Chief Executive Officer

Where Science and Innovation Meet Compassionate Care

The Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association Inc. (EORLA) is a member-based, not-for-profit organization that administers one of Canada's most comprehensive regional diagnostic laboratory services. Operating from its headquarters in Ottawa, EORLA is a collaborative network of 18 hospital-based laboratories that serve the diverse medical needs of more than 1.4 million residents across Eastern Ontario. EORLA is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors with representation from member hospitals and the community.

Mission: Providing the best patient outcomes through modern laboratory medicine, innovation and academics

Vision: The leading provider of laboratory medicine, contributing to excellence in patient care

Values: I-CARE – Integrity. Compassion. Adaptability. Respect. Excellence

The Opportunity

The opportunity to serve as the Chief Executive Officer at Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association Inc. (EORLA) is an exciting and impactful role for potential candidates. This position offers the chance to lead and shape one of Canada's most comprehensive regional diagnostic laboratory services.

Mandate

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) provides the vision and leadership to continue EORLA’s journey of innovation and excellence in regional pathology and laboratory medicine. The CEO will:

• Be responsible for advising and supporting the Board in establishing future strategic directions for EORLA, while maintaining a forward-thinking, robust enterprise risk management process.
• Identify, develop, and evaluate programs and services to meet the changing needs of member hospitals and ensure good governance practices.
• Work with EORLA members to develop and improve critical relationships, build alliances with key members and community partners, and execute quality improvement plans.
• Provide organizational leadership to engage, energize, and inspire the entire team, building a culture that is prepared to respond to the changing laboratory environment.

Key Responsibilities

Building Relationships

• Build strong relationships with key members and community partners, including government officials, Ontario Health East, and other laboratories, health, and community organizations. Foster collaboration and partnerships to advance the mission and goals of EORLA.
• Advocate for policy and program changes that will improve laboratory medicine at regional, provincial, and federal levels. Collaborate with healthcare leaders to drive improvements in laboratory programs, access to services, and funding models.
• Promote innovation, creativity, and continuous learning at EORLA. Foster an environment that supports academics, employee growth, development, and engagement. Implement succession planning strategies across the organization.
• In partnership with EORLA's Chief Medical Officer, promote a culture of collaboration, respect, and innovation between laboratory operations and the Medical Staff.
• Identify, develop, and evaluate programs and services to meet the changing and diverse needs of member hospitals. Ensure the ongoing development, evaluation, and improvement of critical relationships between members and EORLA.

Leadership

• Provide vision and strategic direction for EORLA, guiding the organization's long-term strategy, goals, and objectives. Drive innovation and promote excellence in regional pathology and laboratory medicine.
• Engage, energize, and inspire the entire team at EORLA, building a culture that is prepared to respond to the changing laboratory environment. Foster a culture of collaboration, service excellence, and continuous learning.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing executive team composed of medical, scientific, operations, human resources, financial, and administrative leaders. Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning among the executive team.

Finance, Operations and Risk

• Maintain good governance practices and ensure a robust enterprise risk management process is in place and maintained. Work with the Board and management to address governance and risk management needs.
• Oversee the financial resources of EORLA, including operating and capital budgets. Ensure cost containment within approved budgets and develop strategies to support the sustainability of EORLA services.
• Execute the current Board Quality Improvement Plan and work with the EORLA Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee to establish a long-range quality plan. Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the quality of laboratory services.
• Build a benchmarking process that enables EORLA to pursue best-in-class strategies in all facets of the organization. Stay informed about current trends in healthcare and organizational procurement models, legislation, and best practices.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have the following:

Education

• Ideally, advanced university education and/or professional designation(s) in health administration, business management or a relevant health discipline or comparable demonstrated experience and transferable skills in a field relevant to the delivery of healthcare.

Experience

• A demonstrated passion for advancing healthcare within the context of local health issues and the broader challenges in healthcare policy and system development.
• A minimum of ten years' senior management experience in a large, complex environment. Ideally, with a proven track record of success as an operations leader in a healthcare organization.
• A proven ability to work successfully with and/or within member-based Boards, and a demonstrated knowledge of sound governance practices.

Competencies and Attributes

• Ability to navigate periods of change and the ability to make decisions within an environment of ambiguity and transition.
• Strong capabilities in creating, implementing strategic plans that are reflective of a complex multi-partner environment.
• Strong business acumen for resource management.
• Proactive, agile, and client-centric approach.
• Able to facilitate and negotiate with member organizations within an integration context.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Strong prioritization and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to produce high-quality work while meeting deadlines.
• A high level of integrity demonstrated by their trustworthy nature, transparency, compassion, confidentiality.
• A sense of humour.
• Strong communication capability in both French and English.