Manager, Occupational Health & Abilities Management

The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group (The Royal) is currently recruiting for a Manager, Occupational Health & Abilities Management

As one of Canada’s foremost mental health and academic health science centres, The Royal is dedicated to serving people with mental health and substance use issues through excellence in clinical care, advocacy and research.

Reporting to the Director OHS & Emergency Management Planning, the Manager, Occupational Health & Abilities Management oversees the Occupational Health Services department within The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. This role includes managing a team of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) nurses and other health professionals to ensure the highest standards of occupational health services are provided to staff.

Key responsibilities include: 

  • Lead and manage Occupational Health Services, WSIB claim management and the Attendance Management Program.
  • Ensure compliance with Safety, Health, and Environmental legislation to promote a healthy and safe work environment for staff, students, volunteers, and others.
  • Design, develop, and evaluate occupational health programs focused on employee health assessments, health promotion and education, managing illnesses and injuries, absenteeism, modified work, accommodations, health surveillance, and cost-effective WSIB and STD/LTD case management.
  • Support the implementation of health and safety strategies and programs to drive consistency and sustainability across all sites.
  • Work closely with staff health, joint health and safety committees, infection prevention and control, clinical managers, Human Resources, unions, and labour relations to ensure a coordinated approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Duties:

Occupational Health Services:

  • Provides leadership to a team focused on the occupational health and wellness of employees, volunteers, students and contractors.
  • Defines, prepares, resources, monitors, and evaluates goals and objectives for occupational health services, aligning them with the hospital’s gold, core values, and departmental plans.
  • Oversees all aspects of illness/disability management to ensure a timely and safe return to work following Sick/LTD/WSIB absence.
  • Acts as a resource to frontline Supervisors/ Managers and work collaboratively with OHS and HR Teams.
  • Guides the management of complex WSIB, short-term, and long-term case management to ensure cost-effective resolutions.
  • Addresses and resolves complaints related to health and wellness services, modified work programs, and WSIB services.
  • Consults with and assists human resources staff and managers with the identification and management of disability related job accommodation requirements or modified work, to ensure compliance with the WSIB, OHSA and the Ontario Human Rights Code.
  • Develops, monitors and reports on occupational health service metrics.
  • Continuously evaluates service effectiveness to ensure optimal outcomes.
  • Leads initiatives that drive change and foster lasting improvements, while ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and corresponding regulations.

HR Management:

  • Hires, supervises, and manages a team of OHS nurses and employees, addressing day-to-day needs.
  • Evaluates team performance and provides feedback for professional development by offering timely coaching, facilitating access to learning opportunities, and initiating corrective actions as needed.
  • Conducts regular team meetings to promote communication and collaboration while clarifying team and corporate priorities, coaching and mentoring, and ensuring ongoing employee development through training.
  • Delegates appropriate levels of authority, empowering team members by leveraging their strengths and diverse perspectives.
  • Be visible and accessible to direct reports, colleagues, leaders, employees, and union leadership across the Hospital.

Leadership Communication:

  • Contributes in the development of programs, policies, procedures, guidelines, and tools to support the delivery of timely and effective services while ensuring they are evidence-based and meet quality assurance standards.
  • Assists with the review of the operating budget for Occupational Health service activities, ensuring cost-effective allocation of resources.
  • Defines and maintains clear lines of communication with all members of the OHS team and with other departments within the organization
  • Assumes leadership role in projects related to area and hospital wide initiatives including extensive committee/task force activity.

Other:

  • Works in a manner that complies with staff and patient/client safety practices, policies and procedures of The Royal.
  • Ensures a work environment that is conducive to the Royal’s Anti-Racism, Harassment, Discrimination-Free Workplace and work safety policies and practices.
  • Demonstrates commitment to health equity, values diversity and contributes to an inclusive working environment.

Qualifications:  

  • Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Public Health, Occupational Health, Disability Management or a related field.
  • Master’s degree preferred
  • Certification in Occupational Health (e.g., COHN, COHN-S) is an asset.
  • Minimum of 5 years of experience in occupational health, employee health services, or a related field, with 2 years in a leadership role. Experience in a hospital or healthcare setting preferred.
  • Knowledge and understanding of Occupational Health service in a unionized environment
  • Strong knowledge of and skills of occupational health regulations and best practices.
  • Proven experience with the administration of occupational health and service measures, programs, policies and procedures.
  • Expertise in illness and disability management prevention and intervention
  • Proven ability to analyze data and make informed decisions.
  • Strong knowledge of and skills of occupational health regulations and best practices
  • Demonstrated ability to effectively lead, motivate and mentor staff
  • Superior communication (written, verbal and presentation), interpersonal and relationship-building skills
  • Knowledge of computer skills in MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, and Outlook and Teams.
  • Demonstrates understanding of continuous improvement principles and tools with proven ability to drive driving improvements in Health and Safety programs.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop plans and carry out broad assignments involving related and associated activities
  • Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and work collaboratively with all work-related contacts (staff and peers)
  • English level A- is mandatory in oral expression/comprehension, reading comprehension and written expression.  Bilingual (French/English) is considered an asset.

The salary range for this position is $53.32 per hour to $63.66 per hour.

If you are looking for a unique career opportunity and would like to join a caring, compassionate and dynamic team please apply on our website at External postings | The Royal.

Thank you so much for your interest in working with us at The Royal.  At The Royal, we strive to be an equitable and inclusive employer. Our commitment to equity is grounded in an institution-wide commitment to achieving a working, teaching, and learning environment that is free of discrimination and harassment. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Please inform us if you require accommodations during the recruitment process.