Senior Director, Clinical Operations
GEM Health Care Group
Nova Scotia
If you are a collaborative leader who thrives in complex environments, embraces organizational change, and is passionate about enabling clinical teams to do their best work, we want to hear from you. GEM Health Care is seeking an accomplished and forward-thinking clinical leader to join our executive team as Senior Director, Clinical Operations.
The Company
GEM Health Care Group is a Nova Scotia-based, family-owned organization that has been enhancing the lives of seniors in the communities we serve since 1979. Our commitment to supporting seniors is guided by four core pillars including family and home; quality above all; diverse inclusive communities, and lives well lived. Our staff are the foundation of our organization and the face of the care we provide.
The first facility acquired by GEM was a combination of three Victorian homes which evolved into the construction of the present Gables Lodge, which was GEM’s first step in providing an enhanced service to their seniors. Since then, GEM has acquired and constructed facilities throughout the province and have continued to remain leaders in transforming how health care is delivered to seniors in Nova Scotia.
GEM Health Care Group offers a dynamic workplace, comprehensive benefits, flexible work arrangements, and meaningful opportunities for professional growth and continuing education.
The Role
The Senior Director will provide strategic leadership and oversight for clinical operations across GEM's network of long-term care communities. This role is a critical component of GEM's organizational evolution. The Senior Director will ensure clinical practice, policies, programs, and quality standards are consistently implemented across all sites while supporting a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
The role will focus on standardization, compliance, best practices, quality outcomes, and clinical leadership development. Working closely with site leadership teams, the Senior Director will empower local leaders and care teams to operate effectively within their professional scopes of practice.
This position requires a highly collaborative leader who can influence across a diverse organization, build strong relationships with stakeholders, and help position GEM as a leading provider of modern long-term care services in Nova Scotia.
Key Areas of Leadership and Oversight
- Quality and Practice Excellence: Provide strategic oversight of clinical policies, procedures, and practice standards to ensure consistency, quality, and excellence in care delivery across all GEM communities. Lead a shared organizational framework that supports evidence-informed practice, enables clinicians to work at the top of their scope, and promotes consistent resident outcomes across the organization.
- Leadership Development: Partner with site leaders to refine shared responsibilities and support the implementation of leadership best practices across the organization. Enable leaders to focus on their areas of expertise while ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, clinical standards, and strategic objectives.
- Governance and Clinical Integration: Foster a culture of accountability, audit readiness, and regulatory excellence by implementing systems that support consistent execution, transparency, risk mitigation, and organizational confidence during reviews, inspections, and accreditation processes. Ensure organizational compliance and guide the integration of clinical standards across all communities. Champion a leadership approach that emphasizes shared partnership, inclusion, and sustainable change.
- Transformation and Continuous Improvement: Lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives, improvement strategies, and evidence-informed approaches that strengthen operational effectiveness, and organizational performance. Support GEM's continued evolution as a modern, high-performing long-term care organization through measurement, and a culture of continuous learning.
- Partnerships and Sector Leadership: Represent GEM in right-touch discussions with partners, government, regulators, associations, and other ecosystem colleagues to shape the future of seniors’ care in Nova Scotia.
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a respected clinical leader who combines strategic vision with pragmatic operational experience. They understand that exceptional care outcomes are achieved through strong systems, clear standards, and collaborative leadership. They are comfortable working in a complex, multi-site environment and possess the ability to influence, coach, and align diverse teams toward a common vision. This individual is energized by organizational transformation and sees the opportunity to modernize long-term care delivery as both a professional challenge and a meaningful contribution to the sector. They are relationship-oriented, values-driven, and committed to creating the conditions that allow clinical teams to thrive.
Qualifications and Experience
While the Search Committee recognizes that no one candidate is likely to meet all qualifications in equal measure, those listed below are desirable and will be used to compare candidates.
- Master's degree in Nursing, Health Administration, Health Services Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Current registration and good standing with an applicable professional regulatory body, preferably within nursing or another regulated health profession.
- Demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development and leadership excellence.
- Additional healthcare leadership, quality, accreditation, or executive leadership credentials are considered assets.
- 10 years of progressively senior leadership experience within healthcare, long-term care, continuing care, seniors' services, or related healthcare environments.
- Experience leading multi-site clinical operations and interdisciplinary teams.
- Proven success leading organizational change, quality improvement initiatives, and operational transformation.
- Knowledge of clinical quality and performance management; policy development and implementation; regulatory compliance and audit readiness; accreditation processes, risk management and quality assurance; strategic planning and organizational restructuring.
Skills and Attributes
- Strategic Leadership
- Change Management
- Relationship Building and Stakeholder Engagement
- Quality Improvement and Performance Management
- Exceptional Communication Skills
- High Emotional Intelligence
- Accountability and Integrity
- Adaptability and Resilience
- Commitment to Excellence in Seniors' Care
If you are interested in this opportunity, Apply Here. Contact Caroline Aciely at [email protected] for other inquiries.
Gem Health Care Group is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences. We will provide support and accommodations to applicants with disabilities, upon request.
If you need accommodation in order to participate as a candidate in the recruitment process, please contact [email protected] or communicate your needs to the recruitment professional named in the job description.
