Administrative Assistant to Director, Provincial Preschool Autism Services

Company : IWK Health

Req ID: 210797 
Department/Program: Provincial Preschool Autism Services 
Location: Halifax  
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE)  x 1 position(s)
 Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: Non-union, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $24.2589 - $30.3236 /hour
Closing Date: October 17, 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

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 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 Services

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). It provides person and family-centred services to preschoolers across Nova Scotia who are suspected of or have a diagnosis of autism. The goal of the service is to provide an efficient, sustainable, and integrated continuum of health services that follows a needs-based model responsive to the individual needs of children and their families.

Services include a range of interventions and supports available for children and families. Service streams include:
 

• Clinical intake and care coordination
• Family and health professional education
• QuickStart NS parent coaching toddler program
• Autism diagnostic assessment
• Interprofessional autism interventions
• Intensive intervention for children with the greatest social communication and behaviour needs
• Transition to school supports

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Director, Provincial Preschool Autism Services, the Administrative Assistant is responsible for providing confidential and comprehensive administrative support by effectively coordinating the day-to-day operation of the Director.  The position coordinates all administrative activities, establishes administrative procedures and guidelines and acts as a liaison with the administrative assistants within the portfolio, across IWK Health, and PPAS partner organizations. This position provides additional support to committees or working groups as assigned, as well as supports other members of the service, as required.  

Key Responsibilities
•    Coordinates and schedules appointments/meetings and assembles/prepares background material upon request
•    Provides administrative support for the Human Resource needs of the unit including posting positions, completing paperwork, checking references, arranging interviews, assisting with onboarding, coordination of performance management reviews and attendance management.  May enter payroll information into the respective time system and assist with the collection of direct report timecards
•    Provides administrative support for team meetings, committees or working groups as required; takes meeting notes/minutes and coordinates logistics for meetings, including appointment, room bookings and virtual technological requirements
•    Oversight of the Provincial Preschool Autism email account and content on the intranet and other team documents.
•    Responsible for the effective coordination of shared workspace for the Service, including the creation and maintenance of a workspace booking system
•    Coordinates Director approval of various documents, invoices, etc.
•    Reviews and drafts correspondence, determining the priority of the communication, bringing to Director attention issues of particular relevance or urgency.  Redirects material as appropriate for draft preparation or response.  Maintains a follow-up system to ensure redirected requests have been handled
•    Demonstrate excellent relationship management and a superior customer service focus as a point of contact from internal and external stakeholders and partners
•    Establishes and maintains a variety of electronic information systems, including document filing, policy/procedure/record keeping, data collection and retention systems to ensure efficient storage and retrieval of materials
•    Ensures appropriate schedule of policy and procedure review is undertaken

Other Responsibilities
•    Arranges travel/accommodations, coordinates expense reports and performs other administrative duties as requested.
•    Manages general office operations (supplies, equipment maintenance, environmental services, etc.) as required
•    Monthly departmental financial reports and reports discrepancies and variances to the Director
•    Participates in review of monthly financial reports in collaboration with the Director

Hours of Work

Monday-Friday; 75 Hours bi-weekly

Your Qualifications

• Minimum High School Diploma or GED required
• Graduate from a recognized Office Administration Program required
• Minimum three (3) years of related administrative experience is required
• Administrative experience in a health care environment preferred
• Advanced working knowledge and experience using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) required (testing may be conducted)
• Experience with SharePoint, SAP (including payroll entry and monthly financial reports preferred)
• Resourceful and analytical with the ability to use good judgment to make decisions about office functioning and prioritizing both the Director time/availability, as well as their own time
• Takes appropriate measures toward process improvements
• Is a self-starter in achieving job goals; takes action beyond explicit job responsibilities; sets high performance goals, understands which decisions can be made alone and which require consultation with others, acts accordingly
• Using discretion in decision making in absence of Director
• Proven analytical thinking skills in order to prioritize work with ever changing priorities; ability to multi-task while handling frequent interruptions required
• Proven time management, problem-solving skills and ability to prioritize workloads required
• Excellent organizational skills, strong communication (verbal & written) and interpersonal skills required
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction and/or supervision and also as a member of the team required
• Demonstrated high regard for quality, accuracy and attention to detail required
• Excellent judgment and discretion in handling confidential and/or sensitive information required
• Ability to function effectively in a stressful environment with multiple deadlines and concurrent activities and demands required
• Competencies in other languages an asset

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.