Chief Technology Officer - AI

As the largest provider of health services in Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Health is on a mission to achieve excellence in health, healing, and learning through a passionate team of nearly 30,000 professionals. In this inaugural executive role, the CTO – AI will serve as the primary strategic advisor for digital architecture and AI governance across both Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health. By joining this diverse team of innovators and collaborators, you will bridge the gap between technical engineering and clinical practice, ensuring advanced analytics are ethical, secure, and seamlessly integrated into the high-quality inpatient and outpatient services provided to patients across the province and Atlantic Canada.

The Mandate

Reporting to the CIO, you will lead a high-performance team to move AI initiatives from pilot to full-scale production. Key responsibilities include:

• Architectural Strategy : Designing scalable MLOps platforms and making critical build-vs-buy decisions on model development (Generative AI, RAG pipelines, etc.).
• Responsible AI : Establishing frameworks for ethics, bias testing, and model drift while implementing Zero Trust architectures to protect patient data.
• Interoperability : Ensuring integration with Electronic Health Records (EHR) using healthcare standards like FHIR, HL7, and DICOM.
• System Leadership : Partnering with executive leadership and private sector stakeholders to align digital transformation with clinical safety and operational efficiency.

The Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a visionary leader who combines deep technical "builder" expertise with executive-level financial and organizational stewardship.

• Experience : 10+ years in software engineering or data science, including 4+ years in senior leadership.
• Technical Mastery : Deep expertise in modern AI architectures (Transformers, CNNs) and frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain).
• Regulatory Knowledge : Proven success architecting PIPEDA/PHIA-compliant environments; experience with Health Canada’s "Software as a Medical Device" (SaMD) is a significant asset.
• Education : A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or AI is required (Master’s or PhD preferred).

Why Consider This Role?

This is a unique opportunity to define the AI roadmap for an entire province. You will have the mandate to innovate at scale, influencing how technology directly impacts the health outcomes of Nova Scotians.

To express interest in this opportunity please apply online by clicking “Apply Now” below:

For more information about this exciting opportunity please contact Jamie Grant, Partner, at View email address on meridiarecruitment.ca or Nick Leadbetter, Senior Recruitment Specialist, at View email address on meridiarecruitment.ca. If you require accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please let Nick know.

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