Nursing Recruitment and Retention Specialist

Job summary

Develop, deliver, and evaluate initiatives to recruit nurses and retain them in Northern, Indigenous, rural, and Francophone workplaces, including career counselling, outreach, job fairs, and employer support. Build partnerships, communicate workforce opportunities, maintain related web content, and report on program progress and workforce trends.

Job details

JOB SUMMARY: This position will lead the Ministry of Health (MOH) initiatives to support retention and recruitment in Northern and Indigenous Workplaces. Reporting to RNAO’s Director of Membership and Services, this individual will identify, develop, manage, and evaluate programs to recruit new nurses into the profession, retain nurses in workplaces, and provide career counselling and support to nurses and nursing students. RESPONSIBILITIES: 2026/27 Deliverables Develop a Northern, Indigenous, Rural and Francophone Workforce Recruitment and Retention Strategy. Establish and document grassroots supports to fill vacancies and build capacity, contributing to decreased nursing vacancies, systemic nursing vacancies and nursing agency use. Establish and deliver a nursing career navigation and counselling service for nurses and nursing students. Modernize and expand RNAO’s Nurse Ambassador Program. Develop and implement outreach initiatives targeting elementary schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities. Provide recruitment support to employers experiencing persistent vacancies. Implement targeted nursing job fairs and career events. Promote education grants, fellowships, mentorship programs and advanced nursing career pathways. Produce quarterly workforce intelligence reports identifying emerging issues and opportunities. Produce an annual evaluation and recommendations report. Program Development & Delivery Identify, develop, and deliver programs to retain existing nurses, and recruit newly graduated nurses to the profession, including outreach programs, marketing campaigns, and partnerships with educational institutions Collaborate with engaged partners in service and academic institutions to develop new programs and initiatives for retaining and recruiting nurses Create and deliver additional programs to collaborate with elementary and/or high school students to raise awareness about the education and career path of registered nurses (RNs), and nurse practitioners (NPs) Provide career counselling and support to nurses in the profession to help them advance in their careers and stay engaged in their work (e.g., reviewing resumes and providing feedback about resumes, providing job search advice, and providing coaching on career development/advancement) Provide advice regarding educational opportunities, education grants, prior learning assessment reviews, etc. Plan and implement job fairs for nurses in Ontario, including university job fairs Coordinate student placement at RNAO, working with other departments and programming opportunities Communications and Marketing Maintain the nursing education opportunities section of the website, keeping it fresh and vibrant and ensuring information is up-to-date, accurate and comprehensive Communicate through various channels/ methods with engaged partners (elementary/ high school staff, career counsellors, students, nursing employers and nurses) promoting nursing recruitment and retention Develop and deliver in-person and virtual presentations for elementary and high school students about the nursing profession and opportunities within nursing Develop and deliver in-person and virtual presentations for nursing employers in key sectors (e.g., hospitals, long-term care, home care) regarding nursing retention strategies in the workplace Develop and implement strategies to disseminate information on recruitment and retention with engaged partners and the public Work with other departments to design and implement marketing materials (print and digital) for the nursing recruitment and retention program Program Evaluation Evaluate all new and ongoing initiatives yearly Provide monthly analytical reports on program progress using an evidence-based approach Evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategy and programs and make recommendations for improvements General Participate in the activities of RNAO’s Membership & Services Department Other duties as assigned KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND EXPERIENCE: Required University Degree in Nursing and up to three years of leadership experience in a healthcare environment or equivalent combination of education, experience and/or training Demonstrated experience working respectfully and effectively with Indigenous communities, organizations, or health-service partners. Experience in project or program coordination, including planning, partner engagement, implementation, and reporting. Strong relationship-building, facilitation, presentation, and written communication skills. Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and collaborate across multiple communities and organizations. Ability and willingness to work and travel within the assigned service area, as required. Preferred Proficiency in French. Knowledge of nursing workforce recruitment, retention, education pathways, or health-human-resources initiatives. EFFORT: The highest degree of confidentiality, sound judgement, respect for all, consistency, fairness, and professionalism The workflow requires meeting established, regular deadlines that may require reprioritizing the workload Concentration is required for short and long periods to process data Sight, touch and hearing are used to operate a computer and review information Sitting at the computer is required regularly, as well as walking, standing and operating equipment to perform the job duties WORKING CONDITIONS: Frequent travel to the communities served is required Occasional travel to home office Typical conditions are such that no risk or injury is present NOTES: This post is for a contract position (expected end date: March 31, 2027) for a specific program with the potential to make a lasting difference in Ontario’s healthcare landscape. The starting annual salary for this position is $ 85,000. We comprehensively evaluate a variety of factors to determine fair compensation, including experience, specific job-related knowledge and skills, as well as relevant educational and specialty training. Additionally, we ensure that compensation is equitable across our staff and aligns with current market trends. RNAO offers an extensive benefits package and generous vacation. Mandatory requirements: RNAO requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to any accommodation obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada for the duration of the work term. Proof of eligibility will be required. Please be advised: RNAO does not use AI-assisted tools to support the selection process. Human reviewers make all final hiring decisions. RNAO is currently operating in a hybrid environment with at least two mandatory days in the office, and these arrangements may change based on business needs. Applications and interviews are reviewed and scheduled on a rolling basis. To ensure your application is considered, we encourage you to submit it as soon as possible. We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All applicants who are interviewed will be notified of the hiring decision within 45 days of their final interview. RNAO is committed to providing an equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment, where all employees feel valued, respected and supported. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates who can help us build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and in which we live. Accommodations under the Ontario Human Rights Code are available to all candidates during the recruitment process and throughout employment, please emailing hr@rnao.ca if you require assistance.

What you’ll do

Develop, deliver, and evaluate initiatives to recruit nurses and retain them in Northern, Indigenous, rural, and Francophone workplaces, including career counselling, outreach, job fairs, and employer support. Build partnerships, communicate workforce opportunities, maintain related web content, and report on program progress and workforce trends.

Requirements

A university degree in nursing and up to three years of leadership experience in a healthcare environment are required, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, and training. Candidates must have experience working respectfully with Indigenous communities or partners and coordinating projects or programs; strong communication and relationship-building skills, independent work capability, and willingness to travel are also required, while French proficiency and nursing workforce knowledge are preferred.

Benefits

• Benefits Package
• Generous Vacation

Listed skills

• written communication · Preferred
• Prioritization · Preferred
• Project management · Preferred
• Facilitation · Preferred
• Relationship Building · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Program Development
• Program Coordination
• Project Management
• Nursing Recruitment
• Nurse Retention
• Career Counselling
• Partner Engagement
• Relationship Building
• Facilitation
• Presentation Skills
• Written Communication
• Program Evaluation
• Workforce Intelligence Reporting
• Marketing and Outreach
• Indigenous Community Engagement
• Prioritization

Job areas

• Healthcare
• Management & Leadership
• Human Resources
• Education
• Marketing

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