Executive Director of Pharmacy

D'Youville University invites applications for the position of Executive Director of the D'Youville University Pharmacy Department at its educational site in Oakville, Ontario. This is a founding senior academic leadership role. The inaugural Executive Director will lead the Doctor of Pharmacy program through its establishment and inaugural years, building on planning and development already underway to bring the Doctor of Pharmacy program from launch to steady state maturity. The Executive Director provides strategic vision, academic quality, and operational management for the program, ensuring that it meets or exceeds the standards of the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) and prepares graduates to meet the national entry-to-practice competencies set by the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA).

The Doctor of Pharmacy program is offered by D'Youville University under the written consent of the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES), in accordance with the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000.

Position Summary

The Executive Director of Pharmacy is responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of the Doctor of Pharmacy program. The Director plans, budgets, and evaluates all activities that originate from the Pharmacy Department; leads the program's accreditation processes; and collaborates with a range of stakeholders—including faculty, staff, preceptors, regulatory authorities, students, and administrative leadership—to ensure a successful, compliant, and sustainable program. The Executive Director is expected to lead with a demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, to anti-racism and anti-oppression, and to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and Indigenous health and cultural safety throughout the program.

Reporting Relationships and Governance

The Executive Director reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs of D'Youville University and maintains an open line of communication with the VPAA, meeting with them regularly and on request.

The Executive Director represents the pharmacy program during monthly meetings of the institution-level Dean's Council, which affords opportunities for the VPAA and the other schools' deans and directors to discuss matters impacting the institution.

Responsibilities

Program Establishment

• Lead the department through to the launch of its Doctor of Pharmacy program, building on the curriculum, governance, and planning work already underway.
• Complete the recruitment and onboarding of the program's founding faculty and staff, and expand its clinical, hospital, and community practice partnerships and preceptor network across Ontario.
• Lead the program's CCAPP accreditation submission through review and site visit and prepare the program and its inaugural cohort for a successful launch.

Academic and Program Leadership

• Provide strategic vision and operational leadership for the quality of courses, programs, activities, faculty, staff, and resources of the pharmacy program.
• Develop goals and objectives for the long-term growth and sustainability of the program.
• Establish, maintain, and monitor the program's strategic plan, ensuring broad-based input from faculty, students, regulatory authorities, and other stakeholders, and alignment with the University's strategic plan.
• Lead program evaluation and continuous quality improvement processes, ensuring systematic review of curriculum, teaching, outcomes, resources, admissions, and student services.
• Supervise the delivery of academic and co-curricular activities across the program.
• Oversee the implementation of academic progression standards, including policies for promotion, probation, dismissal, and readmission.
• Admit qualified students to the program in accordance with established admissions standards.

Accreditation and Regulatory Compliance

• Lead the program's accreditation processes and ensure the DYUSOP meets or exceeds CCAPP accreditation standards.
• Ensure the program achieves NAPRA's Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacists at Entry to Practice.
• Ensure compliance with D'Youville University policies and all applicable external regulations, including those of the Ontario College of Pharmacists and provincial regulatory requirements.
• Engage actively with regulatory, certification, and licensing authorities on certification and licensure processes and practice standards.
• Maintain program currency with respect to contemporary pharmacy practice, healthcare systems, and Ontario accreditation standards.

Administrative and Fiscal Management

• Manage the pharmacy department budget and plan, allocate, and evaluate the department's financial and physical resources.
• Plan, budget, and evaluate all activities that originate from the pharmacy program.
• Recruit, appoint, supervise, and evaluate competent and qualified faculty and administrative staff.

Representation and Collaboration

• Represent the interests of the pharmacy program's students, faculty, and staff within the University, the profession, and the broader community.
• Work with students, faculty, and staff to solve problems, plan initiatives, and foster a collegial academic environment.
• Participate in developing and implementing the policies and strategic goals of the University.
• Cultivate relationships with hospital, community, and other practice partners to support experiential education and clinical placements across Ontario.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenous Engagement

• Provide leadership in fostering an environment committed to anti-racism, anti-oppression, equity, diversity, and inclusion for students, faculty, and staff.
• Champion Indigenous engagement, cultural safety, and the integration of Indigenous health content in the program, consistent with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.
• Support recruitment and admissions processes that attract a diverse applicant pool and enhance representation of Indigenous and other equity-deserving groups.

Essential Qualifications

• A terminal degree in pharmacy (e.g., PharmD or PhD in a pharmacy-related discipline).
• A strong understanding of contemporary pharmacy practice and healthcare systems.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Ontario and Canadian pharmacy accreditation standards, including CCAPP standards and NAPRA entry-to-practice competencies.
• A record of progressive academic leadership and administrative experience in pharmacy or health professions education.

Assets

• Eligibility for licensure or registration as a pharmacist in Ontario.
• Experience leading a program through CCAPP accreditation or an equivalent health-professions accreditation process.
• An established record of scholarship and external funding in a pharmacy or health-sciences discipline.

How to Apply

Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the names of three professional references. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

All job offers are contingent upon legal authorization to work in Canada as required under applicable Canadian federal and provincial employment laws.

About D'Youville University

D'Youville University is a private university founded in 1908 and based in Buffalo, New York. From its origins as a small college focused on education and service, it has grown into a doctoral and professional university offering more than fifty programs across the health sciences, business, and liberal arts, with a particular strength in the health professions — pharmacy, chiropractic, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, and more. Today D'Youville serves roughly three thousand students and is known for hands-on, interprofessional health education and a longstanding commitment to its surrounding community.

A Heritage That Crosses Borders

D'Youville University takes its name from Saint Marguerite D'Youville, who in 1737 founded the Sisters of Charity—the Grey Nuns—in Montreal. Over the following century, the order grew into one of Canada's most significant providers of health care and social services, devoting itself to the care of the most vulnerable. It was this Canadian order that came to Buffalo and founded the college that is today D'Youville University in 1908, naming it in honour of their patron saint.

Adjacent to the International Peace Bridge, D'Youville has been a destination for Canadian students for generations, with many thousands choosing to cross the border to study at its Buffalo campus. The Ontario site in Oakville is a natural extension of that history—bringing D'Youville's health-professions education home to the Canadian students it has served for over a century.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

This is a campus-based academic leadership role performed at the Oakville campus. The position involves extended periods of seated work and computer use, frequent meetings and presentations, and regular communication by phone, video, and in person. Some travel within Ontario and to the Buffalo campus, as well as occasional evening or weekend commitments, may be required. Accommodations will be provided in accordance with the AODA and the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Diversity Statement

Rooted in the service mission of its founders, D'Youville University believes that a community of varied backgrounds and perspectives makes for stronger teaching, scholarship, and patient care. We warmly invite applications from candidates of all backgrounds, and especially from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized people, women, persons with disabilities, and people of every sexual orientation and gender identity. A candidate's track record of fostering equity and inclusion—and their capacity to help build a welcoming School of Pharmacy—will be considered a meaningful strength.

Accessibility Statement

Consistent with our obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code, we work to ensure that every stage of hiring—from application through interview and final selection—is barrier-free, and we will arrange suitable accommodations for any candidate who needs them.