Overview
Job title: Health & Wellness Specialist
Company: City of Kitchener
Job description: Description
Health and Wellness Specialist
(Temporary Full Time for approximately 12 months)
Competition Number
2023-497
Job Code
1219
Posting Date
November 17, 2023
Closing Date
December 2, 2023 (at 6:00pm)
Job Status
Temporary Full-Time
The City of Kitchener is a vibrant and dynamic city of approximately 270,000, in the heart of southwestern Ontario. As the largest municipality in Waterloo Region, Kitchener continues to be poised for development and growth, enhancing its reputation as a leader in city-building and innovation, with nationally recognized strategies to build its neighbourhoods, its digital infrastructure and its diverse economy.
The City of Kitchener is WHERE you want to work! Learn more about the top reasons to join us:
Position Overview:
Reporting to the Manager, Corporate Health and Safety, the Health and Wellness Specialist is a skilled communicator and facilitator who provides proactive and positive leadership to the organization in the areas of disability case management processes, evidence-based health and wellness programing and safe return to work and stay at work processes including attendance support programs.
Responsibilities:
You are someone that:
Provides Strategic Disability Management Advice and Support
- Ensures employer health and disability management programs and practices comply with all relevant legislative requirements.
- Provides strategic and operational service to stakeholders to effectively manage occupational short- and long-term disability claims from the onset of the disability, ensuring appropriate supporting documentation is maintained through the full cycle of the claim relating to adjudication decisions, medical information, physical and cognitive abilities, position requirements and early and safe return to work.
- Performs comprehensive review/assessment of medical documentation; liaises with medical professionals/partners and organizes and facilitates multidisciplinary meetings to establish return to work plans, accommodation plans, disability management strategies for compliances cases/claims including management, union, Human Resources Staff and third-party partners.
- Ensures bona fide occupational requirements are met.
- Maintains regular communication with appropriate stakeholders both internally and externally including employees, unions, HR staff, management, and third-party representatives to monitor ongoing claim status and provide appropriate and timely updates on return to work.
- Acts as a resource and key contact for leaders and employees regarding sick leaves, accommodation, return to work and attendance support, with a focus on effective case management.
- Coordinates and represents the City to seek out legal counsel, third-party paralegal services to respond to or proceed with legal proceedings at appeals and tribunals to mitigate and manage legal ramifications to the City of Kitchener related to occupational claims.
Advises and Collaborates on Attendance Management
- Provides advice and expertise to leaders and HR associates on Attendance Support Programs, ensuring continued/chronic Absenteeism is addressed and improvements are noted; identifies opportunities for pro-active interventions related to absences from work.
- Determines relevant and appropriate data collection to monitor, track and evaluate trends in short term and long-term disability and absenteeism.
- Works with HR analyst to monitor and forecast trends in these areas.
Promotes Health and Wellness
- Using your clinical knowledge and relevant analytics to identify key trends and supporting opportunities to advise and collaborate on employee health and wellness opportunities.
- Advises on processes for utilizing the employee family and assistance (EFAP).
- Develops, plans and implements, promotes and evaluates educational programs and training materials related to attendance, accommodation, return to work and health.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Requirements:
- 4-year degree in a related field and an accompanying professional designation in good standing, such as occupational health nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or health sciences as well as 2 years of relevant experience accompanied by a Certified Disability Management (CDMP) certification through the National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR) or equivalent designation
OR
- 3-year degree or diploma and an accompanying professional designation in good standing, such as occupational health nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy or health sciences as well as 7 years of relevant experience accompanied by a Certified Disability Management (CDMP) certification through the National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR) or equivalent designation.
- Strategic and concept-based thinker, with thorough analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Excellent communication, time management, project management, computer, and negotiation skills. You have detailed knowledge of relevant legislation, medical terminology, disability management, accommodation, attendance support programs and short/long term disability insurer adjudication processes.
- Experience developing programs and strategies for workplace wellness, attendance support, disability management and/or mental health.
- Must be reliable with a good attitude and employment record.
The City of Kitchener is committed to an equity-driven, inclusive, accessible, and barrier-free recruitment and selection process, and to ensuring our workforce reflects the full diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ persons, as well as other equity deserving groups.
We will accommodate the needs of applicants under the Human Rights Code and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process. Please contact Human Resources at , or 519-741-2200 ext. 7261 to make your needs known, so that we can support your full and equal participation throughout the hiring process.
We appreciate the interest of all applicants. Only candidates whose skills, experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the position will be contacted.
Please note that as per Human Resources Policy HUM-HIR-110, “Employment of Relatives of Staff Members and Elected Officials”:
“The immediate relatives of staff of the Human Resources Division, all Directors, General Managers, or the Chief Administrative Officer and Elected Officials shall not be employed by the City in any capacity.
The immediate relatives of all other Management personnel shall not be employed where such employment would be:
1. within the same Department in the case of permanent full-time, temporary full-time and part-time classifications.
2. within the same Division in the case of students.”
Department
Corporate Services
Division
Human Resources
Union Affiliation
Non-Union/Management
Number of Positions
1
Hours of Work
35 hours per week
Location
Initial Location
City Hall or Kitchener Operations Facility – TBD
City
Kitchener
Compensation
Salary
$81,062 – $101,328
Grade/Band
10
Location: Kitchener, ON
Job date: Sun, 19 Nov 2023 00:08:59 GMT
