Company

IWK Health

Req ID

219243

Department/Program

Provincial Preschool Autism Services

Location

Halifax

Type of Employment

Temporary, long assignment for 12 months x 1 Full-time or Part-time position

Start Date

May 2026

Union Status

Non-union, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit

Compensation

$53.4274 - $70.9891 /hour

Closing Date

April 19, 2026 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

Successful external applicants may be eligible to receive a one-time Signing Bonus of up to $5,000. In turn, a Return of Service will be required for a 12-month period.

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

Provincial Preschool Autism Service

The Provincial Preschool Autism Service (PPAS) is a partnership between IWK Health (IWK), Nova Scotia Health (NSH), Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS) and Autism Nova Scotia (Autism NS). Based upon an extensive review and engagement, autism services in Nova Scotia have transitioned to a needs-based model responsive to the individual needs of children and their families. PPAS provides person and family-centred services to preschoolers across Nova Scotia who are suspected of or have a diagnosis of autism. The new and enhanced services include a greater number and range of interventions and supports available for children and families. Examples include:

• autism clinical intake and care coordination
• family and health professional education
• diagnostic assessments
• QuickStart NS parent coaching toddler program
• a 12-month intensive intervention for children with the greatest social communication and behaviour needs
• autism interventions by interprofessional teams
• and transition to school.

The intent is to create an efficient, sustainable, and integrated continuum of health services for preschool age children with autism where services and supports are matched to the needs of children and their families.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Director, Provincial Preschool Autism Service (PPAS), the Autism Advanced Practice Leader (AAPL) is dedicated to advancing integration of evidence-based practice within PPAS service streams by fostering an integrated service model through embedding knowledge with administrative leaders, clinical leaders, staff and families provincially. The AAPL will facilitate continuous improvements in the quality of care provided to clients and families provincially across all PPAS service streams as part of an integrated model. The Advanced Practice Leader is responsible for leadership, strategic professional development direction, and engagement within PPAS, along with broad practice oversight to the program and clinical consultation to the PPAS clinical leaders, autism educators and staff. Along with providing practice leadership to the multiple streams of service within PPAS as above, the incumbent will provide a small percentage of direct clinical se