Position: Senior Specialist, Research Education and IDEAA
Status: Regular, Full-Time (1.0 FTE)
Start Date: July 2025
Supervisor: Megan Stewart, Director Research Operations and Business Development
Program: Bloorview Research Institute
Join us in building a world of possibility for children with neurodevelopmental differences and disabilities!
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is Canada’s largest pediatric rehabilitation hospital and is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. It has ranked amongst Canada’s top 40 research hospitals for more than a decade. Holland Bloorview has won numerous awards, including Greater Toronto’s Top Employers, Canada’s Top Employers for Young People and Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures. We offer an inspiring, inclusive, innovative, and collaborative work environment with competitive compensation and benefit packages and programs that support ongoing learning and professional growth.
The Bloorview Research Institute (BRI), embedded within the hospital, is the only university-affiliated research institute in Canada dedicated to pediatric disability, and one of the very few around the world. BRI’s vision is to be a global leader in transformative, equity-driven research dedicated to enabling personalized versions of a good life across the lifespan, for all individuals with childhood onset disabilities, acquired injuries and developmental differences, their families and communities.

DESCRIPTION:

Are you passionate about shaping the next generation of researchers and fostering an inclusive and dynamic learning environment? Holland Bloorview is looking for a dedicated and visionary Research Education Specialist with a strong grasp of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and anti-racism principles, to lead transformative education programs and create meaningful opportunities for trainees of all backgrounds.
Reporting to the Director, Research Operations and Business Development, you’ll oversee and develop research trainee programs, including high school, undergraduate, and graduate student initiatives. You’ll ensure these programs align with institutional priorities and expand access for structurally disadvantaged trainees. As an expert in education trends, you’ll keep leadership informed and engaged, making sure our programs stay at the forefront of research and trainee development. This full-time hybrid role offers the perfect blend of office and remote work, providing flexibility and work-life balance.
You’ll play a pivotal role in fostering a learning health system, collaborating across departments and cultivating partnerships with alumni, the disability community, and individuals facing systemic barriers. Your ability to develop and operationalize programs will directly contribute to Holland Bloorview’s mission to become an innovative, inclusive learning health system.

A core part of your role will involve the planning, implementation, and delivery of BRI’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Anti-Racism (IDEAA) priorities. This can look like:

• Supporting the development of policies and procedures that advance equity, belonging, social and racial justice for the BRI
• Conducting individual and team-based consults to support IDEAA knowledge and capacity building at the program and service level
• Liaising with the hospital’s IDEAA office to source subject matter experts in inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and anti-racism especially around Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities, to collaboratively develop internal strategies to address BRI priorities.
• Assisting with IDEAA sections in writing grants

QUALIFICATIONS:

• University degree in Education, Health or related field
• Supervisory experience with direct reports, minimum of 2 years
• Demonstrated experience (3+ years) developing, evaluating, managing, and implementing research trainee education initiatives to improve an organization’s overall programs and services
• Demonstrated experience including familiarity with methods for inclusive service design; and health equity principles and practices
• Subject matter expertise in IDEAA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Anti-Racism) is essential. This includes previous experience collaborating with equity-seeking communities such as Black, Indigenous, and people of colour, 2SLGBTQI+, individuals with disabilities, and those living at various intersections across these and other groups
• Skilled in addressing sensitive topics and conflicts related to IDEAA
• Knowledge of Universal Design principles in building inclusive curriculum
• Excellent project management skills
• Excellent training and guidance skills
• Proficient in the use of the computer for word processing, preparing budget/spreadsheet, etc., required
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and customer service skills to work effectively with varying level of staff required
• Ability to foster cooperation and work collaboratively within and across departments with a broad range of interests in a highly diverse work environment required
• Ability to effectively analyze and synthesize information required
• Ability to facilitate effective teamwork among staff is required

Supporting Communications and Event Planning for Educational Programs

• Assist with setup and execution of education events
• Assist in creating promotional content to support program visibility and success
• Maintain the annual educational program budget in alignment with organizational goal

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Developing and Managing Research Trainees Programs

• Design, develop and manage the Ward Family Summer Student Program, High School Student Program, and Graduate Student Program operations from end to end in alignment with institutional priorities, including programs that support learning opportunities for structurally disadvantaged trainees. Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Anti-Racism (IDEAA) deliverables.
• Responsible for staying up to date on relevant trends in research trainee education programs, participate in TAHSN and CARA education development related groups, and informing BRI leadership on changes in policies
• Managing all education program matters as they arise for trainees
• Providing detailed information to students on program requirements, via email, phone or in-person
• Managing the continuous calendar for research trainee education-related activities
• Link with University of Toronto educational programs (e.g. Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Centre for Advancing Collaboration in Healthcare and Education, and U of T programs that address inequities in access and career progression)

Supports Learning Health System Development

• Works collaboratively with other departments as required, including program partners, trainers, and internal/external partners as determined through ongoing program development
• Develops and operationalizes programs in alignment with Holland Bloorview’s goal to become a learning health system
• Seek out new co-creation opportunities with alumni, the external disability community, and those experiencing structural oppression, consistent with our IDEAA deliverables

Supporting Communications and Event Planning for Educational Programs

• Assist with setup and execution of education events
• Assist in creating promotional content to support program visibility and success
• Maintain the annual educational program budget in alignment with organizational goals

Leading the development and constant improvement of research trainee programs

• Administering program evaluation systems, collect key performance indicators regarding programs and analyze program evaluation data to identify trends
• Monitors the effectiveness of existing policies, guidelines and procedures; recommends improvements which are consistent with recruitment trends and BRI objectives
• Identifies areas where improvements can be made to facilitate optimal delivery of services that will benefit research trainees, with special consideration to IDEAA
• Scans landscape to incorporate trainee program improvements and processes from other institutions and organizations
• Facilitate the development, implementation and evaluation of service goals, procedures and objectives by evaluating and constantly improving standards of practice
• Benchmark Holland Bloorview’s research trainee program metrics against all available external metrics and information

A core part of your role will involve the planning, implementation, and delivery of BRI’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Anti-Racism (IDEAA) priorities. This can look like:

• Supporting the development of policies and procedures that advance equity, belonging, social and racial justice for the BRI
• Conducting individual and team-based consults to support IDEAA knowledge and capacity building at the program and service level
• Liaising with the hospital’s IDEAA office to source subject matter experts in inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and anti-racism especially around Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities, to collaboratively develop internal strategies to address BRI priorities.
• Assisting with IDEAA sections in writing grant