Senior Specialist, Health Equity And Partnerships

At Heart & Stroke our mission is to promote health, save lives and enhance recovery. We are committed to a culture that exemplifies our core values: champion health, practice humility, embrace change, drive impact, learn and grow and be heartfelt as we work together to beat heart disease and stroke.

We believe in equity, diversity and inclusion ― it’s embedded in our values and core mission work to support all people in Canada to lead healthier lives. We are committed to applying this principle to cultivate a welcoming environment that embraces diversity among our employees. Candidates from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to, Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, women, and people living with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

To learn more about our mission, values, commitment to EDI, and the difference Heart & Stroke makes in the lives of people in Canada at every age, please

The opportunity

Please note this is an 18-month full-time, remote working role.

Reporting to the Lead, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI), the Senior Specialist, Health Equity and Partnerships will lead new and existing activities to support the implementation of Heart&Stroke’s “Working Toward Heath Equity” (Mission) pillar of the EDI Roadmap. The incumbent will leverage the work done by the Health Equity team and Mission team members to maintain and establish new, strong external relationships with our priority communities (Women, Indigenous, Black, Newcomers) identify potential organizations for joint initiatives aligned with H&S impact initiatives and develop high-impact partnerships to advance shared goals. They will help ensure strategic partnerships with diverse communities are fully leveraged and coordinated across Mission priorities.

The Senior Specialist will be accountable for forming and stewarding trusted partnerships with national, regional, and local organizations whose mandates are to better health outcomes of equity-deserving populations and are aligned with the foundation’s priority populations.

Finally, supporting the Lead, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, the Senior Specialist will assist in managing work plans associated with the EDI operational strategy: escalating issues, and acting as a primary point of contact. They will provide counsel to the organization and the Mission leadership team on high impact strategies and opportunities, while also ensuring organizational alignment with relevant legislation and Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. The incumbent will support other departments (i.e., Communications, Marketing, Development) in their communication and fundraising efforts to promote and mobilize communities, partners and the public around our health equity priority initiatives.

How You Will Make An Impact Every Day

Engagement and Development of Strategic Partnerships with Equity-Deserving Groups

• Develops agreements with partner organizations for the purpose of jointly supporting strategic health equity objectives.
• Establishes strategic partnerships with governments, research funding agencies, corporations, industry, institutions, donors and NGOs representing diverse communities to advance health equity goals related to our Mission pillars and priority initiatives.
• Builds strong relationships with organizations representing diverse communities and health equity advocates for the Foundation.
• Engages with equity-deserving communities to understand the needs and priorities of diverse communities and seek input to inform the Foundation’s health equity priorities and goals.
• Liaises with other health charities and national and international health equity initiatives and stakeholders to keep apprised of emerging trends and opportunities related to health equity in Canada and globally, and make recommendations for strategy development and improvement.

Development and Implementation of Health Equity Initiatives

• Works closely with the Lead, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and other Mission leads (research, health systems change, policy & advocacy, digital health partnerships, resuscitation, public education & awareness) to build and implement strategies aimed at achieving health equity goals linked to our Mission priorities, reducing health inequities among communities, and driving impact for people at risk of or living with heart disease and stroke in Canada.
• Provides content expertise, resources and support to programmatic planning, capacity building, and change processes with the goal of enabling the Mission team to embed and advance health equity within their work and eliminate unintended consequences of our initiatives on equity-deserving communities.
• Works with other members of the foundation to foster innovation in our health equity work and plays a leadership role to ensure strategies and plans are on schedule and meeting their targets.
• Develops key internal partnerships related to the implementation of the organization’s EDI Roadmap.

Who We Need

Education and Experience

An equivalent combination of education, skills and job-related experience in the advancement of health equity in public health and/or health reconciliation will be considered.

• Demonstrated experience leading and delivering on initiatives/projects that involve external partners at either a national, provincial and/or regional level.
• Work experience within a not-for-profit organization, federal or provincial government is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in community engagement, stakeholder management, and partnership development to advance and amplify impact.
• Experience in a cross-functional role in an organization that crosses business units or departments and seeks overall alignment.
• University degree in social or health sciences, public administration, business administration or health-related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in community services or equity, inclusion and/or anti-oppression fields supporting the development, planning, management, and delivery of programs or projects designed to serve the needs of equity-deserving/under-served communities.

Skills

• Knowledge of anti-oppression, anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion frameworks and approaches (i.e., SGBA+, cultural safety, trauma-informed care, harm reduction, human rights and accessibility) and of social determinants of health impact on health outcomes.
• Ability to establish, lead and maintain strong positive working relationships with key external and internal stakeholders.
• Excellent partnership building and relationship management skills grounded in values of respect, reciprocity and empathy.
• Desire and ability to acquire technical knowledge of the scientific issues associated with heart disease and stroke.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills, exceptional level of emotional intelligence, and demonstrated ability to model a culture of inclusion.
• Demonstrated business acumen and ability to improve business performance to drive Mission impact and reduce health inequities among those we serve.
• Demonstrated understanding of intersectionality, namely how identities like race and ethnicity intersect with other identities including gender identity, sex, religion, sexual orientation, ability/disability, etc.
• Understanding of the current context and goals of social movements including Black Lives Matter, Me Too, Idle No More, etc. and of EDI best practices to ensure Heart & Stroke’s priorities have impact.
• Excellent leadership and ability to influence others by articulating sound, rational arguments; excellent strategic thinking and change management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to engage meaningfully with diverse communities, coalitions and networks.

What We Offer

In addition to a competitive salary, Heart & Stroke believes that time off is integral to the personal health and wellness of our employees. We offer paid wellness days and personal days. In addition, we provide health, medical, dental and vision benefits. Furthermore, our staff enjoy flexible hybrid working arrangements and support with reimbursement for mobile phones and home office set up.

Apply now

If you want to join the fight to beat heart disease and stroke while building an engaged and giving community, apply by May 10, 2023. You must be living in Canada for consideration.

To learn more about our mission, our values and the difference Heart & Stroke makes in the lives of people in Canada at every age, please .

H&S has a vaccination policy that requires all employees to be fully vaccinated unless they have a valid exemption. You can view our policy here:

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, barrier-free and accessible environment. If you have been contacted for an interview and require accommodation to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please advise and we will work with you. At this time, interviews are currently being conducted via phone or video call, so we look forward to ‘virtually’ meeting you!

Powered by JazzHR

TglB26cycW