Director, Research, Innovation & Clinical Scholarship

Southlake Health Community • Newmarket, ON

4d • CA$85 - CA$101 • Hybrid

About The Position

Southlake Health is seeking an accomplished and visionary leader to serve as Director, Research, Innovation & Clinical Scholarship. As Southlake's senior scientific leader, the Director will provide strategic leadership for the growth and advancement of research, innovation, clinical scholarship, and knowledge translation across the organization. This role will champion the development of a learning health system where research, innovation, evidence-informed practice, and continuous improvement are embedded in everyday care delivery. Reporting to the Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive, the Director will lead the development of a sustainable research and innovation enterprise that advances exceptional patient care, generates new knowledge, attracts external investment, and strengthens Southlake's position as a leading regional health system. The successful candidate will cultivate strategic industry and academic partnerships, expand clinical research opportunities, accelerate the implementation of evidence into practice, and increase Southlake's presence and influence within the scientific and academic communities.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree (PhD, EdD, PharmD, or equivalent) in a health, scientific, clinical, or related discipline.
• A regulated healthcare professional, in good standing with the respective College
• Progressive leadership experience in healthcare research, innovation, academia, or health system transformation.
• Demonstrated success securing external funding and growing research programs.
• Exceptional operational and research financial acumen
• Experience leading clinical research and clinical trial initiatives.
• Experience building strategic partnerships with academic, healthcare, industry, and government stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of research administration and operations, implementation science, knowledge translation, and evidence-informed practice.
• Demonstrated record of scholarly achievement and scientific leadership.
• Faculty appointment at a University

Nice To Haves

• Preferred Experience within a hospital, academic health science centre, research institute, or healthcare innovation environment.
• Experience with industry-sponsored research, commercialization, or innovation partnerships.
• Established provincial or national profile within the research and scientific community.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute Southlake's research, innovation, and clinical scholarship strategy.
• Establish priorities, infrastructure, and partnerships that support sustainable growth and scientific excellence.
• Elevate Southlake's reputation as a leader in research, innovation, and evidence-informed care.
• Foster a culture of inquiry, discovery, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Grow research activity, scholarly output, and external funding opportunities.
• Develop and strengthen strategic partnerships with industry, academic institutions, research networks, healthcare organizations, and government agencies.
• Establish Southlake as a destination for research collaboration, clinical trials, innovation pilots, and scholarly partnerships.
• Lead initiatives that support innovation, commercialization opportunities, and the adoption of emerging technologies and models of care.
• Expand and strengthen clinical trial programs, with a focus on Oncology and Cardiology.
• Build research and scholarship capacity across all professional groups.
• Support emerging researchers, clinician-scientists, physicians, nurses, and interprofessional teams through mentorship, education, and career development.
• Accelerate the translation of evidence into clinical practice and operational decision-making.
• Advance implementation science and evidence-informed practice initiatives across the organization.
• Advance Southlake's development as a learning health system by integrating research, quality improvement, innovation, education, and clinical practice.
• Leverage data and analytics to support discovery, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Establish diversified revenue streams through grants, clinical trials, industry partnerships, innovation initiatives, and philanthropy.
• Demonstrate measurable impact and return on investment from research and innovation activities.
• Sound understanding of how research is funded and administered within a Hospital setting, including appropriate use of restricted funds and alignment with funding terms.
• Ability to integrate financial awareness into operational planning and partnerships, supporting long-term sustainability of research programs.

Benefits

• Progressive health and dental benefit plans.
• HOOPP pension plan with employer and employee premium sharing.
• Enhanced wellness initiatives, including virtual fitness classes and on-site gym memberships.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree