Come work as a Senior Policy Lead with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)!

Vancouver Coastal Health is looking for a Senior Policy Lead to join the Health Promotion & Public Policy. Apply today to join our team!

Reporting to the Manager of Health Promotion & Quality Improvement, the Senior Policy Lead provides regional leadership on policy advocacy, analysis, and monitoring to support the advancement and impact of health promotion work across VCH Communities of Care. Working closely with Medical Health Officers, Directors and staff across VCH Public Health, this role is responsible for leading the co-creation, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of healthy public policy and health promoting initiatives. At the direction of Medical Health Officers, the Executive Director of Population Health, or Manager, the lead provides expertise in thematic areas of core concern to public health, and seeks to influence the development, mobilization, and adoption of healthy public policy within and through key sectors and settings across the VCH region. These include but are not limited to: government, non-governmental organizations, private sector, schools and other early childhood environments, and other sectors and settings as identified.

As a Senior Policy Lead with Vancouver Coastal Health you will:

• Be guided by policy monitoring and working closely with MHOs, Public Health Surveillance Unit and other staff in VCH Public Health, the lead is expected to build and maintain in-depth knowledge of municipal and regional policy making processes, as well as senior government policymaking as it pertains to population health and are called on by senior leadership and staff for their familiarity with the key policy areas and policy influencing actors both in the region and at the provincial and national scales (non-profits, NGOs, industry association, advocacy organizations, etc).
• Be supported by Policy Analysts and other key staff in VCH Public Health, monitor policy discourse and key legislative processes as they pertain to regional districts and other regional governance bodies (eg. TransLink), school districts, and municipalities, and provide guidance and support to MHOs, Directors and other staff on the work of relevant senior government ministries, crown corporations, and agencies whose policies have bearing on the health of populations and be of relevance to local communities.
• Stay informed and provide strategic briefings to MHOs and/or the Executive Director of Population Health on the status of various policy sub-systems, potential windows of opportunity, network actor mapping and potential policy interventions for consideration – and/or problematic or potentially concerning policies being considered by policymakers.
• Assist MHOs and other teams to produce reports on the health status of communities in the region in collaboration with the Public Health Surveillance Unit and other staff in VCH Public Health.
• At the direction of the Manager or Executive Director of Population Health, this position may liaise with legislative and regulatory bodies, and is expected to maintain close working relationships with contacts in all levels of governments, but especially local and regional governments, as well as non-profit and non-governmental agencies to support implementation of system policies affecting population health trends in the region and influence policy trajectories.
• Draw on resources within VCH Public Health (E.g., Policy Analysts, Epidemiologists, Injury Prevention and Health Protection staff etc.), synthesize and critically appraises research in order to inform evidence-based decision making.
• Develop and coordinate research and/or evaluation activities to assess impacts of policies and programs on population and/or public health.
• Develop and maintain effective collaborative relationships with expert knowledge holders in academia, NGOs, think tanks, institutes and other organizations and engage in partnership driven research to support the health promotion and healthy public policy aims of VCH Public Health.
• Prepare information, presentations and reports relating to the determinants of health and other population health issues and trends for senior management, MHOs and partners when requested.
• Provide and/or coordinate the provision of strategic policy research and other supports in service of policy development and decision making.
• Advise senior leaders both internal and external to Vancouver Coastal Health on international and local best practices and methodologies to address complex health issues facing populations in communities and regions.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with relevant policy actors and key contacts in assigned sectors such as local and regional governments, education, non-profit, early childhood environments, private sector, post-secondary, etc.
• Develop, facilitate and coordinate opportunities within VCH Public Health and with external partners for knowledge exchange and sharing of research related to population and public health with a focus on upstream interventions and shaping the determinants of health.
• Maintain in-depth understanding of the local epidemiology, intervention evidence and policy opportunities for assigned determinants of health portfolio.
• Create, implement, monitor and report on the progress of Healthy Public Policy initiatives.
• Lead and facilitate multi-sectoral initiatives and actions with internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to: VCH staff, other health partners, other levels of government, the non-profit sector, business, research partners, post-secondary institutions and civil society organizations concerned with influencing the determinants of health and responding to health and social development issues in across the region and in specific communities as requested.
• Utilize initiative, vision, leadership, innovative thinking and creative problem-solving strategies to implement project plans and realize project completion.
• Utilize effective facilitation, persuasion and negotiation abilities to achieve consensus, resolve conflict and achieve desired outcomes.
• Maintain ongoing support for initiatives from project sponsors, user groups and other key stakeholders; keeps stakeholders aware of project status; and ensures effective communication channels are in place.
• Develop detailed project charters, terms of reference, methodologies and plans for assigned policy research and policy development, advocacy initiatives and strategic planning projects, including: establishment of project goals, objectives, timelines and deliverables, in consultation with stakeholders as needed, and facilitating stakeholder support and overall project readiness.

Education & Experience

• Master’s Degree in Public Policy, Public Health, Public Administration, Law, Planning, Urban Health or another relevant field.
• Five (5) to seven (7) year's recent, related experience that includes managing large-scale projects (including policy research development, advocacy initiative and strategic planning and deployment projects) and facilitating and managing consultation processes with a wide range of stakeholder groups.
• Current registration with relevant professional College/Association, if applicable.
• Excellent communication skills to function within a complex interdisciplinary environment including ability to communicate with senior members of government including federal, provincial and municipal.
• Computer literacy with word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation, project management and database applications.

Knowledge & Abilities

• Demonstrated strong knowledge, skills and experience in public policy development, applied strategic research methodologies, and affecting social change and organizational change.
• Demonstrated broad knowledge of population health, social, environmental, and behavioural determinants of health.
• Demonstrated applied knowledge of social, economic, political and health trends and statistics.
• Demonstrated knowledge of urban, rural and regional planning and policymaking processes, urban politics, advocacy and activism.
• Demonstrated current and up-to-date knowledge of policies, programs, funding streams, capacity building opportunities, community and industry interventions, events, campaigns and other relevant considerations as related to population health.
• Considerable experience leading and coordinating working groups and steering and advisory committees, which may include senior internal and external stakeholders, senior personnel from other departments, dedicated project team staff and consultants, in the development, implementation and monitoring of strategic initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct rapid policy reviews, memos, and other internal communication materials.
• Demonstrated ability to lead strategic efforts, manage conflict, and to exercise a high degree of judgment and independence toward delivery of outcomes.
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge, skills and experience in project management principles and methodologies, including the ability to set and adapt to changing priorities in a complex, fast paced work environment, and ability to coach other team members on these skills.
• Demonstrates thorough understanding, and experience engaging, available resources for projects and relevant stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize initiative, vision, independent thinking and creative problem-solving abilities to implement project plans and realize project completion.
• Demonstrated ability to provide strong feedback and detailed analysis on project processes, and make recommendations as required.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize effective facilitation, persuasion and negotiation abilities to achieve consensus, resolve conflict and achieve desired outcomes.
• Works effectively under time pressure to meet deadlines, balance work priorities, and resolve problems to achieve deliverables and outcomes in a timely manner.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.

As per Ministry of Health policy, all health care workers working in publicly-funded health care facilities are required to report their past receipt of certain vaccines or history of certain infections. Collecting these records will allow for offering of any missing vaccines, and for appropriate actions to be taken in the event of any future exposure to a communicable disease or during outbreaks. For all new hires and appointments to Vancouver Coastal Health, you will be asked to provide this information as part of the onboarding process.

Why Join Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH):

VCH is a world class innovator in medical care, research and teaching, delivering service to more than one million BC residents. At VCH, we embrace thinking boldly, taking smart risks, and 'going first' when we believe it will lead to the best possible outcomes for patients and their families. We invite you to join us in creating healthy lives in healthy communities by showcasing our passion for care, connection to the communities we serve and our culture of teamwork that makes VCH a great place to work.

• Comprehensive health benefits package, including MSP, extended health and dental and municipal pension plan
• Grow your career with employer-paid training and leadership development opportunities
• Wellness supports, including counselling, critical incident and innovative wellness services are available to employees and their immediate families
• Award-winning recognition programs to honour staff, medical staff and volunteers
• Access to exclusive discount offers and deals for VCH staff

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams and inclusive environments, which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.

Vancouver Coastal Health is proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and Canada's Top Employers for Young People in 2025.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for this posting.


***Employees of VCH must apply online via the Internal Career Portal on CareerHub, you are currently viewing the External Career Portal. Refer to the https://my.vch.ca/working-here/job-postings site for instructions on how to view internal job postings and how to apply as an employee. Current VCH employees who apply to this posting using this external site will be considered as an external candidate. Seniority will not apply.***

Thank you for your interest in Vancouver Coastal Health.