Chief Medical Officer for Canada Snowboard

Chief Medical Officer for Canada Snowboard

September 2026

ORGANIZATION

Canada Snowboard is the national sport organization responsible for the development and performance of Canadian snowboard athletes across five disciplines. Through its high-performance programs, Canada Snowboard supports athletes, coaches, and integrated support teams in pursuing excellence on the international stage.

Canada Snowboard is committed to creating an environment in which athletes can train, compete, and perform at their highest level while maintaining their health, safety, and well-being. The organization works collaboratively with medical, paramedical, coaching, and performance professionals to provide integrated support throughout the athlete pathway.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Chief Medical Officer provides medical leadership and expertise to support the health, safety, and performance of Canada Snowboard athletes across all five disciplines.

The position is responsible for the development, application, and leadership of high-performance athlete health management protocols across Canada Snowboard. Working collaboratively with the Health and Athletic Performance (HAP) team, discipline coaches, physicians, and paramedical professionals, the Chief Medical Officer provides medical guidance and decision-making across the training and competition environment.

The role provides leadership in routine athlete health assessments, medical risk evaluation, injury management, return-to-sport planning, concussion management, travel medicine, and medical support for teams travelling internationally. The position also serves as a key medical resource for athletes, coaches, and the broader integrated support team and helps ensure that Canada Snowboard’s medical protocols remain evidence-based and aligned with current standards and guidelines.

ROLE STRUCTURE & COMMITMENT

The Chief Medical Officer serves as a senior medical resource within Canada Snowboard’s high-performance environment, providing clinical expertise, medical leadership, and system-level guidance across the organization’s five disciplines.

The role requires close collaboration with the HAP team and Canada Snowboard’s network of physicians and paramedical professionals. Medical support may be provided directly, through participation in team travel and training environments, or remotely through consultation when a physician is not travelling with a team.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THIS POSITION

Success in this position will be demonstrated through the effective development, application, and leadership of high-performance athlete health management protocols across Canada Snowboard’s five disciplines.

The successful candidate will help ensure that the medical needs, health, well-being, and safety of Canada Snowboard athletes are optimized across all disciplines, enabling athletes to train and compete at the highest level.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITY

• Ensure the medical needs, health, well-being, and safety of Canada Snowboard athletes are appropriately supported across all five disciplines.
• Provide effective medical leadership and decision-making within the high-performance training and competition environment.
• Establish and maintain evidence-based medical protocols and practices that support athlete health and performance.
• Foster effective collaboration among Canada Snowboard’s physicians, paramedical professionals, coaches, athletes, and High-Performance Athlete team.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Athlete Health Assessment & Medical Management

• Lead appropriate routine medical evaluations within each training group, including annual medical assessments, concussion baseline assessments, and other relevant screening or monitoring activities.
• Ensure appropriate triage, interpretation, and decision-making related to the results of routine evaluations.
• Provide medical consultation and decision-making related to athlete health concerns arising in the daily training environment.
• Be available to support athletes with medical questions and concerns and liaise appropriately with the athlete’s home medical team and other health-care providers.
• Provide guidance and medical oversight as appropriate for athletes with complex or challenging medical needs.

Injury Management & Return to Sport

• Advise on injury management and return-to-sport planning in collaboration with athletes, coaches, physiotherapists, and other members of the integrated support team.
• Provide medical consultation and decision-making in response to acute injuries, including remote support through telephone, WhatsApp, or other appropriate communication channels when required.
• Guide appropriate return-to-sport criteria, progression, and medical decision-making following injury or illness.
• Support consistent communication and collaboration among the athlete, coaching staff, paramedical team, and home medical providers throughout the injury management and return-to-sport process.

Concussion & Medical Protocols

• Lead and support the implementation of Canada Snowboard’s concussion management and return-to-sport protocols.
• Ensure medical protocols, including concussion and return-to-sport protocols, are evidence-based, current, and aligned with applicable standards and guidelines.
• Review and update medical protocols as required in response to emerging evidence, changes in clinical guidelines, and the needs of Canada Snowboard’s high-performance programs.
• Support education of athletes, coaches, staff, and health-care practitioners on concussion, return-to-sport, doping, and other relevant medical protocols.

Travel & Competition Medical Support

• Lead medical risk evaluations for complex or challenging destinations on Canada Snowboard’s national team calendars and recommend appropriate risk mitigation strategies.
• Lead medical planning and support for teams travelling to training camps and competitions.
• Participate in team travel where appropriate and provide medical consultation and support remotely when a medical doctor is not travelling with the team.
• Identify and advise on medical considerations associated with travel destinations, competition environments, athlete health risks, and access to appropriate medical care.
• Support the development and implementation of appropriate medical contingency plans for international travel and competition.

Medical Network & Integrated Support

• Collaborate with a network of medical and paramedical professionals to provide consistent medical support across Canada Snowboard’s five disciplines.
• Provide medical leadership and guidance to physicians and paramedical staff supporting individual training groups.
• Work collaboratively with the Health and Athletic Performance (HAP) team, including the Lead Physiotherapist and IST Lead, on athlete health strategy and operations.
• Attend HAP meetings and remain informed of athlete injuries, travel schedules, training plans, and other medically relevant issues.
• Maintain regular communication with the Lead Physiotherapist and IST Lead to ensure appropriate awareness of athlete medical status and emerging concerns.
• Support communication and coordination among Canada Snowboard’s medical network, paramedical staff, coaches, athletes, and external health-care providers.

Coaching & Athlete Education

• Educate and advise discipline coaches on medical protocols, athlete health considerations, and appropriate responses to medical situations.
• Provide consultation and medical decision-making to coaches as required.
• Support the education of athletes and staff on relevant medical topics, including concussion, return to sport, injury prevention, doping, and athlete health and safety.
• Promote a culture in which athlete health, safety, and well-being are integrated into high-performance decision-making.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Medical degree and current eligibility to practice medicine in Canada.
• Relevant specialization, certification, or demonstrated expertise in sport and exercise medicine or a related field.
• Experience providing medical care and leadership within a high-performance sport environment.
• Experience working with elite or national-level athletes is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of concussion management, return-to-sport decision-making, injury management, and athlete health assessment.
• Experience supporting athletes in travel and international competition environments is an asset.
• Strong understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of high-performance sport and the role of physicians, physiotherapists, athletic therapists, nutrition professionals, mental health professionals, coaches, and other members of an integrated support team.
• Demonstrated ability to make sound clinical decisions in complex or time-sensitive situations.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with athletes, coaches, physicians, paramedical professionals, and organizational leadership.
• Ability to provide effective medical consultation remotely when required.
• Commitment to evidence-based practice and ongoing professional development.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

The Chief Medical Officer will work closely with:

• Canada Snowboard Health and Athletic Performance (HAP) Team
• Lead Physiotherapist
• Canada Snowboard’s network of physicians
• Paramedical staff within each training group
• Athletes’ home medical teams and external health-care providers
• Other Canada Snowboard staff and performance personnel as required

Canada Snowboard is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment. We welcome applications from qualified candidates and are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process. Accommodation is available upon request for candidates participating in all aspects of the selection process.