President & CEO

PROVINCIAL HEALTH SERVICES AUTHORITY
Vancouver, BC

 

PHSA has a unique role in BC's health authority system: to ensure that BC residents have access to a coordinated provincial network of high‑quality specialized health care services. PHSA works in partnership and cooperation with the province's health authorities and health care professionals to improve access to evidence‑informed practice in a variety of programs serving specific populations that support optimal health outcomes for people living in British Columbia.

 

PHSA’s work is guided by its purpose to inspire and unite specialized teams to create a healthier province for all, as well as its vision to create an equitable, anti‑racist, and culturally safe health care system where everyone thrives. This work is grounded in a deep understanding of the historic and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and systemic racism on Indigenous Peoples in social and health contexts, and in PHSA’s responsibility to address Indigenous‑specific racism across the health care system. PHSA’s work is further guided by the Coast Salish Teachings gifted to the organization by Coast Salish Knowledge Keeper Siem Te Ta’in (Shane Pointe).

 

PHSA’s Board of Directors is seeking a seasoned leader who can oversee a significant period of transformation for the organization. They will work closely with government to transition designated corporate services to a new shared services organization; refresh the mandate of PHSA; and onboard a new Board of Directors. At the same time, the new CEO will create clarity and the conditions required to renew focus on delivering specialized services to patients in a more sustainable way. This work is informed by PHSA’s strong academic focus and requires close cooperation with the province’s regional health authorities, the First Nations Health Authority, patients and families, the post‑secondary sector, and government to ensure seamless, high‑quality, integrated, patient‑centred care.

 

The CEO will steward a $6.5B budget and over 28,000 staff through a period of significant fiscal constraint and health human resource shortages. They will oversee the delivery of distinct services across seven clinical program areas, including BC Cancer, BC Emergency Health Services, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services, BC Children’s Hospital, BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, and the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, as well as their respective research institutes. These programs, along with provincial planning, policy, and corporate support functions, vary significantly in scope, operating models, work environments, and cultures. Within this complex environment, the CEO will be expected to strengthen system integration, break down silos, and build capacity through collaboration and shared accountability.

 

As the ideal candidate, you are a change leader with a demonstrated ability to lead through complexity and ambiguity, ideally within a large, multi‑faceted health care or public sector organization. You foster cohesion, stability, and shared purpose across diverse service lines, and you lead large‑scale transformation in a human‑centred way while maintaining service excellence and safety. You build strong, respectful relationships across the health system and government to ensure PHSA’s work is effectively integrated with the regional health authority sector.

 

You bring a deep and demonstrated understanding of the social, economic, political, and historical realities of settler colonialism and systemic racism, and their ongoing impacts on Indigenous Peoples within social and health contexts. You possess significant knowledge of, and a clear commitment to upholding, Indigenous‑specific mandates and legislative obligations within BC’s health system, including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, In Plain Sight, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and Declaration Act Action Plan, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Reclaiming Power and Place: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice, Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, the Anti‑Racism Data Act, the BC Human Rights Code, and the Distinctions‑Based Approach, and understand how these intersect across the health care system.

 

You demonstrate a clear understanding of Indigenous‑specific racism and broader systemic racism embedded within colonial health care structures and have a track record of action‑oriented leadership that dismantles barriers, advances Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility, and fosters environments of belonging. You exhibit strong anti‑racism and DEI competencies, lead by example, and cultivate a culture of continuous learning, equity, inclusion, and accountability. You are able to articulate your own learning journey related to Indigenous‑specific racism and dismantling systems of oppression, and to use that journey to motivate and inspire others.

 

You are a relational, collaborative leader who trusts and enables internal experts and partners, adopting a systems view and leading flexibly from the front or from behind as required. At the same time, you are prepared to make difficult decisions to maintain momentum and organizational clarity. You bring humility, openness, and a learning orientation, and have demonstrated success in building people‑centred cultures that support innovation, thoughtful risk‑taking, and sustained performance.

 

This is a rare and highly consequential opportunity to lead PHSA through complex governance, organizational, and system change, while supporting staff through significant role, process, and relationship shifts.

 

Given the substantial transformation anticipated over the coming years, the search committee is primarily seeking applicants interested in a 2–3-year initial term, with an option to extend based on the status of the shared services transition, the evolution of PHSA’s clinical programs, and the scope of the CEO role following transition.

 

If this is the next step in your professional career, please visit www.pfmsearch.com and submit your application to Allison Rzen and Shelina Esmail.

 

Salary for this role will be in alignment with publicly disclosed salaries of similar level roles within BC Health Care.