Clinical Director Forensics

The Clinical Director leads interdisciplinary teams across secure inpatient units and community forensic services, ensuring alignment with CAMH’s mission, values, and strategic priorities, as well as provincial legislation and standards governing forensic mental health care. 

The Clinical Director works in a dyad with the Chief of the division to provide overall leadership for the program. 
Reporting to the Vice President, Clinical Operations, collaborates with the Professional Practice Office, Director, Clinical Quality, Physician Leaders, and other key organizational leaders, to enhance excellence in practice and professional standards, quality of care, efficient and effective fiscal resource management, safety and risk management, program planning, change management and service excellence and evaluation.  
 

The Clinical Director advances the concepts, infrastructures and relationships required for a programmatic focus. This work involves strong collaborations with leadership colleagues across CAMH, and  with partners in the health system for to develop and deliver programming that meets the needs of patients and families.  The 

Clinical Director is accountable for developing and implementing strategies that create a supportive environment to advance education and research. For example, this includes ensuring collaboration with clinical and research teams to support patients participation in clinical trials should they choose. It also includes ensuring that clinical students/trainees are effectively onboarded and supported during their clinical placements in collaboration with the CAMH Student Centre. 

Clinical Directors are responsible for the financial management across the portfolio of programs, from both an operational and strategic perspective, creatively using strategies to direct resources to where they are needed.

The Clinical Director supports the achievement of the goals of an academic health science centre as it relates to education and research. This includes supporting and assisting education and clinical research leads in navigating access to programs and teams to support their efforts. For clinical research, it includes supporting managers and staff to ensure participation in research opportunities is available to patients.

The Clinical Director is a member of the Clinical Leadership Team of the hospital, organizes/chairs leadership forums within the programs and also participates actively in other committees/forums related to corporate strategy and operations. 

Key Responsibilities 

1. Strategic and Operational Leadership

• Provide vision and direction for the Forensic Program, integrating inpatient and outpatient services across the continuum of care.

• Lead program planning, implementation, and evaluation in alignment with CAMH’s strategic plan and provincial priorities.

• Oversee resource allocation, budgeting, and operational performance, ensuring efficiency, sustainability, and accountability.

• Advance innovative models of care that enhance patient outcomes, system integration, and service accessibility.

2. Clinical Excellence and Quality of Care

• Ensure delivery of safe, ethical, recovery-oriented, and culturally responsive care for forensic populations.

• Champion best practices in forensic mental health, including risk assessment, rehabilitation, and community reintegration.

• Lead quality improvement initiatives, patient safety strategies, and accreditation processes.

• Monitor clinical outcomes and implement data-informed decision-making to improve care delivery.

3. Interprofessional Leadership and Workforce Development

• Provide leadership and mentorship to interdisciplinary teams, including nursing, psychiatry, health disciplines, and social work.

• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and psychologically safe work environment.

• Support workforce planning, recruitment, retention, and succession planning.

• Promote professional development, leadership capacity, and evidence-informed practice among staff.

4. System Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and sustain strong partnerships with justice sector stakeholders, including courts, correctional services, and the Ontario Review Board.

• Collaborate with community agencies, hospitals, and primary care providers to support continuity of care.

• Represent CAMH at provincial and national tables related to forensic mental health.

5. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Advance health equity and anti-racist practices within the Forensic Program.

• Ensure services are responsive to the needs of diverse populations, including Indigenous, Black, and other equity-deserving communities.

• Integrate trauma-informed and culturally safe approaches into program design and delivery.

6. Research, Education, and Academic Mandate

• Support and advance CAMH’s academic mission through collaboration in research, education, and knowledge translation.

• Facilitate integration of research evidence into clinical practice within the forensic context.

• Partner with academic institutions to support teaching and training opportunities.

Minimum Requirements:

• A Master’s Degree in a Clinical, Healthcare or Social Services discipline from a recognized institution
• Master’s Degree in Nursing or registered health profession preferred
• Registration in good standing with the respective College as a Regulated Healthcare Professional
• 5 years of progressive clinical managerial experience; and clinical experience in mental health, and/or concurrent disorders treatment 
• Demonstrated ability to lead and collaborate on programming and programming delivery, and extensive healthcare experience, with a strong focus on implementation of leading/best practices
• Strong understanding of CAMHs place in the broader health system, and are a champion in supporting patients to access the care at CAMH
• Strong organizational, negotiation and communication skills, combined with an awareness of professional roles and functions of diverse disciplines within integrated clinical teams, and can effectively liaise with external programs and agencies
• Demonstrated commitment to safety of both staff and clients
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds and communities
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
• Ability to work effectively within a dynamic team environment
• Bilingualism (French/English) and/or proficiency in a second language would be an asset.

Competencies 

• Strategic thinking and systems leadership

• Clinical credibility and ethical decision-making

• Change management and innovation

• Relationship building and stakeholder engagement

• Financial and operational acumen

• Commitment to recovery-oriented and patient-centered care