Chief Psychologist in Ottawa

Explore exciting career opportunities in corrections. Join us for a Career Fair at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre. This event offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the rewarding career paths in Corrections and to meet our dedicated team.

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, October 22
• Time: 11:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m
• Location: Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, 2244 Innes Road, Ottawa, ON

Registration is required. Please bring a valid photo ID and Eventbrite confirmation code (electronic or print out). You may still attend and register on site that day. Free parking available on site but please note that parking is limited.

Career Opportunity: Chief Psychologist

Are you a registered psychologist looking to combine your clinical expertise with impactful leadership? As Chief Psychologist, you will lead the delivery of psychological and mental health services within a correctional setting, overseeing a team of psychologists while collaborating with a broad network of healthcare professionals, including physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, and addiction counsellors. In this role, you will provide strategic direction for psychological programming, guide complex assessments and treatment planning, support crisis intervention initiatives, and drive continuous improvement through evidence-based practices and innovation.

This is a unique opportunity to shape services that directly support rehabilitation, mental health, and positive outcomes for individuals in custody. Beyond clinical leadership, this position offers the chance to make a lasting impact on both people and programs. You will contribute as a member of the institutional leadership team, managing resources, supporting employee engagement, fostering an inclusive workplace culture, and building strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. The role provides meaningful opportunities to influence policy, program development, and service delivery while mentoring multidisciplinary teams and advancing best practices in correctional psychology.

If you are passionate about leading high-performing teams, improving mental health services, and making a difference within Ontario's correctional system, we encourage you to apply.

Please note: As this is a frontline essential position, you will be required to attend the physical office location 5 days per week.

Leadership That Makes a Difference

At its core, leadership in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) is about creating positive change for people and communities across Ontario. We're looking for leaders who are authentic, accountable, and courageous. People who bring others together, ask bold questions, and lead with purpose. 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. 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 Psychological Services by overseeing the delivery of comprehensive mental health, counselling, assessment, and treatment programs within a correctional environment.
• Manage and Develop Clinical Teams by providing leadership, coaching, guidance, and performance management to a team of psychologists and multidisciplinary professionals.
• Drive Mental Health Program Excellence by designing, implementing, evaluating, and continuously improving psychological services using evidence-based practices.
• Provide Expert Clinical Consultation on complex cases involving crisis intervention, behaviour management, risk assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning.
• Build Strategic Partnerships by collaborating with healthcare providers, institutional leadership, community partners, and external stakeholders to enhance service delivery.
• Shape Organizational Outcomes by contributing to resource planning, policy development, program evaluation, and operational decision-making that supports rehabilitation and public safety.

Your ability to align your team's efforts with broader organizational goals will be key to your success, and to the success of the people we serve.

Meet Your New Team

Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (Ottawa) Become part of a dynamic team at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, a key institution within Ontario's correctional system located in Canada's capital city. OCDC's diverse workforce is committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and respectful environment while supporting rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives. Working in Ottawa provides access to world-class museums, national landmarks, vibrant neighbourhoods, and year-round festivals, all while contributing to an organization that plays an essential role in public safety. The team prides itself on collaboration, strong leadership, and a shared commitment to making a meaningful impact in the community and across the province.

What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• You are registered as a psychologist in good standing in the Province of Ontario.

Leadership and People Management

• Experience leading and managing teams in the delivery of psychological, mental health, or related clinical services.
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop staff while fostering an engaged and inclusive workplace culture.
• Experience managing recruitment, performance management, employee relations, and workforce planning activities.
• Ability to provide strategic direction, establish priorities, and align team objectives with organizational goals.

Clinical Psychology and Mental Health Expertise

• Registration as a Psychologist in good standing in the Province of Ontario.
• Extensive knowledge of psychological assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, counselling, and psychotherapy practices.
• Experience conducting and overseeing mental health assessments, behavioural interventions, and crisis response services.
• Strong understanding of evidence-based psychological practices and correctional or forensic mental health environments.

Program Development and Operational Management

• Experience designing, implementing, coordinating, and evaluating psychological or mental health programs and services.
• Ability to identify service gaps and continuously improve programs through research, evaluation, and best practices.
• Strong organizational skills to manage competing priorities, resources, timelines, and operational requirements.
• Experience contributing to strategic planning, policy development, and program performance measurement.

Communication and Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Ability to communicate complex clinical information clearly to diverse audiences, including senior leaders and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience building collaborative relationships with healthcare professionals, community partners, and external stakeholders.
• Strong consultation, negotiation, and influencing skills to support effective decision-making and service delivery.
• Experience preparing reports, recommendations, and briefings to support operational and clinical outcomes.

Think this role could be right for you? We're here to support you every step of the way. If you're 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!

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

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.