Job Summary:

The Associate Senior Medical Director, Psychiatry & Mental Healthcare will provide expert medical leadership oversight and direction to support the development, implementation, and integration of a provincially coordinated Psychiatry & Mental Healthcare portfolio in alignment with the strategic vision for Recovery Alberta. The Associate Senior Medical Director (ASMD) combines clinical expertise with system-level leadership, supporting evidence-informed practice, physician engagement, and alignment with provincial priorities and policy direction of the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction. This role contributes to strategic planning, clinical governance, and system transformation initiatives that improve access, quality, safety, and outcomes across the continuum of care.  

Executive physician leadership is central to driving high-performing, patient-centered health systems. This role blends expertise with strategic oversight, ensuring that medical decisions, operational priorities, and organizational goals are aligned. An effective executive physician leader shapes culture, fosters accountability, advances quality and safety, and supports teams through evidence-informed decision-making. They build strong relationships across clinical, operational, administrative, and community partners; champion innovation; and guide systems through complexity and change.  

Working directly with operational counterparts, the ASMD requires exceptional communication, sound judgment, and the ability to translate clinical insight into sustainable policy, operational planning, and workforce strategies that improve outcomes and strengthen organizational performance.

This 0.3 - 0.4 FTE position is provincial; physical work location is negotiable within Alberta.  

Responsibilities / Accountabilities:

The ASMD will:

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Psychiatry and Mental Healthcare portfolio across Recovery Alberta’s facilities and programs including leading the design, development, and implementation of effective and efficient services across the province.
• Provide strategic direction, prioritization and lead implementation of quality and safety initiatives in the portfolio focusing on achieving measurable improvement.  
• Oversee and direct the design, development and implementation of policies, tools, and standards of practice.
• Work in partnership with operational leadership to develop and maintain a strategic framework for Psychiatry and Mental Healthcare services and programs that supports operational goals, aligned with patient- and family-centred care.
• Develop and maintain a provincial framework for Psychiatry and Mental Healthcare services and program delivery.
• Engage in physician workforce planning, recruitment and retention activities.
• Provide meaningful opportunities for internal and external stakeholder engagement and consultation in respect of Psychiatry and Mental Healthcare programs and services. 

Qualifications and Required Attributes:  

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated strong leadership, excellent communication skills, and an understanding of psychiatry and mental health to effectively manage the complexities of the psychiatric service system. They will be an inclusive and visionary leader with experience in medical leadership and be considered a strong clinician by peers.  

The successful applicant must hold an MD or its equivalency and shall have or be eligible for certification with the Canadian College of Family Physicians or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and shall have or be eligible for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.  

In addition, the successful applicant shall obtain and maintain an AHS Medical Staff Appointment.

In addition, the successful applicant shall have:

• Experience in provision of treatment of psychiatry and mental health.
• Evidence of formal administrative education and training.
• Minimum of 2 years experience in a medical leadership position.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Reporting Relationship:  

The practitioner will report to the Senior Medical Director, Psychiatry & Mental Healthcare.  

Term:  

Start date is negotiable.  

Deadline for submission of applications is 10 days; however, the competition will remain open until the position is filled.  

Additional Information:

This position is 0.3 - 0.4 FTE. Remuneration is in accordance with CMO Policy 01-01 for contracted medical leadership positions. 

We thank you for your interest in this position; only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

Contact:

If you have any questions, please forward to:  

Dr. David Tano, Senior Medical Director, Psychiatry and Mental Healthcare, Recovery Alberta

Email: ***@recoveryalberta.ca (🔒 Premium)