Bring your expertise to a leadership role that blends clinical influence, strategic direction, and provincial level impact.
The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is seeking a Head of Psychological Services to join the Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI), a provincial centre of excellence for complex child and youth care. In this role, you will lead a newly unified Psychological Services department that will shape the future of clinical care across the organization.
This is a rare leadership opportunity for an experienced clinical psychologist who wants to influence system level practice while staying connected to meaningful clinical work.
As our Head of Psychological Services, you'll step into a full-time senior leadership role where your voice will shape clinical models, inform strategy, and strengthen a highly skilled team working at the forefront of trauma-informed care.
About the Child and Parent Resource Institute
The Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI) provides highly specialized trauma-informed mental health and developmental services through assessment, consultation, treatment, research, and education. We partner closely with community agencies to meet the unique needs of each child and family. We partner with other providers and educational institutions to train and support future generations of clinical Psychologists and advance clinical research.
Click here to learn more about the Child and Parent Resource Institute.
Please note: Ability to travel occasionally for conferences, presentations, and community-based client work is expected.
Your leadership. Our purpose. A stronger Ontario.
At the Ontario Public Service (OPS), we're building a province where everyone can thrive—and we need strong, values-driven leaders to help make that vision a reality.
If you're seeking a leadership role where your work has purpose, your growth is supported, and your impact is recognized, you're in the right place.
Leadership that makes a difference: We're proud to serve Ontarians through work that is people-centered, purpose-driven, and grounded in integrity. As a leader in the OPS, you'll help shape a culture that sparks innovation, supports collaboration, and champions inclusion.
How we support and recognize your leadership:
- We support your purpose: Lead work that directly serves Ontarians - shaping programs, policies, and services that make a real difference in people's lives.
- We invest in your growth: Access mentorship, leadership development, and cross-ministry mobility to grow your career and expand your impact.
- We create space for you to thrive: Work in inclusive, accessible, and respectful environments where you can bring your full self to work—and help others do the same.
- We recognize your impact: Receive competitive compensation, a defined-benefit pension, and comprehensive benefits - plus meaningful recognition for the difference you make.
We believe great leadership starts with high standards and strong support. In the OPS, that means showing up with authenticity, acting with integrity, and having the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard.
As a leader, you'll shape a team culture that sparks innovation, supports collaboration, and champions inclusion. You'll help build a workplace that is diverse, anti-racist, and accessible, where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to thrive.
You won't be doing it alone. We invest in our leaders through mentorship, learning opportunities, and cross-ministry networks that help you grow your impact and connect with peers across the organization.
Leadership is about impact, and in this role, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful one. You will:
- Lead the unification of psychologists and psychometrists into a cohesive department with clear structures and consistent oversight.
- Support the development, coordination and evaluation of psychology programs at CPRI, lead research and education initiatives.
- Provide Psychological Services leadership and clinical supervision and/or oversight/management/mentorship for CPRI psychology staff. Support and contribute to the training/supervision of Psychology Residents and students through CPRI's partnership with the London Clinical Psychology Residency Consortium.
- Opportunity to provide direct service to clients, including completion of Psychology Assessments and provision of consultation and intervention services. Support the recruitment and retention of specialized clinicians and strengthening clinical staffing.
- Advance clinical quality and compliance by ensuring practices align with professional regulatory expectations and applicable legislation.
- Shape the future clinical model of care by contributing to CPRI's strategic plan and driving thoughtful, trauma-informed transformation.
- Foster a collaborative, psychologically safe culture through transparent communication, mentorship, and interdisciplinary partnership.
- Apply strategic leadership to improve service efficiency, support high-risk decision-making, and modernize program delivery.
Ready to Make an Impact?
Each year, CPRI provides traumainformed, highly specialized services to more than 2,200 children and youth across Ontario who face complex combinations of mental health and developmental challenges.
In this role, your leadership will directly influence the care and understanding these young people receive, helping them and their families gain clarity, stability, and hope. Your impact will support improved functioning at home, at school, and in their communities, shaping better outcomes for children and youth who depend on Ontario's most specialized services.
Meet the Team
You will join a collaborative senior leadership team known for openness, authenticity, and trauma-informed decision-making
You'll lead a newly unified Psychological Services team of professionals, including psychologists and psychometrists who bring deep expertise in complex child and youth care. This team values transparency, psychological safety, and interdisciplinary partnership, creating an environment where your leadership can strengthen practice and shape the future of clinical care across the organization.
- Registered Clinical Psychologist in good standing with the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
- Deep commitment to trauma-informed practice and its use in clinical decision-making.
- Skilled in assessment, treatment planning, and navigating complex or high-risk situations.
- Strong knowledge of the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts requirements, including supervision, risk management, and documentation standards.
- Solid understanding of the Psychotherapy Act and its implications for clinical oversight and compliance.
- Experience in child and youth mental health and developmental disabilities.
- In depth knowledge of critical appraisal methodology and evidence-based practice/principals
- Experience in supervising or mentoring psychologists, psychometrists, and clinical trainees is an asset.
- Able to provide direct clinical guidance while coaching teams toward professional autonomy.
- Confident in making informed decisions in complex, high-risk, or rapidly evolving situations.
- Skilled at creating psychologically safe environments that value professional expertise.
- Applies a future-focused lens to clinical program planning and service design.
- Leads change in a collaborative, steady, and transparent way.
- Committed to improving systems, reducing inefficiencies, and shaping a modernized clinical model of care.
- Designs and implements processes that monitor progress, track outcomes, and support effective reporting.
- Brings strong organizational and time-management skills to developing and executing strategic objectives and work plans.
- Builds strong, trusting relationships with psychologists, psychometrists, interdisciplinary clinicians, leadership and system partners to enhance coordinated care for children and youth with complex needs.
- Prepares clear, concise briefings, reports, and recommendations to support senior leadership decision-making and contributes to organizational planning.
- Navigates complex clinical and organizational challenges using strong negotiation, problem-solving, and consensus building skills engaging supportively across staff teams and management including the Medical Director.
- Communicates expectations, clinical guidance, and strategic direction in a transparent, inclusive way that supports psychological safety and professional autonomy across the team.
If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!
Think this role could be right for you?
We're here to support you every step of the way. These short videos can help you feel confident and prepared:
• Navigating Our Hiring Process (2 min) – Get a clear overview of each stage in our structured hiring process so you know what to expect and how to prepare.
• Application Preparation Tips (4 min) – Learn how to showcase your leadership experience in ways that align with how we evaluate applications during the screening stage.
Take a few minutes to explore these resources. They're designed to set you up for success.
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's
Human Rights Code and the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.
Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:
- diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
- accessibility
- Anti-Racism Policy
