NOW HIRING
Deputy Chief Public Health Officer
Government of Nunavut | Department of Health
Iqaluit, Nunavut • On-Site •
What if your expertise could shape public health across an entire territory?
We are looking for a public health physician who is ready to lead at a scale where you shape territorial strategy, your policy advice reaches Cabinet, and your presence in communities’ matters.
The Government of Nunavut's Department of Health is seeking a Deputy Chief Public Health Officer (DCPHO), a senior physician leader who will work at the executive level of one of Canada's most unique and consequential public health systems.
This is a broad, generalist rural leadership role, suited to a physician who leads with humility, acts with urgency, and is committed to building strong, sustainable systems.
What You Will Do
Reporting directly to the Chief Public Health Officer, you will:
• Lead public health strategy and policy for Nunavut's public health system
• Drive Nunavut's TB Program forward, partnering with epidemiology, public health nursing, the Territorial Infectious Disease Specialist, and community partners to update protocols and initiate programs within your mandate
• Collaborate to address the territory's most pressing infectious disease priorities
• Represent Nunavut at federal, provincial, and territorial public health tables
• Prepare Ministerial-level briefings, position statements, and policy recommendations for senior government leaders
• Serve as Acting Chief Public Health Officer when designated
Why This Role Is Different
Real Impact, Real Visibility.
Your decisions connect directly to communities. Your advice reaches senior leadership. Your leadership is visible, trusted, and consequential — not filtered through layers of administration.
Meaningful Autonomy.
You will have autonomy over the Infectious Disease portfolio, including the support to change policies and initiate programs aligned with the departmental mandate.
Strong Support, Not Isolation.
You will have daily access to the CPHO, structured interaction, and the backing of a department committed to your success. Cultural sensitivity training is provided.
A Generalist's Dream Portfolio.
From TB and infectious disease to health equity, environmental health, and population strategy — this role offers the breadth that senior public health physicians rarely find in one posting.
About Iqaluit and Life in Nunavut
Iqaluit is Nunavut's capital. For physicians who want their environment to match the depth of their work, Iqaluit offers an experience unlike any conventional rural health-system role.
Life here means close community networks, access to land-based activities, a direct connection to the communities you serve, and a pace of work that is intense but purposeful. It also means the realities of northern living: logistical differences and seasonal considerations. The right candidate does not see those realities as barriers. They see them as part of the meaningful context of doing this work well.
The Government of Nunavut is guided by Inuit Societal Values — including humility, collaboration, respect for community knowledge, and service to others.
What You Bring
Required
• Medical Degree (MD)
• Active (or eligible) medical licence in Nunavut; willingness to obtain prior to start
• Experience as a Medical Officer of Health, Public Health Physician, or senior public health medical leader
• Strong knowledge of communicable disease control, population health, public health administration, and health equity
• Excellent communication skills; able to brief senior leadership, communities, and media with equal confidence
• Willingness to establish and maintain residency in Nunavut
Preferred / Strong Assets
• FRCPC in Public Health and Preventive Medicine
• Experience Medical Officer of Health or equivalent
• Experience in northern, remote, Indigenous, or Inuit health contexts
• TB program, outbreak response, IPAC, or communicable disease leadership experience
• Experience in public-sector legislative or intergovernmental environments
You Might Be Exactly Who We're Looking for If...
• You want to lead a public health system, not advise one from the margins
• You are energized by complex, multi-determinant challenges where geography, culture, equity, and infectious disease intersect
• You lead with genuine respect for community knowledge
• You are steadier under pressure than most, and you build people up
• You are ready to live where your work
Ready to Lead Where It Matters?
If you are a public health physician who wants their expertise to be visible, consequential, and deeply connected to the people you serve — we want to hear from you.
Contact Kevin Kirkpatrick, CEO Avery Professional Group to express interest or request a full candidate package.
kevin@averyprofessionalgroup.com
905-447-2151
