Medical Director - Yellowknife Region

Work Location: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time
Salary: The Annual Salary range for a full-time Family Physician in Yellowknife ranges from $273,357 to $390,512 in gross earnings, a $40,000 per year stipend, plus $53,984 – $71,557 with a recruitment bonus of $25,000 – $100,000 for a 1-year to 3-year contract.

Are you a family physician ready to take on a leadership role where your compassion, flexibility, and problem‑solving skills can make an impact? As Medical Director in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, you’ll collaborate with a close‑knit and dedicated physician team to strengthen and shape primary care services. Come – to live, work, and expand your opportunities as the Yellowknife Region Area Medical Director!

The Northwest Territories (NWT) is home to approximately 43,000 people in 33 communities spanning over 1.34 million square kilometres of breathtaking northern landscape. Located above the 60th parallel, the territory awaits with seemingly endless lakes and unmatched vistas.

On the shores of Great Slave Lake lies the capital city of Yellowknife (population 21,000). As the "urban" centre of the territory, Yellowknife boasts all the amenities of a big city, while maintaining its small‑town charm, with outdoor adventures just minutes away.

Our Physicians provide support to many beautiful and diverse regions across the Northwest Territories, including the Beaufort Delta, Dehcho, Fort Smith, Hay River, Sahtu, Tłı̨chǫ, and the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, with a total catchment area of approximately 50,000 residents. Support is provided via primary care travel clinics and virtual telehealth.

Whether you want to enjoy delicious dining opportunities, join numerous arts/sports clubs, perform on stage in the latest theatre/musical production, or explore the surrounding wilderness by snowmobile, skis, boat, or floatplane, Yellowknife has you covered.

These points are part of a broader community and cultural integration which the medical director will support and promote throughout their term.

Based in Yellowknife, this medical leadership opportunity is dedicated to primary, community, and public health care delivery by family practitioners in the communities of Yellowknife, Ndilǫ, Dettah, Fort Resolution and Łutsel K’e, as well as the communities serviced through the Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency (TCSA).

This position opportunity is for a three (3) year term, with a renewal option. The Yellowknife Region Area Medical Director (YK‑AMD) position will have 0.4 FTE allocated to medical direction. An opportunity exists for additional physician FTE time spent in clinical programme areas managed by the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA).

The YK‑AMD is encouraged to maintain clinical practice within the primary care facilities. Current clinical needs are in ER (CCFP‑EM), Primary Care, Obstetrics (GP), Long‑term care, and Hospitalist (GP). Other clinical areas may also be accommodated.

Physicians in the NWT have unique opportunities to connect with rural and remote communities through regular travel clinics. Given the vast geography of the territory, these clinics, alongside virtual care, play a key role in ensuring continuity of care for fly‑in and winter‑road access communities.

In this role, the YK‑AMD provides strategic oversight of the physician workforce, including recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, and retention. They ensure effective deployment of physicians, oversee credentialing and performance management, support ongoing education, and address concerns in alignment with medical staff bylaws and organisational standards.

The YK‑AMD also leads the planning and delivery of clinical services in partnership with regional leadership, ensuring care is patient‑centred, culturally safe, and evidence‑based. This includes advancing quality improvement initiatives and supporting adherence to clinical standards, policies, and accreditation requirements.

Collaboration is central to the role, with a focus on fostering strong relationships among physicians, healthcare teams, regional leaders, and community partners to support coordinated service delivery.

Finally, the YK‑AMD contributes to organisational governance through planning, reporting, and committee participation, while supporting policy development and maintaining partnerships with external stakeholders, including Indigenous governments and community organisations.

Qualifications

• Medical Degree plus Residency, with a minimum of 3 years’ clinical experience
• Licensed or eligible to be licensed to practice in the NWT
• Demonstrated leadership and administrative skills and abilities gained through other leadership positions or roles, including leadership experience in an acute care environment (ideally in a senior role such as programme director, medical director, or department head)
• Leadership training (such as CMA PLI courses, LEADS Canada courses or other equivalents)
• Experience working in a multi‑cultural and/or northern environment

Benefits and Compensation

Northwest Territories physicians are provided with a unique salaried contract, with one of the best compensation packages in the country and highly competitive recruitment incentives.

Enjoy the following benefits:

• No overhead, practice management, or billing with salaried contract
• Liability, travel, and malpractice insurance costs covered
• 100% of Northwest Territories CMPA Membership Fees Covered
• Paid vacation, starting at 26.5 days per year
• Paid sick leave, starting at 18 days per year
• Paid maternal / parental leave benefits
• Support for professional fees and education materials
• Continued medical education support for travel and reimbursement of expenses (10-15 days, $10,000-$12,750 per year)
• Relocation assistance
• Group benefits, including dental, extended health, life, AD&D, and disability

Application Process

Applicants are asked to provide a copy of their resume and a letter, outlining their interest and what they feel they would bring to the position.