The Opportunity

The Government of Nunavut is seeking a Deputy Chief Public Health Officer to provide executive medical leadership across one of Canada’s most distinctive and consequential public health systems.

Based in Iqaluit and working onsite with the territorial public health team, the Deputy CPHO reports to the Chief Public Health Officer and helps lead practical, territory-wide public health action. The role combines public health expertise, medical leadership, policy direction, program oversight, outbreak response, communicable disease strategy, and population health planning.

The incoming Deputy will step into a supported leadership environment with daily access to the CPHO, regular structured meetings, and meaningful autonomy within the public health portfolio.

This role requires an onsite public health leadership presence based in Nunavut, enabling face-to-face work with teams, partners, community leaders, and government decision-makers.

Why This Role Matters Now

Public health leadership in Nunavut is connected to community well-being, culture, geography, infectious disease prevention, housing, food security, climate and environmental change, health equity, and the social determinants of health. Decisions made in Iqaluit can influence practice across a vast territory of remote communities.

This role gives a public health physician the opportunity to practice as a generalist leader in a setting where complexity is real; relationships matter, and the impact of good public health leadership is visible.

About Nunavut and Iqaluit

Iqaluit is Nunavut’s capital, largest community, and the territorial centre for government, health leadership, public administration, transportation, and cross-territorial services. Located on Baffin Island, Iqaluit is a gateway to the Arctic and a community where public service, culture, land, language, and policy intersect every day.

Candidates should expect the realities of northern living: a close-knit community, meaningful access to land-based activities, a smaller remote capital-city environment, and arctic seasonal considerations variations. The successful candidate will understand these realities as part of the context of serving Nunavut well.

The Department of Health’s work is grounded in promoting, protecting, and enhancing the health and well-being of Nunavummiut. Inuit Societal Values shape how relationships are built, how trust is earned, and how sustainable public health work is carried out in Nunavut.

What You Will Lead and Influence

Territorial Public Health Leadership

• Support the Chief Public Health Officer in administering the Public Health Act, identifying needed policy or legislative updates, preparing advice for senior decision-makers, and ensuring public health guidance is timely, evidence-informed, and grounded in Nunavut’s context.
• Infectious Disease, TB, and Outbreak Response
• Provide medical leadership and strategic direction for communicable disease prevention, monitoring, response, and evaluation across the territory. A major focus will be TB, respiratory illness, vaccine-preventable disease, STI outbreaks, waterborne disease, immunization, and outbreak planning.

Program and Team Leadership

• Lead and support public health professionals and functions including territorial communicable disease, the TB program, and IPAC functions. The role may supervise the TB Program Manager, Territorial Infectious Disease Specialist, and Infection Prevention and Control functions, depending on organizational needs.

Standards, Practice, and System Alignment

• Strengthen territorial public health strategies, standards, manuals, guidelines, program guides, best practices, and linkages between headquarters and regional public health activity.
• Population Health and Health Equity
• Assess population health status, monitor threats and determinants of health, examine inequities, and recommend strategies that improve health outcomes across Nunavut.

Partnerships and Public Communication

• Represent the Government of Nunavut on approved territorial, federal, provincial, and national tables. Communicate clearly with Cabinet, public health professionals, community stakeholders, external partners, and the media when required.

Leadership Environment

·        Reports directly to the Chief Public Health Officer, with frequent direct interaction and regular structured meetings.

·        Has meaningful autonomy within the infectious disease portfolio and can initiate programs aligned with government mandates and public health priorities.

·        Works closely with the Assistant Deputy Minister, operations leaders, community directors, public health nurses, epidemiology, environmental health, health promotion, and federal/provincial/territorial partners.

·        Supports a visible public health portfolio that may include media presence, urgent briefings, sensitive issues, and politically visible matters.

·        Requires a leadership style grounded in humility, flexibility, sensitivity, collaboration, and practical change management.

First 12-18 Months: What Success Looks Like

·        Build strong working relationships with the CPHO, headquarters teams, regional partners, public health nurses, community leaders, and intergovernmental partners.

·        Advance infectious disease prevention and response priorities with practical, clear, and current protocols.

·        Support growth and strengthening of the TB program, including outreach, coordination, stigma reduction, and team capacity.

·        Improve alignment between public health standards, operational realities, and community needs.

·        Help teams feel supported, organized, and confident during outbreaks, urgent issues, and public health planning cycles.

·        Contribute to public health advice and briefing materials that are concise, accurate, and useful to senior decision-makers.

Candidate Profile

The strongest candidate will be a public health physician who combines clinical credibility with humility, practical systems thinking, cultural safety, and the ability to lead through influence. Prior northern, remote, rural, Indigenous, or Inuit health experience is a strong asset; however, candidates with the right mindset, adaptability, and respect for community knowledge can be supported through cultural safety training and orientation.

You May Be a Strong Fit If You:

·        Are a physician with public health, preventive medicine, community medicine, Medical Officer of Health, or equivalent public health leadership experience.

·        Want an onsite leadership role where your work has direct impact on communities and teams.

·        Can balance strategic policy work with practical operational response.

·        Bring strong communicable disease, TB, outbreak response, immunization, or population health experience.

·        Can communicate clearly under pressure with clinical, executive, public, community, and government audiences.

·        Lead with cultural humility and understand that trust is built through listening, respect, presence, and follow-through.

·        Are comfortable working in a high-demand, remote, evolving environment where priorities can shift quickly.

What It Looks Like

Strategic Public Health Judgment

Makes timely, evidence-informed decisions in complex and ambiguous situations.

Communicable Disease and TB Leadership

Guides prevention, monitoring, outbreak response, program standards, and multidisciplinary coordination.

Cultural Safety and Humility

Approaches leadership in Nunavut with respect, curiosity, humility, and commitment to culturally safe practice.

Systems Thinking

Builds practical systems that improve consistency, accountability, and outcomes across a geographically complex territory.

Policy and Legislative Acumen

Translates evidence into policy advice, legislative recommendations, briefing notes, guidelines, and implementation plans.

Collaborative Influence

Builds strong relationships across disciplines, departments, governments, and communities.

Communication Under Pressure

Communicates clearly in high-stakes situations and adapts messaging for different audiences.

Leadership and Capacity Building

Develops people, strengthens teams, and builds confidence across public health functions.

Resilience and Resourcefulness

Maintains steadiness, professionalism, and practical problem-solving in demanding conditions.

Qualifications

Required

·        Medical Degree.

·        Active medical license in Nunavut before commencing duties, with continued good standing throughout employment.

·        Experience as a Medical Officer of Health, Public Health Physician, or equivalent public health medical leader.

·        Ability to serve as Acting Chief Public Health Officer when designated.

·        Strong knowledge of public health practice, communicable disease control, population health, program planning, public health administration, and health equity.

·        Strong communication, policy, writing, briefing, facilitation, and presentation skills.

·        Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment and uphold culturally safe practices.

·        Ability to meet security screening and Government of Nunavut employment requirements.

·        Willingness to establish and maintain residency in Nunavut.

Preferred / Strong Assets

·        Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

·        Five or more years of experience as a Medical Officer of Health or comparable senior public health physician.

·        Experience in northern health, Indigenous health, Inuit health, rural or remote public health systems.

·        Experience leading TB, communicable disease, outbreak response, infection prevention and control, immunization, or population health programs.

·        Experience supervising professional staff and building public health team capacity.

·        Ability to read and write Inuktut, including Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun.

·        Experience working in public sector, legislative, regulatory, or intergovernmental environments.

Working Conditions and Expectations

·        The role is full-time onsite in Iqaluit, Nunavut, with required residency in Nunavut.

·        In-person presence is important because the Deputy CPHO works closely with teams, public health partners, community leaders, and government decision-makers.

·        Travel within Nunavut is required as public health priorities demand, often 1-2 times per month or more.

·        The role includes periods of high workload, urgent response, tight deadlines, virtual meetings, briefing preparation, committee work, and occasional duty coverage during peak periods such as flu season or holiday coverage windows.

·        Candidates should be comfortable with visible leadership, including sensitive issues, high-pressure decision-making, and public or media-facing responsibilities when required.

Why This Role, Why Now

Nunavut offers a unique opportunity to engage in work grounded in purpose—where you can shape systems, build sustainable approaches, and contribute meaningfully to issues that have a real and lasting impact. This role is well suited to a physician leader who brings both expertise and humility, and who can balance structure with adaptability while approaching complex challenges with urgency and respect.

In this context, your leadership will help shape public health practice across the territory. Your advice can inform decision-making at the highest levels, while your work supports communities, strengthens programs, and contributes to improved health outcomes for Nunavummiut.

Candidate Reflection Questions

·        What draws me to public health leadership in Nunavut specifically?

·        How have I demonstrated cultural humility in previous work?

·        Where have I led through influence rather than formal authority?

·        How have I supported teams during urgent, high-pressure, or politically sensitive public health situations?

·        What would I want my public health legacy to be after two years in this role?

For a confidential Discussion you can reach out to Kevin Kirkpatrick, CEO Avery Professional Group, kevin@averyprofessionalgroup.com or 905-447-2151