Company Description

Position: Director, Clinical Placements
Department: Academic Operations
Status: Permanent Full-Time
Site: The Michener Institute
Salary: $118,045.20 - $147,547.40 per annum (To commensurate with experience and consistent with Michener compensation policy)
Hours: 35 hours
Number of Vacancies: 1

The Michener Institute of Education at UHN is Canada’s only post-secondary institution devoted exclusively to healthcare professions, offering full-time, part-time and continuing education programs. For more than 65 years, Michener has prepared generations of professionals for applied health careers and responded to emerging health system priorities. We’re uniquely situated within University Health Network (UHN) in downtown Toronto, one of the largest and most highly ranked hospital systems in Canada and internationally. Our curriculum is informed by cutting-edge research and clinical innovations, giving Michener graduates an advantage as they begin their careers. At Michener, we make healthcare happen.

If you want to lead and work with a team of professionals dedicated to the advancement of the applied health sciences and professions to enhance the health of individuals and communities in Ontario and beyond, we encourage you to apply for the Director, Clinical Placements position with The Michener Institute.

Job Description

Reporting to the Vice Principal, Academic and Operations, the Director, Clinical Placements provides both strategic and operational leadership for Michener’s clinical placement portfolio. This newly established role is designed to strengthen placement capacity, quality, and alignment across programs by addressing the unique challenges faced within each discipline.

The Director, Clinical Placements, serves as a key connector between Academic Chairs, Clinical Liaison Officers (CLOs), the Dean of Students, and external clinical partners. They proactively identify and secure new placement opportunities across the GTA, rural regions, and Indigenous communities, while deepening existing relationships within and beyond UHN.

The role focuses on analyzing systemic challenges in clinical education and developing practical, tailored solutions in collaboration with academic teams. This includes working with external stakeholders and Legal on agreements, and ensuring each program has the support and resources required to sustain high-quality placements.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Partnership Development

• Lead the Sourcing strategy, negotiation, and securing of clinical placement opportunities across all Michener programs, including hospitals, private clinics, and community sites.
• Identify industry trends, emerging fields, and workforce gaps to anticipate future placement needs.
• Engage Legal and internal stakeholders to draft, review, and maintain affiliation and placement agreements.
• Build relationships beyond UHN, including across the broader GTA, rural Ontario, and Indigenous communities.
• Lead partner engagement and appreciation strategies to recognize and strengthen collaborations.
• Serve as Michener’s primary contact for partner inquiries, problem-solving, and escalation management.
• Provides content expertise as an allied health professional and applies clinical understanding to ensure appropriate student-to-site matching.
• Focuses on system improvement, relationship building, and problem-solving rather than transactional coordination.

Collaboration with Academic Leadership

• Work closely with Academic Chairs and the Student Success Network Dean to understand the distinct placement needs, challenges, and priorities of each program.
• Conduct regular consultations with Chairs and CLOs to identify program-specific challenges and develop targeted strategies to address them.
• Tailor placement strategies to the unique clinical environments, competencies, and regulatory standards of each allied health program.
• Partner with faculty to ensure alignment between academic outcomes, student readiness, and placement expectations.
• Collaborate with internal teams to streamline administrative processes, communication, and reporting.
• This position “decants” operational burden from Academic Chairs and CLOs, allowing them to focus on academic quality, while the Director, Clinical Placements ensures logistical success and partner satisfaction.

Operational Excellence and Process Improvement

• Lead the development, revision, and implementation of Clinical Placement Handbooks and other support materials for students and partners.
• Oversee the planning, scheduling, and seat allocation process for placements across programs as needed.
• Maintain accurate data within placement tracking systems, ensuring compliance with accreditation and institutional requirements.
• Analyze trends and feedback from partners, students, and faculty to identify system-level barriers and recommend solutions.
• Support and mentor the Clinical Placement Coordinator to ensure cohesive and efficient placement operations.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Represent Michener at external meetings, professional associations, and sector events to advocate for placement needs and expand opportunities.
• Facilitate communication across internal departments to ensure shared understanding of placement capacity and constraints.

Qualifications

• Master’s required (PhD preferred) in a relevant field of study (education, higher education, business development)
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in program development within higher education or health-related fields. Or a combination of education and results-based experience
• Experience in International Education is considered an asset.
• Experience with Royal College Accreditation is considered an asset
• Demonstrated experience in guiding and implementing organizational changes
• Strong understanding of continuing education business processes, and the ability to engage with diverse populations and stakeholders
• Establish new partnerships and new programs to continue to grow the portfolio in accordance with the organization’s strategic plan and value
• Adaptable and cognizant of rapidly changing technologies and methodologies in healthcare and education programming
• Proven skills in negotiating and collaborating with various stakeholders for resources, priorities, and program development and delivery.
• Strategic yet logical and can easily move between strategy and tactical execution in order to drive results and meet priorities of growth and revenue generation.
• Satisfactory Canadian Police Clearance document required upon hire.

Core Competencies

• Strategic and systems thinking
• Partnership and relationship development
• Consultation and collaboration
• Communication and diplomacy
• Program analysis and problem-solving
• Cultural awareness and inclusion
• Continuous improvement and adaptability

Additional Information

Why join Michener?

Working at The Michener Institute means that you are building a career alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals and educators in Canada. Michener is integrated with UHN, Canada’s #1 hospital and the world’s #1 publicly funded hospital, and offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you now and throughout your career at Michener.

• Extended Health Care (including paramedical) coverage
• Dental coverage
• Employee Assistance Program
• Disability and Life Insurance
• Maternity and Parental Leave Top-Up
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
• Professional Development funding for courses, conferences, seminars, and textbooks
• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gym, etc.)

Closing Date: Until Filled

Qualified applicants are invited to submit a detailed resume and cover letter.

For further information on The Michener Institute, please visit our website at www.michener.ca.

The Michener Institute is publicly funded by the Ministry of health and is a respectful, caring and inclusive workplace. We are committed to championing accessibility, diversity and equal opportunity.

We offer accommodation for applicants with disabilities during the recruitment process providing the applicant has met the Bona-fide requirements for the open position. Applicants need to make their requirements known when contacted.

While we thank all applicants only those selected for an interview will be contacted.