Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Chief Operating Officer
Permanent Opportunity

About the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia:

WCB is the province's provider of workplace injury insurance. We inform and inspire Nova Scotians in the prevention of workplace injury. But if it occurs, we support those whose lives it touches by championing a timely return to safe and healthy work. We also provide caring, compassionate support in the wake of workplace tragedy. Our employees describe the culture as Collaborative, Evolving, Service-Minded and Team-Focused.

Our 2024-2030 Strategic Plan is a vision for a Nova Scotia where our people are more protected from workplace injury than they are today. Leveraging significant investments in people, processes, and technology over the past several years, we are committed to working differently in the future to drive greater service experience, innovation, opportunity, and outcomes for Nova Scotians.

As our Chief Operating Officer (COO), you will play a senior leadership role in that future success, at the executive table. You will be a catalyst in contributing to the overall success of the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCBNS) by providing leadership, business strategies, direction and control in order to achieve exceptional service and positive RTW outcomes for workers and employers of Nova Scotia.

About the Role:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a visionary leader who inspires and drives excellence across the WCBNS's RTW (RTW) and Service Excellence (encompassing Long-Term Benefits, Claims Administration, Support Services, and the Integrated Service Centre), Business Excellence (covering Internal Appeals and Customer Experience), and Health Services teams. Through strategic leadership, the COO empowers these teams to innovate, collaborate, and deliver transformative outcomes, ensuring WCBNS sets the standard for exceptional service and impactful results in support of workers and employers.

This position oversees the day-to-day operations of the organization, driving efficiency, effectiveness, and quality in service delivery while ensuring alignment with the Strategic Plan's targets for return-to-work (RTW). As part of the executive leadership team, the COO develops and implements strategies to optimize operations, improve digital services, and foster a culture of service excellence. They lead efforts to enhance the RTW model by building community partnerships, achieving key performance indicators, and advancing operational improvements across RTW and Service Excellence departments. The COO also ensures these teams deliver efficient, high-quality support for injured workers and employers, maintaining strategic relationships and leveraging business insights to adapt to emerging trends and client needs.

The COO reports to the Chief Executive Officer, with two Vice Presidents as direct reports. 230 FTEs are currently budgeted for the division.

Expected results/outputs include:

• Work collaboratively with other members of the Executive Leadership Team, and their direct reports, the Board of Directors, relevant Board Committees, employers, workers, and partners to:
• Ensure the efficient and effective delivery of workers' compensation services to injured workers and employers.
• Develop and implement operational strategies and initiatives to support the organization's mission, objectives, and regulatory requirements.
• Optimize operational performance and quality to meet or exceed regulatory requirements and stakeholder expectations.
• Mitigate operational risks and ensure compliance with statutory requirements and best practice.
• Drive an innovative and continuous improvement culture to enhance service delivery and improve outcomes.
• Oversee ongoing improvements to the RTW model, processes and service leveraging insights of workers, employers, health care providers and workers' compensation system partners in the RTW and other service journey maps to deliver an exceptional service experience that enables safe and timely RTW following a workplace injury and achieves the defined targets in the current Strategic Plan.
• Monitor and analyze operational performance metrics, identifying trends, issues, and opportunities for improvement and monitor key operating indicators and targets across the Division.
• Working with the Chief Technology Officer, identify, prioritize, and execute technology requirements to enable the WCBNS's RTW and Service Excellence teams to provide exceptional service and enable positive RTW outcomes for workers and employers.
• Proactively collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including workers, employers and their representatives, healthcare providers, and other partners by conducting regular meetings and check-ins to gather feedback, collaborate and identify opportunities for improvement, facilitate communication, resolve issues, and improve outcomes for workers and employers.
• Lead and develop high performing teams where continuous improvement and the advancement of technology and processes through innovation is valued and embraced.

As an ideal candidate:

You possess an undergraduate degree in health, sciences, social sciences, business, public or health administration. A master's degree in any of these fields is an asset. In addition, you have several years executive-level experience in a complex service environment, similar in size and scope to WCB with a minimum of ten years of progressively responsible leadership positions with a proven track record of successful operational performance and improving customer experience.

Demonstrated experience providing strategic leadership across the organization in support of the organization's strategic direction, as well as ability to represent WCB in the community, including presenting to small and large audiences, board level and senior level interaction.

Extensive experience in workers' compensation/claims management, with a focus on claims services, return-to-work, and health care programs, including an in-depth knowledge of Canadian workers' compensation legislation, regulations, and best practices is an asset.

Application Details:

Please email your resume and cover letter to [email protected] by 4pm on November 29, 2024. In the subject line of your email, please quote the competition name: CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER.

The Offer

We offer a competitive compensation package as well as a comprehensive benefits package, including

• Health and Dental Insurance
• Health Spending Account
• Retirement Pension with the Public Service Superannuation Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance

Any offer of employment will be conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks, confirmation of credentials, and a valid Driver's Abstract, the results of which must be satisfactory to the WCB.

We thank all candidates for their interest. Selected candidates will be contacted to participate in interviews.

The WCB Nova Scotia is an equal opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive workplace culture and an accessible work environment where diversity thrives.

We have adopted a foundational Inclusive Workplace Policy that strives to build upon our core values of safety, care and compassion. We stay in practice to increase our cultural competency and strengthen our relationships with community.

We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace that is accessible and accommodating to individuals with disabilities and other protected characteristics to support their full participation in the recruitment process and workplace.

To request accommodation, please contact the Human Resource team by email at [email protected]. All information received will be kept confidential.

To learn more about WCB Nova Scotia, visit www.wcb.ns.ca or connect with us on LinkedIn.