Your Role and Responsibilities as Health Director
Orientation Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Define “Health Director” using standardized language.
- Describe your own unique role and responsibilities.
- List the FNHDA Standards of Excellence and how they can support new Health Directors.
Defining “Health Director”
A Health Director is the most senior employee of a health organization responsible for the day-to-day management, administration, and delivery of health programs and services.
Other job titles might include:
- Director of Health & Wellness
- Health and Wellness Department Manager
- Director of Community Services
- Community Wellness Manager
Every First Nations community organizes and administers health services differently. You may even have a combined role, like overseeing both Health and Social Services.
Role and Responsibilities
📌 Action Required: If you don’t yet have a job description, ask for one. If it doesn’t exist, consider developing one in partnership with your supervisor. The FNHDA Job Description and Hiring Toolkit can support you.
Key Information
Fill in the details below based on your own organization:
- Legal name of your employer: ____________________
- My health organization is a:
- ☐ BC First Nation/Band or Tribal Council: ___________
- ☐ Society (list the First Nations/Bands): ___________
Scope of Responsibility
- ☐ Health
- ☐ Wellness
- ☐ Other: __________________________
- Work Days & Hours: ___________________________
My Top Responsibilities
- __________________________
- __________________________
- __________________________
- __________________________
📜 FNHDA Standards of Excellence
These aspirational skills were developed with Health Directors across BC and are excellent daily guides:
- Grounding work with culture and tradition
- Providing health and wellness leadership for the community
- Providing informed, technical advice
- Establishing and maintaining beneficial partnerships
- Providing effective health administration
- Being a supportive manager and a health team leader
- Participating in professional development and lifelong learning
💭 Reflection
How will you incorporate the Standards of Excellence into your work?
- _________________________________________
- _________________________________________
- _________________________________________
🔗 Helpful Resources & Downloads
📬 Reach out to a fellow Health Director to discuss how they’ve shaped their role.
