Site Lead, Acute Care
Your Opportunity:
Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre is seeking a collaborative and experienced Acute Care Site Lead to oversee operations in a dynamic rural healthcare environment. Ponoka is a vibrant community in Central Alberta, nestled in the beautiful Battle River Valley along the Highway 2 corridor. Offering a unique blend of rural charm and urban amenities, Ponoka provides a welcoming culture and a high quality of life in a picturesque setting. Conveniently located less than an hour from both the Edmonton International Airport to the north and the City of Red Deer to the south, Ponoka offers easy access to major centres while maintaining its small-town appeal. Reporting to the Acute Care Rural Lead, the Site Lead is accountable for the delivery of high-quality, accessible, sustainable, patient- and family-centred care.
Description:
The Rural Acute Care Site Lead has direct accountability for site operations, in-scope employee and unit manager direct reports, clinical operations, and associated programmatic requirements. In conjunction with the Rural Lead, the Site Lead is responsible for establishing and executing strategic and operational priorities for the site. This includes ensuring the effective deployment of resources, supporting organizational change initiatives, and fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement at Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre. In addition, the Site Lead holds cross-functional accountability for corridor-wide and provincial programs and initiatives, as applicable. The role is responsible for ensuring the effective deployment of human resources, including scheduling, staffing rotations, and appropriate skill mix, to support the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care. The Site Lead is also accountable for creating and maintaining a safe, healthy, and inclusive workplace where employees and physicians feel engaged, supported, valued, and empowered to perform at their best. The Site Lead supports workforce development through just-in-time learning opportunities, coaching, mentoring, orientation, and ongoing staff education and professional development. The position is also responsible for the appropriate allocation and stewardship of fiscal and capital resources and for managing, monitoring, forecasting, and reporting on operational budgets in accordance with Alberta Health Services policies, practices, and reporting requirements.
- Classification: Manager
- Union: Exempt
- Unit and Program: Site, Surgery Program, Medical Reprocessing
- Primary Location: Ponoka Hospital and Care Centr
- Location Details: As Per Location
- Employee Class: Regular Full Time
- FTE: 1.00
- Posting End Date: 01-SEP-2026
- Date Available: 01-OCT-2026
- Hours per Shift: 7.75
- Length of Shift in weeks: 2
- Shifts per cycle: 10
- Shift Pattern: Days, On Call
- Days Off: Saturday/Sunday
- Minimum Salary: $45.23
- Maximum Salary: $77.51
- Vehicle Requirement: Not Applicable
The ideal candidate brings progressive leadership experience in a healthcare environment of significant size, complexity, and diversity, with a demonstrated ability to lead teams and achieve results in a dynamic setting. A post-secondary degree in a health profession, health administration, leadership or other comparable degree or experience. Registration with an Alberta Regulated Health Profession, as appropriate. A demonstrated clear pattern of professional development (e.g. continuing education courses) and leadership experience required.
Additional Required Qualifications:
The successful candidate will demonstrate: Proven ability to manage change and develop innovative solutions to complex operational, clinical, and organizational challenges. Strong strategic thinking skills and make sound decisions in a complex environment. Experience managing diverse human and financial resources while balancing operational requirements and quality outcomes. Strong organizational and time-management skills. Experience building collaborative relationships and working effectively with interdisciplinary teams. Excellent interpersonal, communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated success in coaching, mentoring, teaching, and developing others. Sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive information, personnel matters, and confidential data. A commitment to creating safe, healthy, respectful, and inclusive workplaces. Resilience, adaptability, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and evolving healthcare environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
Previous leadership experience in acute care and/or rural healthcare settings. Experience leading quality improvement, patient safety, operational excellence, or service redesign initiatives. Strong knowledge of Rural Acute Care, surgery, obstetrics and the corresponding complexities is an asset. Knowledge and understanding of collective agreements and experience working within a unionized environment is an asset.
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.
