Emergency Preparedness Specialist

UHN is Canada's #1 hospital and the world's #1 publicly funded hospital. With 10 sites and more than 44,000 TeamUHN members, UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Michener Institute of Education and West Park Healthcare Centre. As Canada's top research hospital, the scope of biomedical research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. UHN has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in neurosciences, cardiology, transplantation, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine, and rehabilitation medicine. UHN is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.

UHN's vision is to build A Healthier World and it's only because of the talented and dedicated people who work here that we are continually bringing that vision closer to reality.

www.uhn.ca

Union: Non-Union
Number of vacancies: 1
Site: Toronto General Hospital
Department: Emergency Preparedness
Reports to: Manager
Work Model: Hybrid
Hours: 37.5 per week
Salary: $36.74 to $45.93 per hour
Status: Permanent Full-Time
Posting Date: February 28, 2025
Closing Date: March 15, 2025

Position Summary

Emergency Preparedness is built on the four pillars of emergency management (mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response and recovery). In support of these pillars and the vision, mission and goals of the University Health Network the Emergency Preparedness Specialist provides leadership and support in the creation, planning, coordination, maintenance and updating of Emergency Management initiatives, plans and programs including: providing support organization wide to ensure that UHN is adequately prepared for a potentially harmful or large-scale incident; organizing and implementing training for staff to effectively respond to any type of disaster; coordinating debriefing sessions for critical code incidents; overseeing the emergency notification system for rapid notification to leaders, monitoring the site and UHN command centres; drafting, administering and proposing updates to staff fan-out policies/procedures; monitoring compliance with emergency management legislation, standards and best practice guidelines; performing cross-functional and other duties consistent with the job classification, as required.

Duties:

• Provides support organization wide for the UHN Emergency Management Program.
  • Provides project management support for the Emergency Management Committee (EMC) and all sub-committees.
  • Ensures the flow of work and decisions to accomplish the goals/objectives of the program within the stated timelines.
  • Investigates and makes recommendations regarding best practice research in alignment with Accreditation Canada standards.
  • Participates in operational efficiency of the Command Centres and the Incident Reporting system.
• Supervises and supports the completion of a hospital-wide Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA).
  • Carries out risk management assessment of departments to identify sources of risk; provides mitigation methods to either eliminate or minimize the impact of a hazard upon the hospital community.
  • Develop standard operating procedures for identified hazards.

• Oversees the development of emergency response code policies and plans.
  • Collaborates with content experts and relevant departments to design and develop plans and procedures.
  • Coordinates review of plans and policies, as required.
  • Develops implementation strategy for code procedures and provides training and education to UHN staff, physicians, students, and volunteers.
• Assesses emergency code incidents
  • Coordinates debriefing sessions from incidents and emergencies; oversees the progress of the after action report (AAR).
  • Manages inventory of all code incidents and ensures follow up actions is taken, in a timely manner.
• Organizes and implements training for UHN staff, physicians, students, and volunteers to effectively respond to any emergency response code.
  • Collaborates with technical leads and other stakeholders to develop content and deliver training and materials.
  • Contributes to the development of and the implementation of strategies to increase awareness of all emergency management plans; evaluates the ongoing capability of UHN to respond effectively to any emergency or disaster.
  • Manage and maintain unit specific code response kits across all UHN sites
  • Provides consultation and advice to internal and external stakeholders on emergency preparedness response.
• Oversees UHN Command Centres ensuring operational readiness for immediate activation on a 24/7 basis
  • Participates in ensuring a coordinated response in the event of an emergency or disaster.
  • Maintains training for the Incident Management Team (e.g., Incident Commander, Section Chiefs) to effectively assume their roles in a disaster.
  • Ensures all command centres have up-to-date materials for IMS deployment.
  • Supports the implementation and on-going education of the Incident Management System (IMS) throughout the organization.
• Participate and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders
  • Represents the organization at municipal emergency preparedness meetings, Ontario Health - Health Emergency Management Table (HEMT), and other stakeholder meetings.
  • Liaises with appropriate agencies and groups and facilitates developing partnerships with Toronto and GTA hospitals, Toronto Fire, Toronto Police Services, Toronto Paramedic Services, City of Toronto Emergency Management, Ontario Health, Ministry of Health, and Public Health institutions.
  • Establishes collaborative working relationships with a large number of internal/external clients and stakeholders.

• Degree or certificate in Emergency Management, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• Five (5) years experience with disaster planning, emergency management, or business continuity required.
• Experience in project management required.
• In-depth knowledge of hospital emergency department operations and a good functional knowledge of hospital operations and patient care operations.
• Strong knowledge of healthcare emergency management standards, including Incident Management System.
• Knowledge of business continuity
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Master's Degree in Emergency Management, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, or a related field preferred
• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification or equivalent preferred
• Certified Healthcare Emergency Professional (CHEP) or related certification preferred
• Experience with multi-hospital or large healthcare system emergency management preferred

Why join UHN?

In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)

Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.

All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.

UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates. Please ensure you check your email regularly.

Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.

UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.