Program Implementer, Provincial Preschool Autism Services - Western Zone (Kentville and Middleton)

Company : IWK Health 

Req ID: 193107 
Department/Program: WZ Provincial Preschool Autism Services, Provincial Preschool Autism Services 
Location: Kentville   
Type of Employment: Temporary Hourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) approximate twelve (12) month long assignment x 1 position(s)
 Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $31.9145 - $37.2443 /hour
Closing Date: December 10, 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 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 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). 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 (focused interventions based on care pathways and manualized comprehensive programs),
• A 12-month intensive intervention for children with the greatest social communication and behaviour needs (formerly EIBI)
• Transition to school supports
   

Services and programs are flexible and able to be scaled up and down based on the needs and progress of each child and their family. There is a comprehensive scope of services that can be matched to best meet the needs of preschool-age children. The goal of all interventions is to empower caregivers to teach and support their child’s development.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager, Provincial Preschool Autism Services, the Program Implementer provides intervention within Autism Interprofessional Interventions (focused interventions based on care pathways and manualized comprehensive programs), foundational education and parent coaching for caregivers and families, and the 12-Month Intensive Intervention for children with the greatest social communication and behavior needs. This includes:
 

• Direct service provision to preschool age children with autism and their families based on an intervention plan (throughout this document this is meant to include service plans, intervention plans and manualized curriculum plan)
• Standardized delivery of PPAS adopted evidence-based interventions, and promising practices based in Applied Behaviour Analysis
• Delivery of intervention for children and their family in a variety of centre-based, or community-based locations (E.g., clinics, homes childcare centres, and pre-primary classrooms) 
• Program Implementers are under the direct supervision of Clinical Interventionists (CIs) and Speech Language Pathologists. CIs are from the disciplines of Board-Certified Behaviour Analysis, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Speech Language Pathology.

Hours of Work

Monday – Friday, 37.5 hours/week
Flexibility in hours available to work (including some evenings, weekends) required.

Your Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology or Child and Youth Studies;
• Bachelor’s Degree in Education plus two years’ experience working with young children with developmental disabilities; specifically, children with autism will also be considered.
• Recent experience (within the past 5 years) working with young children (0-7 years old) with developmental disabilities; specifically with autism required.
• Post-Secondary Behavioral Interventions Certificate or Diploma preferred.
• Current successful completion of a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Basic Life Support Level (BLS) Program within the last 12 months, or successful completion of a BLS Renewal Challenge Certificate, required.
• Certification in First Aid required.
• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to family centered care, and limits of competency required.
• Demonstrated excellent communication and interpersonal teaming skills required.
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary team in a variety of settings required.
• Demonstrated ability to flexibly work across PPAS service streams.
• Demonstrated ability to take direction and to work independently with initiative required.
• Demonstrated time management and organizational skills required.
• Demonstrated ability to be an effective change agent with good team building skills required.
• Demonstrated ability to accept and use constructive criticism for personal and professional growth required.
• Demonstrated observation and problem-solving skills required.
• Demonstrated value and application of principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, Anti-racism, and Reconciliation in work with children and families required.
• Proficiency in use of office technology required.
• Valid minimal Class 5 Nova Scotia driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle daily required.
• Competencies in other languages an asset.
• Certification in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention 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 Healthcare  bargaining  unit 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.