Job Description

Through its core values of Courage, Respect and Excellence**, CAMH is implementing its Strategic Plan:** Connected CAMH, to transform lives, ignite innovation and discovery, revolutionize education and drive social change. CAMH is more than a hospital, it is a cause. CAMH is on a mission to change the way society thinks about and responds to mental illness. They aim to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and shape a world where mental illness is central to our healthcare system – a world where Mental Health is Health.

To learn more about CAMH, please visit their website at: www.camh.ca**.**

To view our Land Acknowledgment, please click here**.**

We are recruiting an experienced and strategic clinical leader to join our team as a full-time, permanent Senior Manager – Justice System Interface and Forensic Service Pathways. Reporting to the Clinical Director of the Forensic Service, this position is responsible for overseeing and advancing clinical services that directly interface with the criminal justice system, while also ensuring effective patient flow and transitions throughout the Service. The ideal candidate will have in depth knowledge of the Forensic mental health system and a passion for improving service access and outcomes for individuals with mental health needs who come into contact with the criminal justice system.

The Senior Manager will provide both operational oversight and strategic direction for the Brief Assessment Unit (BAU), an ambulatory service that delivers court-ordered forensic assessments for individuals either in custody or out of custody in the community, as well as provide senior leadership and oversight to the Forensic Assessment and Triage Unit (FATU). This includes leading system-level initiatives, fostering partnerships across health and justice systems, and using performance data to guide service planning and improvement.

A major component of this role also involves responsibility for Forensic Service patient flow management and acting as the primary point of contact for the Forensic Service on patient flow matters. The Senior Manager will work closely with internal teams and external justice system partners—including courts, correctional facilities, and legal counsel—to ensure timely and efficient admissions, discharges, and transfers. This is essential to meeting the hospital’s obligations under the Criminal Code of Canada and requirements of the Ontario Review Board, while optimizing access to care across the Forensic mental health system.

This position requires a leader who combines strategic thinking and clinical expertise with strong system-level collaboration skills and a commitment to operational excellence, equity and service innovation.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Clinical and Operational Leadership

• Provide senior operational and strategic leadership for forensic services that interface directly with the criminal justice system.
• Oversee the Brief Assessment Unit (BAU), which provides court-ordered assessments including: Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) Assessments; Fitness to Stand Trial Assessments; Form 6 Assessments; and Ontario Review Board–ordered Risk Assessments
• Provide supervisory leadership to the Manager of the Forensic Assessment and Triage Unit (FATU), who is responsible for daily clinical operations. The Senior Manager will work closely with the FATU manager, advanced practice clinical leader and physician leadership to support clinical excellence, drive quality improvement initiatives, and lead strategic planning efforts for this fast paced, dynamic inpatient Forensic unit.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Forensic Service on all patient flow matters, ensuring efficient and timely admissions, discharges, and transfers in compliance with relevant legal and clinical obligations.

Strategic Initiatives and Stakeholder Collaboration

• Lead major initiatives to improve integration, coordination, and effectiveness of justice-interfacing clinical services within the portfolio, across the Forensic Service, and between CAMH and external stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with justice system partners and other provincial Forensic Programs to facilitate access, continuity of care and seamless transitions.
• Represent the Forensic Service in interagency meetings, networks, and collaborative planning tables.

Performance and Quality Oversight

• Define and monitor performance management objectives, service benchmarks, and operational targets for BAU and FATU, and court related services.
• Oversee budget planning, clinical volume tracking, and resource allocation
• Implement and support quality improvement initiatives aligned with forensic mental health best practices, organizational goals, and regulatory requirements.
• Use data and outcome metrics to guide operational decision-making, service development, and continuous improvement.

Workplace Leadership

• Create and sustain a safe, healthy, and inclusive work environment that values diversity, encourages teamwork, and complies with all applicable legislative and organizational policies.
• Mentor and support clinical leaders and frontline staff to promote professional development and foster a culture of excellence.
• Balance data-driven decision-making with strong interpersonal and collaborative leadership skills to promote service innovation and planning.
• Foster a safe, healthy, and inclusive work environment that values diversity, promotes teamwork, and adheres to all relevant regulatory and legislative frameworks.

Job Requirements

• Master’s degree in a regulated health profession (e.g., Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy); current registration in good standing with a relevant Ontario regulatory college.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience in forensic mental health, justice-involved clinical care, or similar settings; leadership experience in an inpatient setting is an asset.
• Demonstrated understanding of Ontario’s forensic mental health system and justice-health system integration.
• Extensive experience managing complex clinical operations and supervising the work of others within an interprofessional team.
• Ability to manage budgets, and apply strong analytical and data management skills to inform service planning and decision-making.
• Proven ability to build effective interprofessional teams and track record building strong stakeholder relationships across systems (health, legal, corrections).
• Experience effectively balancing competing demands, triaging priorities and adapting to address complex, high stake situations.
• Excellent communication, decision making, problem-solving, conflict resolution and systems-thinking skills.
• Deep understanding of relevant legislation, including the Criminal Code of Canada, Mental Health Act, and Ontario Review Board processes.
• Knowledge of human resource management practices and experience managing in a unionized environment is also required.
• Commitment to trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and culturally responsive care.

Please Note: This full-time, permanent position is NOT part any bargaining units