Specialist, Knowledge Translation, Health System
Who we are
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 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 visit our website.
The opportunity
(Please note this is a remote role. Candidates must reside in Canada.)
The Specialist, Health Systems will play an active role in implementing the knowledge translation activities of the national health systems team with impact on care, outcomes and quality of life for people in Canada with stroke, heart conditions and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) cross all provinces and territories. As an important member of the team, the specialist will generate, gather, synthesize and support the dissemination of the knowledge and evidence needed to drive our systems change agenda forward with credibility and expertise.
The Specialist will engage with Heart & Stroke national health systems teams and key internal and external partners and stakeholders in the initiation, planning, and execution of strategic actions to affect changes and measure resulting improvements. The Specialist will demonstrate the H&S six core values that unite us, including Champion Health, Practice Humility, Embrace Change, Drive Impact, Learn & Grow and Be Heartfelt.
The role is instrumental for evidence-based knowledge translation to inform systems change efforts. The Specialist will inform the development and implementation of a knowledge translation model for the national health systems team, aligned to other efforts within the Foundation, and supporting the dissemination and mobilization of information to a variety of audiences. This will be accomplished through the following activities: coordinating our health education webinar activities for a variety of audiences, including speaker management, promotion, technical coordination and support, and evaluation; supporting the creation and updates of web content related to the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations;
informing, supporting, evaluating and improving new and existing knowledge translation approaches within the health systems team, including newsletters; and supporting the collection and updating of information on health systems related to stroke, heart, and vascular cognitive impairment to advance the work of the team.
How you will make an impact every day
Coordinate and manage the health education webinar activities for the Foundation
Work with partners within the health systems team, other areas of the H&S Foundation, and external partners as appropriate to develop a schedule and strategy for an educational webinar series relevant to our priority conditions.
Coordinate and prepare speakers and moderators for each session, and provide evaluation feedback following sessions
Coordinate promotion of each session across various channels within and external to the Foundation
Coordinate the logistics for each session, including registration, trouble-shooting, and client support for attendees
Support the technical operation of each webinar during the session
Develop, disseminate, collate, and report back on evaluation from each session
Support the creation and uploading of web content for the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations website
Create copydecks with provided content for new/updated modules of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations under the guidance of the CSBPR team
Track user data and provide regular reports to the CSBPR team on high and low traffic content
Monitor the website identifying any issues with links or content, addressing or escalating as appropriate
Provide input into potential strategies to improve the KT experience of the CSBPR website
Support existing KT approaches within the health systems team, and across mission, including evaluation and identification of potential opportunities for improvement
Ensures accurate and effective translation of knowledge supporting the work of the National Health Systems team (heart conditions, stroke, and engagement) into easy-to-understand materials for non-technical audience (e.g. donors, people with lived experience, caregivers, corporate partners)
Develops and disseminates regular newsletters and other communications about the health systems work within H&S and to our stakeholders and partners
Provides/participates in education and training to others in the Foundation (when applicable) and promotes adoption of evidence-based approaches to systems change
Identify and support the evaluation of the various existing KT approaches in use across the health systems team, involving other partners across the Foundation as required; assess the current literature for best practices related to these approaches
Provide recommendations and support implementation of changes to existing approaches based on findings
Support creation of a structure of ongoing monitoring to ensure that existing approaches continue to meet evolving needs
Coordinates and aligns activities with other H&S teams to ensure consistency and accuracy, such as health information content team, communications team, impact and EDI team
Inform and support novel approaches to KT within the health systems team
Review the existing literature and KT models that are shown to be highly effective, proposing opportunities for novel approaches within the health systems team
Support implementation and evaluation of novel approaches across the knowledge-to-action cycle in partnership with the relevant health systems team member(s) and others as appropriate
Support creation of a structure of ongoing monitoring to ensure that these novel approaches become embedded in regular use and continue to meet evolving needs
Supports the development and implementation of various strategies to assess and monitor health systems across Canada related to our priority conditions.
Coordinates and conducts surveys or resource inventories on various priority topics to gather input from stakeholders involving internal and external partners and experts as required
Participates in the data quality, synthesis, analysis, and creation of reports related to these strategies.
Responses to ad hoc information requests from internal stakeholders as applicable;
Works closely with the Mission data team to ensure consistency and accuracy across all measurement and monitoring activities
Support implementation of strategic priorities across provinces and territories
Working with Health Systems teams and the provincial mission leads, participate in the development of comprehensive plans to implement key strategic initiatives and other Mission inputs, particularly focused on education needs and resources;
Develops and maintains relationships with key stakeholders internally and externally to support knowledge translation and mobilization initiatives and implementation of projects on strategic priorities;
Who we need
Education
Undergraduate degree in health administration, public health, health policy, life sciences, applied science or social science.
Course work or related education in knowledge translation and mobilization, health systems and systems change.
At least basic knowledge of the clinical conditions represented by Heart and Stroke (including stroke, vascular cognitive impairment, heart failure, heart rhythms, structural heart disease, coronary artery and vascular disease).
Experience
Minimum 2-3 years related work experience in health sector. Experience working with ministries of health and other government departments and agencies is an asset.
Demonstrated success in supporting the implementation of knowledge translation frameworks and in supporting systems initiatives, data collection and synthesis.
Experience working with people who have experienced a stroke, heart condition and or vascular cognitive impairment is an asset.
Skills
Bilingual in French is a must.
Team oriented, collaborative, diplomatic, and flexible.
Excellent written communication skills, able to write clearly and succinctly on complex scientific and technical matters involving emerging evidence and trends in healthcare. Able to synthesize and align heart, stroke and VCI content across internal teams and external stakeholders.
Clear verbal communication and presentation skills to position and advance our health systems change, use of tact and diplomacy are essential when communicating and explaining timelines and delivery dates for time sensitive materials and information.
Strong problem solving, analytical and critical thinking skills. Proven ability to synthesize, interpret, analyze, and critically appraise and report on data and scientific evidence.
Ability to adapt approaches in light of stakeholder needs/priorities and changing environments and be able to develop appropriate strategies.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, including time management, tracking progress against milestones and the ability to problem solve and mitigate unexpected issues that arise.
Self-motivated, able to take initiative, and be accountable for results through focused attention on achieving goals while positively supporting the needs and goals of others.
Strong interpersonal and listening skills to work effectively with other members of the stroke and heart program teams, as well as other teams across the organizations and to interact with all stakeholders using a high degree of discretion and diplomacy.
Ability to apply sound and independent judgement and demonstrate initiative to communicate issues and to provide realistic solutions.
Analytical ability to work with data and present results to non-technical audience.
Strong computer skills and ability to use technological tools to organize and advance the work of the team (i.e., MS Office Suite, SharePoint, CRM and other workflow tools) and proficient in MS office (e.g. Excel, Access, Power Point, Word).
Proficiency in English is essential and French language proficiency is an asset.
What we offer
At Heart & Stroke, we make it a priority to foster a culture of caring by implementing practices and programs that foster respect, compassion, trust and attentiveness to our own and others’ health and well-being.
In addition to a competitive salary, we believe that time off is integral to the personal health and wellness of our employees. We offer a generous paid time-off package including vacation days, personal days, wellness days, and paid company-wide closure between December 25 and January 1. We also provide competitive health, medical, dental and vision benefits, life insurance, disability benefits, an employee assistance program (EAP) and a defined contribution pension plan with employer matching. Our employees also enjoy a flexible hybrid working model and reimbursement for mobile phones and home office setup, as well as opportunities for professional development.
Apply now
If you want to join the fight to beat heart disease and stroke, please apply by sending your resume by October 30, 2023. Applicants must be currently residing in Canada and legally entitled to work in Canada.
Only those candidates that qualify will be selected for an interview. At this time, all interviews are being conducted via phone and/or video call ― we look forward to “virtually” meeting you!
Accommodation
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 let us know and we will do our best to address your needs.