Senior Program Director

Acute Care Alberta (ACA) is seeking a strategic, people- and outcome-focused, systems thinker in the position of Senior Program Director (SPD), Patient Safety, Patient Experience, and Accreditation. Reporting to the Executive Lead, Acute Care Service Delivery Oversight, the SPD provides province-wide leadership for the governance, strategic direction, oversight, and continuous improvement of patient safety, patient experience, accreditation, and quality assurance initiatives across Alberta’s acute care system. Providing expert counsel to the ACA Executive Team, this role offers a unique opportunity to lead meaningful, system-wide change that improves the quality, safety, and experience of care for Albertans. The SPD leads the development and implementation of provincial strategies, policies, standards, and performance monitoring frameworks, that support quality, safety, regulatory compliance, and service excellence. Leveraging extensive healthcare leadership, business acumen and operational expertise, the SPD oversees a provincial team responsible for advancing system wide policies and driving measurable improvements in acute care delivery.

Focused on advancing patient and family centered care, the SPD provides strategic leadership for initiatives that support safe, accessible, high quality and highly reliable provincial health care. Through engagement with patients, families, clinicians, operational leaders, and system partners, the SPD will identify emerging risks and opportunities, and build alignment that fosters a culture of continuous improvement, safety, accountability, and learning. Utilizing evidence informed approaches, performance data, and change-management practices, the SPD ensures ACA is meeting its organizational strategy, vision, goals and government mandate to ensure the delivery of acute care services adheres to legislative and acute care sector requirements that advance patient safety, patient experience and organizational excellence within Accreditation and regulatory standards of practice. Working collaboratively across the healthcare system, the SPD will establish and maintain strong partnerships with a broad network of internal and external stakeholders, including Accreditation Canada, Health Quality Alberta (HQA), Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the four Provincial Health Agencies (PHAs), health service providers including Provincial Health Corporations (PHCs) and Chartered Surgical Facilities, Health Shared Services, Regional Advisory and Indigenous Councils, Health Advocate Office, Alberta Ombudsman, and the Government of Alberta. Through these partnerships, the SPD will influence strategy, align priorities, and support the consistent application of leading practices across Alberta. To support broad provincial reach and access to talent, the successful candidate may reside and work from any location within Alberta, with travel as required to support organizational priorities and stakeholder engagement.

Classification: Senior Program Director

Union: Exempt

Unit and Program: Patient Safety, Patient Experience and Accreditation

Primary Location: Seventh Street Plaza

Location Details: Eligible to work hybrid (on/off site) within Alberta

Negotiable Location: Provincial

Employee Class: Regular Full Time

FTE: 1.00

Posting End Date: 16-SEP-2026

Date Available: 28-SEP-2026

Hours per Shift: 7.75

Length of Shift in weeks: 2

Shifts per cycle: 10

Shift Pattern: Days

Days Off: Saturday/Sunday

Minimum Salary: $64.94

Maximum Salary: $116.89

Vehicle Requirement: Not Applicable

The successful candidate for this position will hold a graduate degree in Health Care Management, Health Sciences, Business Administration, Nursing, Allied Health Profession or related health care field, complemented by extensive progressive leadership experience in a healthcare environment, including at least seven (7) years’ experience in a senior management position. Demonstrated leadership expertise in patient concerns management and patient safety, including quality assurance and accreditation activities is required.

The successful candidate brings strong leadership expertise, with a demonstrated ability to influence, coach, and inspire others while fostering trust, engagement, and accountability. They possess sound judgment and decision-making capabilities, along with a proven track record of building collaborative relationships with government, public agencies, executive leadership, committees, healthcare partners, and other key stakeholders. They demonstrate expertise in the strategic management of human, financial, and physical resources within complex healthcare environments. They are an innovative and systems-oriented thinker, skilled at evaluating options, anticipating long-term implications, and developing sustainable solutions that support organizational goals. They are recognized for their professionalism, ethical leadership, commitment to continuous learning, and dedication to achieving high-quality outcomes.

Canadian College of Healthcare Leaders (CCHL) Certified Health Executive designation or similar, is an asset.

Require Assistance? Contact recruitmentadmin@ahs.ca