintains research and knowledge translation partnerships to address knowledge gaps.
• Collaborates with the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, and external organizations like BC Centre for Disease Control and Ministry of Health to advance surveillance and reporting for climate-sensitive health outcomes.
• Coordinates and supports knowledge translation related to climate change and health, including mapping, guidance resources, research summaries, conference and webinar presentations, and policy recommendations. Supports IH’s web and social media presence.
• Supports IH response to other climate change and health initiatives such as those lead by the Ministry of Health,
• Represents IH on climate change committees and advisory groups.
• Coordinates engagement with other health sector actors including Health Canada, BC Ministry of Health, other regional Health Authorities, First Nations Health Authority, and the Provincial Health Services Authority.
• Monitors funding opportunities, recruits partners, manages proposals, develops contracts, monitors performance of consultants, and is responsible for reporting for funded projects.
• Scans and synthesizes literature and projects relating to climate change projections, human health and health system impacts, vulnerability and risk assessment, adaptation options, equity, change management, implementation science, monitoring and evaluation, and intersectoral action. Summarizes findings for IH leaders, staff and community partners.
• Coordinates updates to vulnerability and risk assessment, and strategic plan(s) at regular intervals.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
Make a difference. Love your work. Apply today!
We invite applicants to self-identify as First Nation, Métis or Inuit within cover letters and/or resumes. Interior Health now offers assistance from an Aboriginal Employment Advisor. If you self-identify as Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) and if you would like assistance with the application process, job readiness, interview readiness or tips for resume and cover letter writing, send your question via email to AboriginalEmployment@interiorhealth.ca to be redirected to the Employment Advisor.
Qualifications
Education, Training, and Experience
• A level of education, training, and experience equivalent at a minimum, to a Master’s degree in a discipline related to Public Health, Environmental Health, sustainability, or climate action
• Five (5) years of recent, related experience
• Experience in a public health agency at the regional, provincial, or federal level an asset
• Or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
Skills and Abilities
• Working knowledge of climate change science, health impacts, equity, and adaptation strategies, including, but not limited to: air quality, water quality and quantity, extreme weather events and emergencies, emerging diseases, ecosystem impacts, including to food and water safety and security.
• Indigenous cultural safety training and/or experience, a commitment to reconciliation, and a track record of creating respectful and effective relationship with Indigenous leaders, knowledge keepers, and representatives.
• Familiarity with existing initiatives relating to climate change in British Columbia, and the ability to build strategic relationships with those involved in these initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to professionally and respectfully engage with multiple stakeholders in meaningful dialogue through advisory committees, meetings and workshops. Ability to integrate feedback from stakeholders into project activities.
• Understanding of municipal and regional decision-making process, and ability to build effective relationships with staff members.
• Previous experience in project management, supervision of contractors/consultants, preparing and managing project budgets, and securing grant funding.
• Demonstrated effective verbal communication skills with a wide range of audiences, including oral
presentations to a number of audiences.
• Demonstrated effective written communication skills with a wide range of audiences, from compiling large amounts of information into written technical reports to translating knowledge into digestible information for community members.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate relevant information from a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines as required.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize large amounts of information and knowledge from a number of sources including scientific literature, government reports, and stakeholder consultations.
• Demonstrated facilitation skills, with the ability to organize, run and facilitate large and small meetings (i.e. workshops, focus groups) while synthesizing and compiling the dialogue in concrete ways.
• Highly motivated, self-starter, and able to work independently.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team as well as independently.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize work, work under time constraints to meet deadlines; handle interruptions and changes in priorities.
• Expertise in monitoring, reporting, and evaluation, including indicator development.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.
Lead, Climate Change & Health at INTERIOR HEALTH AUTHORITY
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