Job Description

Women's College Hospital (WCH) is an academic, ambulatory care hospital in Ontario with a focus on health for women, health equity and health system solutions. If you're ready to be part of a team that is revolutionizing the future of healthcare, then you will want to join an institution where the possibilities for innovation, new discovery and system thinking are limitless. Women's College Hospital is committed to equity, quality and patient safety as key professional values and essential components of daily practice.

Healthcare Revolutionized 2030 is our roadmap to the future. Our strategy is built on the pledge that the founders of our hospital made 140 years ago and reaffirms our commitment to providing equitable, accessible, best-in-class healthcare for everyone – meeting people where they are on their healthcare journey and partnering with them to reach their goals of living their healthiest lives possible. The stage has been set for Women’s to accelerate our priorities and capture the momentum to catapult our system forward to revolutionize healthcare for everyone.

Applicants must reside and be legally eligible to work in Ontario.

Type: Replacement

This is a Temporary Casual position, funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The individual will work in collaboration with the Women HIV and Health Research Program (WHRP) and the Women-Centred HIV Care (WCHC) Hub to ensure the meaningful engagement of women living with HIV in all activities. The vision of WHRP is to work with women living with HIV, clinicians, researchers, and trainees to address health inequities to optimize health care, status and wellbeing as it relates to women and HIV. The WCHC Hub has developed a national strategy to strengthen knowledge mobilization of the WCHC Model to enhance outcomes, eliminate gaps, and improve the quality of healthcare for women with HIV. The team has led knowledge sharing, education, mentoring, and capacity building in Women and HIV research, policy, and care. We are currently seeking a candidate to continue this work and act as the Community Lead of the WCHC Hub, providing the essential perspective of women living with HIV. This work will require community research coordination, peer leadership and advocacy, and relationship development and advocacy which may evolve as the project progresses.

The ideal candidate will have lived experience and/or professional experience supporting women living with HIV. The candidate will also be preferred to have experience in community-based research (specifically with the WCHC Hub), peer leadership and support, and comfort with a highly independent work environment as well as a team environment. The successful candidate will also need to have a proven track record of working in successful partnerships with women living with HIV.

Summary of Duties, but not limited to:

Community Research Coordination

• Works closely with the Women’s Community Leadership Team and represents the team at the Co-Principal Investigator Meetings
• Contributes to activities – such as presentations and training sessions – with other members of WHRP and WCHC Hub
• Contributes to grants including proposals, budgets, and accompanying documents
• Contributes to manuscripts, reports, and other materials developed by the WHRP and WCHC Hub to ensure community voices are reflected
• Takes on research tasks as assigned and as relevant (e.g., screening, consenting, and/or interviewing participants; identifying training needs of new peer research associates; contributing to and reviewing knowledge mobilization materials; etc.)
• Schedule, coordinate and complete administrative work associated with all Women’s Community Leadership Team meetings (e.g., create calendar invitations, send reminders, set up virtual meeting links, arrange accessibility supports, circulate documents before/after, draft agendas with the Chair and circulate at least [3–5] business days in advance, take and circulate minutes, capture decisions and action items, track follow-through between meetings, maintain a running record of attendance for meetings, maintain a shared contact and distribution list)
• Provides support and/or consultation with WHRP and WCHC Hub team members on their research projects, documents, knowledge mobilization tools, and more to ensure women living with HIV are represented and reflected in all outputs
• Serve as the first point of contact for member questions, scheduling conflicts, and requests
• Support planning and delivery of WLT-led events, workshops, consultations, and community activities
• Track project timelines, deliverables, and deadlines
• Co-facilitate monthly virtual meetings with chair
• Liaise with other WCHC staff, programs, and committees on behalf of the Team
• Maintain an organized shared drive of agendas, minutes, contact lists, templates, and key documents such as a summary covering active projects, upcoming commitments, and outstanding items
• Contribute and finalize reporting requirements as requested
• Prepare a written handover package at the end of the contract term or upon departure, including all access credentials, contacts, and in-progress work
• Submit hours to central Hub coordinator biweekly, as agreed upon

Peer Leadership

• Represents the lived experiences of women with HIV within the core research team by staying engaged with the needs of other women living with HIV (through formal and informal means) and reporting back to the team as relevant.
• Provides peer leadership and support to women living with HIV who engage with the research team and builds rapport.
• Identifies and liaises with community-based organizations and other community partners as a member of the research team.
• Responds to sensitive and complex situations with discretion and care while maintaining strictest confidence of information and materials in accordance with PHIPA.
• Advocates for women living with HIV as requested/require.
• Provides peer support and leadership reflective of diversity.
• Provides information about social agency programs and services and other community resources to the research team.
• Participates in internal and external committees and/or attend meetings related to the role

Relations Advocacy

• Promotes knowledge and understanding of the root, and past, present, and ongoing experiences of stigma and discrimination for women living with HIV.
• Practices the principles of anti-racism and anti-oppression;
• Practices the principles of the meaningful engagement of women with HIV.
• Establishes effective working relationships with researchers, women with HIV, service providers, other community agencies and resources.
• With the support of the broader WHRP team, collaborates with allies and other researchers across Canada;.
• Works to centre the experiences of women with HIV in all of WHRP’s and the WCHC Hub’s activities

Qualifications

• A lived experience or understanding of the experiences of women living with HIV in Canada;
• Skills in peer leadership and support.
• Minimum 3-5 years of experience of established participation in research beyond being a participant;
• Proven ability to engage in participant interactions, which negotiate complex boundaries of self-disclosure.
• Experience or knowledge of community-based research.
• Experience building and nurturing relationships with peers, community agencies, and researchers.
• Experience working with women living with HIV in a research and/or community based setting is an asset
• Good interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
• Proven ability to work as a team member.
• Ability to prioritize at a high level.
• Effective problem-solving skills.
• Ability to have and use diplomacy and tact at all times.
• Good work and attendance record required.
• Demonstrated WCH vision mission and values.

Why Choose Us?

• Be part of a dedicated team committed to excellence.
• Shape the future of healthcare in a supportive environment.
• Enjoy competitive benefits and an excellent defined benefit pension plan (HOOPP).

Women’s College Hospital may use artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision-making tools during various points in the recruitment and selection processes. Please note that third-party job boards may apply their own automated features when displaying or promoting this posting. Women’s College Hospital has no control over these external platform tools.

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Employment at Women’s College Hospital is conditional upon the verification of credentials, completion of a health review, and proof of immunity and vaccination status for vaccine-preventable diseases, in alignment with WCH Communicable Disease Surveillance protocols. Successful candidates will be required to complete the Employee, Physician and Volunteer Immunization Record Submission Form and the Pre-Placement Health Review Form prior to commencing employment. Submission instructions will be provided in the new hire package and all requirements must be satisfied prior to commencing employment.

Women's College Hospital is a fully affiliated teaching hospital of the University of Toronto and is committed to fairness and equity in employment and our recruitment and selection practices. We encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, members of racialized groups, women and any others who may contribute to the further diversification of our Hospital community. Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under our Access for People with Disabilities policy. Applicants need to make their requirements known in advance.