Director, Mental Health

Important messages

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the Contact information below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Assessment accommodation

Veterans Affairs Canada is committed to building a diverse workforce that is representative of the Canadian population through equitable and accessible employment practices. We strive to achieve an inclusive and open work environment that embraces a variety of perspectives where accessibility is a central pillar to all. These qualities help us make a positive impact in the lives of our increasingly diverse clientele, in a workplace where everyone’s contributions are valued.

Veterans Affairs Canada is seeking talent from a wide range of communities, identities, and backgrounds. We value the experience of diverse groups of women, men, and gender diverse people. Using a Gender-based Analysis Plus lens, we recognize that there are multiple characteristics that intersect and contribute to our social and professional identity. These include race, ethnicity, religion, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, education, veteran status, and more. The interaction between these factors has a positive influence on how you, as an employee, help us develop, implement, and deliver the services and benefits we provide. We are committed to establishing a workplace culture that is accessible by design to ensure that all employees are fully supported to flourish in their roles.

We welcome members of equity seeking groups to apply and recognize that the current Employment Equity Act does not fully encompass all equity seeking group members. If you are a member of the groups indicated in the Employment Equity Act, we respectfully request that you self-declare during this process. These groups include women, aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities and members of a visible minority community.

REGARDING THE REQUIREMENT TO BE VACCINATED:

On October 6, 2021, the Government of Canada announced details of its plans to require vaccination across the federal public service.

As per the new Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration Including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, federal public servants in the Core Public Administration and members of the RCMP must attest to their vaccination status. The requirement for employees to be fully vaccinated applies whether they are teleworking, working remotely or working on-site. This is a condition of employment and it applies to indeterminate (permanent), determinate (term), casual, and student hiring. Should you reach the point in the selection process where it is necessary to verify terms and conditions of employment then the hiring manager or a human resources representative will contact you in order to complete an attestation.

HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION:

All information must be provided through the “Apply online” application process. Email applications will not be accepted. To apply in an alternate format due to disability, you must contact the email address indicated in the "Contact information" section below prior to the closing date.

When you apply for this process, please keep in mind that the education and experience will be assessed by the answers you provide in your online application. As a result, please ensure you allow yourself a sufficient amount of time to complete this application.

Work environment

Veterans Affairs Canada’s (VAC) mandate is to support the well-being of Veterans and their families across Canada with a broad range of supports and services, and to promote recognition and remembrance of the achievements and sacrifices of those who served Canada in times of war, military conflict and peace. Our workplace culture of Care, Compassion and Respect sets the foundation for everything that we do in support of Veterans.

Don’t miss the opportunity to work with one of the Top 100 Employers in Canada according to Forbes Magazine 2021!

DUTIES:

As the Director, Mental Health you will have the lead role to oversee VAC’s Mental Health Strategy for Veterans and their families to ensure continuous improvement in the overall continuum of mental health services; advance innovative solutions that increase service capacity; align VAC’s mental health initiatives with those of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces; provide departmental leadership in support of the many national and international partnerships; and act as a change agent to bring about the internal and external cultural shifts required to respond adequately and appropriately to the needs of Veterans and their families with mental health conditions.

Intent of the process

This advertised process will be used to staff the position of Director, Mental Health within Veterans Affairs Canada, and a pool may be created. The position location will be determined based on location of the selected candidate.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

When applying, you will be asked a series of questions which are designed to help us know who you are as a leader and how you would contribute to our organization. Be sure to include examples that demonstrate the breadth, depth and scope of your experience.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

What are the essential requirements to become the Director, Mental Health at Veterans Affairs Canada?

- Graduation from a recognized university with a degree in health sciences.

Degree equivalency

Significant* experience in:

- managing the delivery of health services, including establishing and implementing organizational priorities and strategies;
- providing strategic advice to senior management on complex issues**;
- developing and maintaining partnerships with a wide variety of stakeholders or partners in the health care sector;
- managing human*** and financial**** resources.

Definitions
* ‘’Significant’’ is understood to mean the depth and breadth of the experience normally acquired by performing a broad range of various, complex related activities over a minimum period of two (2) years (can be cumulative; 24 months in total).
** ‘’Complex issues’’ are issues with the following characteristics: multidimensional, holding risk, affecting many partners or stakeholders, having an impact on the organization or having a potential for significant media coverage.
*** “Managing human resources” means managing a team of employees, and being responsible for assigning work, managing and assessing performance, managing labour relations issues, staffing positions, identifying training needs and plans, etc.
**** “Managing financial resources” means being responsible for a budget and performing tasks such as approving and tracking expenses, financial planning, forecasting, etc.

If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)

ASSETS:

It would be an asset if you had one or more of the following qualifications. They could be applied at the prescreening stage; therefore, ensure you provide information on these qualifications if you do possess one or more of them:

- Degree from a recognized university in health science with a specialization in Mental Health.

Degree equivalency

- Experience in managing the delivery of mental health services.
- Significant* experience in managing the development of health policies or programs.
- Management of health or mental health services for military veterans, in military setting or for other vulnerable populations.
- Development and implementation of innovative strategies with multiple partners to improve the mental health of vulnerable populations.
- Experience working as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

Bilingual - Imperative (CBC/CBC)
* An imperative appointment means that a person must meet the language requirements before being hired.

** For more information on linguistic profiles, please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/staffing-assessment-tools-resources/human-resources-specialists-hiring-managers/management-toolkit/bilingual-positions-federal-public-service/bilingual-positions-public-service-faqs.html

*** For persons who do not currently have valid Second Language Evaluation results, a Public Service Commission unsupervised language test of reading comprehension and written expression for Levels B or C will be used to assess candidates second language evaluation as part of this process. Link to further information: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/corporate/about-us/letters-heads-human-resources/new-psc-unsupervised-test-written-expression-level-b-c-20-10.html

Information on language requirements

KEY LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES:

If your application is retained for further consideration, you will be invited to show us the following competencies via an assessment process:

- Creating vision and strategy: How you engage others to translate strategies into concrete objectives.
- Mobilizing people: How you create a sense of common purpose and direction in the
organization.
- Upholding integrity and respect: How you hold yourself and the organization to the highest ethical and professional standards.
- Collaborating with partners and stakeholders: How you build and nurture effective and collaborative networks and relationships with communities of practice, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Promoting innovation and guiding change: How you identify opportunities for and barriers to innovation and propose creative approaches.
- Achieving results: How you align people, work and systems to achieve program and policy efficiencies and results.

*A complete definition of the Key Leadership Competencies may be found at the following Website: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/professional-development/key-leadership-competency-profile/examples-effective-ineffective-behaviours.html

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

In support of achieving a diverse workforce, consideration will be given to candidates who, at the time of application, self-declare* as belonging to one of the following designated Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal Peoples, Persons with Disabilities, or Visible Minorities.

* We encourage you to self-declare during the online application process by selecting the appropriate box under the "Employment Equity" (EE) section.

Information on employment equity

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Ability and willingness to travel and work extended hours.

Conditions of employment

Security Requirement: Secret security clearance

All employees of the core public administration are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and attest to their vaccination status unless accommodated based on a medical contraindication, religion, or another prohibited ground for discrimination as defined under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

All appointments and deployments (except acting appointments) to and within the Executive (EX) Group within the core public administration are subject to the Agreement to being Deployed provision as a mandatory condition of employment. Further information on conditions of employment for executives can be found in the Directive on the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Executives.

* Conditions of employment are not required to be met at the time of application, but only before being hired to a position, and are to be maintained throughout the employment while being the position.

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

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PROOF OF EDUCATION:

You will be requested a proof of education credentials at a later date.

If you have foreign credentials, you will be asked to provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca/.

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HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION:

When submitting an application to this selection process, you will be prompted to answer screening questions concerning the essential education and experience qualifications. It is not sufficient to only state that the qualifications are met or to provide a listing of current or past responsibilities. Rather you must clearly demonstrate how, when and where you obtained this qualification through substantiation by examples.

Information provided in the screening questions should be supported by your resume. Resumes may be used as a secondary source to validate the experience and education described in the screening questions.

When recording your examples, be sure you:
• Provide concrete, specific examples of actions that speak directly to the experience sought.
• Choose examples with sufficient complexity, impact and degree of difficulty that will allow you to illustrate to what extent and depth you have shown the behaviours expected for each qualification.
• Focus on what you did. In referring to an experience achieved in the context of a team, set your role apart from the role(s) of others.
• Use action verbs when describing your experience i.e. lead, managed, organized, planned, prepared, informed, determined, etc.
• Each example must include when the example took place, background of each situation, what you did, how you did it, what your role was in the situation, and what was the outcome.

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ASSESSMENT

Various assessment tools may be used in this selection process, such as an interview, a written examination, a standardized assessment, reference checks, etc.

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CONTACT INFORMATION:

It is your responsibility to ensure that your email and contact information are maintained with the hiring board. All communication for this process will be sent by email and it is your responsibility to verify your messages regularly
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Preference

Preference will be given to veterans first and then to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.