Vice President, Indigenous Partnerships

Interior Health is searching for a Vice President, Indigenous Partnerships to join its Senior Executive Team. Interior Health—the health authority serving the southern Interior region of British Columbia and its 900,000 residents—is on a journey towards reconciliation, committed to working with First Nations and Métis Nation British Columbia to plan and deliver culturally safe health-care services and deliver on IH’s goal of advancing Indigenous health and wellness.

The Vice President will be responsible and accountable for forging and improving relationships with Indigenous Partners, leading the development and evolution of Interior Health’s Indigenous Health and Wellness Strategy, and working with the Senior Executive Team to integrate Indigenous knowledge into the values, policies, and practices of Interior Health. The Vice President, Indigenous Partnerships will embody the concept of two-eyed seeing—with one eye, viewing the world through Indigenous ways of knowing and with the other eye, viewing the world through Western, or Eurocentric, ways of knowing.

The Organization

For over 20 years, Interior Health has been working and partnering for the health and well-being of people in British Columbia’s Interior so citizens can all enjoy a healthier tomorrow. Working with the Ministry of Health, health organizations, communities, and leaders, IH delivers services and solutions that make a positive difference in the lives of everyone in the region. Interior Health is located on the ancestral, unceded, and traditional territories of the seven Interior Region First Nations—Dãkelh Dené, St’át’imc, syilx, Tŝilhqot’in, Ktunaxa, Secwépemc, and Nlaka’pamux Nations—with 14 Chartered Métis Communities also located within the area.

Interior Health provides healthcare services to 900,000 people across a vast geographic area comprising 59 municipalities, 54 First Nations communities and 14 Métis Chartered communities, covering more than 215,000 square kilometres. With almost 32,000 employees—including over 3,000 medical staff—IH manages a network of healthcare facilities across the region, including four regional, two tertiary, 16 community hospitals, 16 healthcare centres, 10 urgent and primary care centres, and 43 long-term care facilities.

Learn more about Interior Health, including the communities it serves and the services it provides, here.

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STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2024 – 2027

Interior Health envisions a future healthcare system where people have access to necessary health services – both in-person and virtual – and access to information, all to support achieving their full health potential without barriers, including freedom from racism and inequity. The organization – one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers – strives to be a place where people come to work, stay long-term, and feel safe and supported to deliver high-quality healthcare services.

Vision
Health and well-being for all

Mission
Working together to improve quality of life for individuals and communities, inspired by innovation and partnership

Values

• Quality
• Integrity
• Compassion
• Safety

Goals

1. Improve health and wellness

• Advancing Equity and Access
• Advancing Indigenous Health and Wellness

2. Deliver high-quality care

• Prioritizing Services that are Integral to Improving Health and Well-being for All
• Embedding Person- and Family-Centred Care

3. Ensure sustainable healthcare

• Modernizing Technology and Analytics
• Addressing Climate Change and Sustainability

4. Cultivate an engaged workforce

• Supporting our People

Learn more about Interior Health’s Strategic Priorities here.

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INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Interior Health is committed to working with First Nation and Métis partners to change the regional health system and eliminate racism and discrimination at Interior Health. Working with Indigenous partners and communities and building on existing knowledge and experience, the organization is committed to strengthening health services and improving health outcomes for all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.

INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND WELLNESS STRATEGY (IHWS) 2022-2026

The IHWS serves as a framework for IH’s staff and physicians to provide high-quality, safe, and effective health services to all Indigenous peoples and families. The strategy is informed by and supports commitments to Indigenous partners through signed agreements, including the Letters of Understanding (LOUs), Partnership Accord, and Cultural Safety Declaration, as well as the IH Strategic Priorities and Ministry of Health (MOH) mandate. Read the strategy here.

Learn more about other Indigenous health plans, engagement initiatives, and the actions IH is taking to address racism and discrimination in Interior Health here.

INDIGENOUS PARTNERSHIPS

Interior Health’s commitment to Indigenous health and wellness is strengthened through partnerships.

The organization has a signed Partnership Accord with the seven Interior Nations and eight Letters of Understanding, which define a collaborative, inclusive Nation-level process for engagement and planning of First Nations and Métis people in service delivery design and monitoring within the Interior Region. The organization is also involved in several joint committees focusing on Indigenous Health and Wellness. Learn more here.

The Role

Interior Health is on a journey towards reconciliation. The organization is committed to working with First Nations and Métis Nation British Columbia to plan and deliver culturally safe healthcare services and to deliver on IH’s goal of advancing Indigenous health and wellness.

Reporting to the President & Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President, Indigenous Partnerships is a member of Interior Health’s Senior Executive Team and is responsible and accountable for forging and improving relationships with Indigenous Partners, developing and maintaining Nation Letters of Understanding, maintaining relationships with the BC First Nations Health Authority; leading the development and evolution of Interior Health’s Indigenous Health and Wellness Strategy; leading the development and delivery of Cultural Competence, Safety and Humility education; and providing support to the evolution of Interior Health’s Indigenous Health Human Resource Plan.

The Vice President provides executive lead support to the Partnership Accord Leadership Table (PALT) the Metis Interior Nation Leadership Table (MILT) and represents Interior Health as a co-lead for the development of the regional First Nations Health and Wellness Plan in collaboration with the First Nations Health Authority and the First Nations Health Council – Interior Region Health Caucus.

The Vice President works with the Senior Executive Team to integrate Indigenous knowledge into the values, policies, and practices of Interior Health and supports the organization in delivering services in alignment with relevant legislation, including the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The Vice President, working with and leading a talented team to facilitate cross-portfolio work, advocates for and provides leadership in the broad societal, regional, and organizational changes required to improve Indigenous inclusion and reconciliation through strong communications and alignment of organizational programs and services with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action.

The Vice President bridges and navigates the inherent complexities of these relationships by identifying the priorities, needs, and readiness of internal and external partners to improve outcomes. Acknowledging and honouring the progress made across the portfolio of Indigenous Partnerships, the new Vice President will bring an energized practicality to work, ensuring that the Indigenous Health and Wellness Strategy is well understood and executed at all levels of the organization with clear, appropriate performance metrics and measures. Building trust and understanding, the Vice President will bring a respectful and courageous approach to challenging systems and influencing organizational change while highlighting the collective responsibility to end racism in healthcare.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to organizational strategy, planning, budgeting, problem-solving, and reporting as a Senior Executive Team member.
• Advise the President & CEO and senior leaders on Indigenous health, wellness, and culturally safe service delivery.
• Lead and support a team that works across the organization and facilitates the implementation of the Indigenous Health and Wellness Strategy.
• Advocate for Indigenous voices in healthcare, ensuring respect, effective dialogue, and mutual decision-making in patient-provider relationships.
• Provide timely information and advice on Indigenous partners, healthcare innovations, best practices, and emerging issues.
• Represent Interior Health in meetings with Indigenous communities, the media, and the public.
• Nurture partnerships with First Nations and Métis communities based on the Partnership Accord and Nation Letters of Understanding.
• Advocate for Indigenous inclusion in healthcare governance, strengthening reciprocal accountability processes.
• Understand Indigenous communities’ unique cultural and service delivery needs to ensure appropriate healthcare services.
• Build trusting relationships with Indigenous Nations through open communication and clear information-sharing.
• Lead the development of processes and structures for relationship-building with First Nations, Métis communities, and the First Nations Health Authority.

The salary range for the position is $187,972 to $281,960. Interior Health establishes salaries within the minimum and maximum salary range based on consideration of the qualifications and experience of the applicant and an internal equity review of the salaries of other employees. There is flexibility around where the Interior Health region is located.

The Candidate

The successful candidate for this role will embody the concept of two-eyed seeing—with one eye, viewing the world through Indigenous ways of knowing and with the other eye, viewing the world through Western, or Eurocentric, ways of knowing. With this gift of multiple perspectives, the successful candidate will collaborate with senior leaders across the Interior Health to ensure organization-wide capacity is strengthened and a culturally safe, respectful, and racism-free organization evolves with effective governance, leadership, policy, education, and practice.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• A Master’s degree in a health-related field or business administration.
• Ten (10) to 15 years experience in progressively senior roles or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

LEADS CAPABILITIES

The LEADS in a Caring Environment capabilities framework represents the key skills, behaviours, abilities, and knowledge required to lead in all sectors and levels of the health system. It presents a common understanding of what good leadership looks, feels, and sounds like across all healthcare service provision levels.

The successful candidate will demonstrate all LEADS Capabilities, in particular:

• Leads Self/Cultural Agility – self-awareness, demonstrates character, noticing and adapting to cultural uniqueness to create a sense of safety for all.
• Engages Others/Empathy – fosters the development of others, communicates effectively, builds effective teams, listens with heart rather than reacting.
• Achieves Results/Process Orientation – sets direction, strategically aligns decisions with vision, values & evidence, accepting that the use of process orientation and a ‘good relationship’ are concrete deliverables.
• Develops Coalitions/Building a Trust-Based Relationship – builds partnerships & networks to create results, demonstrates a commitment to customers & service, navigates socio-political environments, builds personal relationships and professional ones, and participates in open exchanges of experiences and culture.
• System Transformation/Credible Champion – demonstrates systems/critical thinking, strategically oriented to the future, champions & orchestrates change, remains self-aware and maintains effective relationships, and shows courage and conviction in advocating for change for the betterment of Indigenous people.

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Skills and Abilities

• Direct, successful experience working with Indigenous communities, organizations and/or government entities, preferably within Healthcare.
• Experience with negotiations and establishing agreements amongst complex interest groups.
• Has an impeccable professional reputation and strong network with Indigenous communities, preferably in British Columbia.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative leadership and team environment. Demonstrated ability to take initiative and foster a healthy, effective, and efficient work environment; is committed to team building, mentoring and fostering professional development within their team.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, plan, direct, manage, implement and measure organizational change.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills; is able to communicate and build relationships across diverse audiences in healthcare settings.
• A humble and compassionate people-person who is able to lean into difficult conversations.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective working relationships and to function effectively in a highly dynamic, complex, and changing environment.
• Inspires accountability; has a talent for creating a strategic vision that others want to follow.
• Proven ability to delegate and share responsibilities across diverse groups. Demonstrated ability to apply creative and innovative thinking to affect continuous improvement.
• Understands the current and strategic directions in healthcare; has a vision for how Indigenous self-determination fits in with this setting.
• Understand trauma-informed care and anti-racism work, including the calls-to-action within the In Plain Sight report, addressing Indigenous-specific discrimination in B.C. health care.
• Understands the diverse operational settings and can work with healthcare professionals and teams in situ.
• Proficiency in the use of personal computer applications.
• Ability to travel.

Application Process

Honouring Interior Health’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), and Pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, preferential consideration and/or hiring will be given to qualified applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit).

TO APPLY

To apply, please submit a Cover Letter and Resume directly to Pathways Executive Search by March 16, 2025, outlining your interest, qualifications, and experience to applications@PathwaysExecutiveSearch.com

Please note: In the latter stages of the selection process, the following additional steps may be required for individuals who are invited to an interview with the selection committee:

• Declaration of Indigenous heritage.
• Information and/or correspondence that supports their self-declaration. Items supporting the self-declaration may include:
  • Letters of support from your Indigenous Community.
  • Reference letters from Indigenous members of your community.
  • Documentation supporting your confirmed citizenship as a member of a recognized First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis group.

For more details or questions, please contact:

Laurie Sterritt • Managing Partner	Katy Gottfriedson-Jasper • Senior Consultant
Pathways Executive Search	Pathways Executive Search
Telephone: 778-838-4569	Telephone: 250-318-6788
LaurieS@PathwaysExecutiveSearch.com	KatyGJ@PathwaysExecutiveSearch.com

Pathways Executive Search is a national recruitment firm offering Indigenous-focused professional services. With a mission to make recruitment and career journeys less challenging and more equitable, Pathways is guided by Indigenous values and principles of Indigenous inclusion, which underscore the capacity to build an inclusive process for all racialized and equity-deserving professionals.