Director, Optimization
Your Opportunity:
Alberta Health Services (AHS) is seeking a dynamic and relationship focused senior leader to serve as the Director, Optimization within the Optimization Team. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of hospital performance and system integration across Alberta. In this role, you will lead the provincial development and implementation of Hospital Action Plans, working directly with hospital sites, clinical and operational leaders, and partner agencies to improve emergency department wait times, surgical wait times, patient flow, capacity, and overall patient outcomes. You will oversee a small, high performing team and serve as the primary strategic liaison between hospital sites and provincial partners, ensuring that actionable, evidence informed plans are developed collaboratively and aligned with AHS and ministry priorities. This portfolio plays a critical role in supporting hospitals through the transition to hospital-based leadership and advancing systemwide priorities.
Description:
As Director, you will: Lead the Strategic Partnerships & Site Planning portfolio, driving strategy, execution, and continuous improvement across multiple hospital action plans provincially. Build and maintain trusted relationships with site leaders, physicians, frontline staff, and partner agencies. You will be the senior face of the portfolio and the connector that brings the right people together to solve complex challenges. Facilitate complex and sometimes difficult conversations to align priorities, address operational constraints, and support coordinated action across AHS and partner organizations. Oversee the co creation of site-specific Hospital Action Plans, ensuring plans reflect local needs while advancing provincial priorities. Guide engagement sessions at hospital sites and synthesize feedback into actionable strategies. Lead portfolio reporting, including contributions to executive updates and monthly Cabinet Committee reporting on priority initiatives. Partner with agencies such as Acute Care Alberta (ACA), Recovery Alberta (RA), Assisted Living Alberta (ALA), and Medical Affairs to support integrated system solutions.
- Classification: Program Director
- Union: Exempt
- Unit and Program: Optimization Team
- 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: 06-FEB-2026
- Date Available: 02-MAR-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: $55.74
- Maximum Salary: $98.04
- Vehicle Requirement: Not Applicable
Bachelor’s degree in health sciences, business, public administration, or related field. 7–10 years of leadership experience in a complex public-sector or healthcare environment.
Additional Required Qualifications:
Demonstrated ability to lead strategic planning, large scale change, and multi-site initiative implementation. Advanced facilitation skills, including experience leading challenging or politically sensitive conversations. Proven ability to build trust-based relationships with senior clinical and operational leaders. Strong understanding of acute care operations, system integration, and performance improvement.
Preferred Qualifications:
Master’s degree in healthcare administration, public policy, business, or related discipline. Experience with provincial-level health strategy, hospital operations, and cross-agency coordination. Experience leading portfolio level planning, reporting, and evaluation activities (e.g., action plans, site prioritization).
Please note:
All postings close at 23:59 MT of the posting end date indicated.
Security Screening:
A satisfactory criminal record check and/or Vulnerable Sector Search is required prior to your first day of work. Additionally, all employees have an ongoing duty to disclose any charges or convictions that may occur during their employment with AHS.
Healthy Albertans. Healthy
Communities. Together.
We’re passionate about what we do. Our team of skilled and dedicated health care professionals, support staff, and physicians promote wellness and provide health care all across Alberta.
Everything we do at AHS reflects a patient and family centred approach; it’s about putting patients’ and families’ experiences, priorities and trust first.
We are an equal opportunity employer. AHS values the diversity of the people and communities we serve and is committed to attracting, engaging and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce.
