Vice President, People, Culture and Belonging

Nova Scotia Health (NSH) is the largest provincial health authority in the Maritimes providing health services to Nova Scotians, along with specialized health services to over one million Maritimers and Atlantic Canadians. With a budget of over $3 billion (2025-26), NSH operates 9 regional hospitals, a quaternary care center, and over 135 other service sites (e.g., community hospitals, long-term care facilities, community services, support, and administrative offices). NSH’s expansive network of health professionals provides the healthcare and services needed by the province. As the largest employer in Nova Scotia, NSH is home to approximately 37,000 employees. It is supported by over 40 healthcare foundations and 33 auxiliaries that raise funds to support facilities, healthcare innovation, and services. 

The Opportunity 

As NSH continues to evolve and respond to ongoing workforce pressures, rising service expectations, and the need for province‑wide alignment, the organization is seeking a Vice President, People, Culture and Belonging, a strategic, relationship‑driven executive who will shape the experience of employees across the health system and influence culture at scale. 

The Role 

Reporting directly to the Executive Vice President, Medical and Clinical Operations (currently the Acting President and Chief Executive Officer), the Vice President will lead a maturing People Services function of roughly 500 professionals supporting a provincewide operating model. This portfolio spans labour relations, HR operations, organizational development, talent acquisition, scheduling services, compensation and benefits, occupational health and safety, leadership development, and employee wellbeing. 

The Vice President will champion the continued modernization of HR processes and systems, embed data informed decision-making, and strengthen NSH’s ability to plan its workforce proactively. They will deepen NSH’s culture of accountability, psychological safety, and belonging, ensuring employees feel valued, supported, and equipped to support excellent service delivery and exceptional care across the province. 

For a seasoned executive with experience in complex, unionized environments and a passion impact, this role presents a rare opportunity to influence the experience of tens of thousands of employees and strengthen the performance of a system that impacts every community in Nova Scotia. 

Key Responsibilities 

In this role, you will: 

• Provide strategic leadership that advances an integrated, futurefocused People Services function aligned with clinical and operational priorities. 

• Lead efforts to modernize HR service delivery, systems, and policies, improving consistency, efficiency, and employee experience across all four zones of NSH. 

• Champion a culture grounded in respect, inclusion, accountability, and psychological safety. 

• Develop an employee experience strategy and Employer Value Proposition that strengthen retention and engagement. 

• Oversee complex labour relations in a multiunion environment, navigating negotiations, essential services planning, grievances, and policy frameworks with diplomacy and clarity. 

• Implement provincewide workforce systems, including scheduling solutions, modern performance management frameworks, and contemporary compensation structures. 

• Strengthen succession planning, workforce analytics, and longterm workforce sustainability. 

• Modernize HR technologies and processes, enhancing digital tools, data capabilities, and operational efficiency. 

• Provide inspirational leadership to a large, multidisciplinary HR team, building future capabilities and ensuring departmental stability. 

• Foster productive, trustbased relationships with clinical leaders, unions, government partners, corporate functions, and external stakeholders. 

• Serve as a key advisor to the executive leadership team and contribute meaningfully to systemlevel strategic decisions. 

Ideal Candidate Profile 

As the ideal candidate, you are an experienced, highly credible HR or corporate services executive who has led large, complex teams within multisite, unionized environments. You bring deep expertise across labour relations, workforce planning, organizational development, culture, talent strategy, and HR modernization. Experience within healthcare, publicsector, or governmentadjacent systems would be considered an asset. 

You excel at operating in fastmoving, highpressure environments, maintaining steadiness and professionalism while navigating sensitive issues. You are comfortable leading large-scale transformation, introducing modern HR technologies, improving processes, and building strategic workforce planning capacity. 

You are a relationship-builder who collaborates effectively with executives, clinical leaders, unions, government, and system partners. You influence with credibility, communicate clearly, and bring humility, diplomacy, and integrity to complex conversations. 

Above all, you care deeply about people. You foster inclusive, respectful workplaces where belonging, psychological safety, and employee wellbeing are central. You are passionate about strengthening the systems that help people deliver their best work, and you are ready to make a meaningful impact on a health system that serves communities across Nova Scotia. 

How to Apply 

If you are interested in pursuing this exciting opportunity, please apply online using the "Apply Now" button below. For more information or to ask any questions, please contact Erin MacDonald at emacdonald@kbrs.ca, Katherine Risley at krisley@kbrs.ca, or Daniella Sam at dsam@kbrs.ca.  

Diversity and Accessibility Statement 

Nova Scotia Health is committed to being a workforce that is free of discrimination, values diversity, and is representative, at all job levels, of the people we serve. We encourage all qualified applicants who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotian, Persons of Colour, Foreign Nationals/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply and self-identify. Applicants are encouraged to self-identify through this online self-identification questionnaire. 

KBRS will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that considers an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodation to participate as a candidate in the recruitment process, please contact accommodate@kbrs.ca or communicate your needs to our team.