Director, Integrated Mental Health, Housing and Substance Use Health Services

Somerset West Community Health Centre•Ottawa, ON

5d•CA$102,957 - CA$121,157•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an accomplished senior leader to guide a diverse and interconnected portfolio of services supporting people experiencing challenges related to mental health, substance use, homelessness and access to care. The portfolio includes the Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub, the Peer Outreach Team, and Mental Health and Counselling Services. Together, these programs provide a continuum of community-based support - from early engagement, outreach and counselling to intensive treatment, housing assistance, recovery services and ongoing care. The HART Hub brings together health care, substance use treatment and recovery services, mental health support, housing assistance, outreach, basic needs and systems navigation. The Peer Outreach Team builds trusted relationships with people who may be disconnected from traditional systems of care, while the Mental Health and Counselling Team provides accessible, trauma-informed and culturally responsive services to clients and communities. The Director will lead through an established management structure that includes three operational managers and seven supervisory roles. This enables the Director to focus on strategic direction, leadership development, quality and safety, financial stewardship, partnership accountability and system influence. The portfolio is entering an important period of maturity. The incoming Director will strengthen service quality and operational performance, support a skilled and resilient workforce, deepen relationships with community and system partners, and demonstrate the collective impact of the portfolio to funders, government and the communities SWCHC serves. This is a significant leadership opportunity for someone who can connect strategy with execution and who understands how mental health, substance use health, outreach, housing and community-based care must work together to create meaningful and lasting outcomes.

Requirements

A master's degree in health administration, public health, social work, nursing, business administration or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and senior leadership experience.
Approximately 10 years of progressive leadership experience, including significant experience at the senior management or director level, with accountability for complex programs, people, budgets and organizational risk.
Demonstrated success leading large, multidisciplinary teams in complex or high-pressure service environments.
Strong experience with financial management, multi-million-dollar budgets, contracts, funding agreements and resource planning.
Demonstrated knowledge of quality improvement, risk management, incident response, occupational health and safety, and service-accountability structures.
Experience developing and managing partnerships involving multiple organizations with differing mandates and accountabilities.
Experience working with government, funders, health-system partners, housing providers and community organizations.
Experience providing clear and timely advice to executive leaders, boards or governance bodies.
A strong understanding of homelessness, supportive housing, mental health, substance use health, harm reduction, treatment and recovery-oriented care.
Demonstrated experience applying equity, anti-racism, anti-oppression and cultural-safety principles in organizational and service-delivery settings.
Experience working meaningfully with people with lived and living expertise.

Nice To Haves

Experience overseeing 24/7 community health or similarly complex operations is strongly preferred.
Knowledge of Ottawa's health, housing, homelessness and community-service systems would be an asset.
Bilingualism in English and French, or proficiency in other languages commonly spoken by clients, is an asset.

Responsibilities

Provide clear strategic direction for the portfolio.
Translate organizational and funder priorities into practical operating plans, accountabilities and measurable outcomes.
Identify emerging community needs, service gaps, policy developments and opportunities for system improvement.
Contribute informed analysis and recommendations to the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board.
Represent SWCHC in senior-level discussions with government, funders, health-system leaders, housing partners and community organizations.
Help position the portfolio for long-term sustainability, future investment and appropriate growth.
Lead, coach and support managers responsible for delivering services across the portfolio.
Build a workplace culture grounded in respect, collaboration, psychological safety, accountability and learning.
Support workforce planning, succession planning, leadership development and employee well-being.
Navigate conflict and difficult decisions with fairness, composure and sound judgment.
Promote effective collaboration between SWCHC employees and staff from partner organizations.
Ensure clear operational standards, decision-making authority, escalation procedures and management accountability.
Strengthen approaches to client safety, staff safety, occupational health, critical-incident response and organizational risk.
Ensure that significant concerns, incidents and organizational risks are communicated promptly and accurately to the CEO.
Foster trusted relationships with health, housing, municipal, Indigenous and community partners.
Establish clear structures for collaborative planning, shared decision-making and problem resolution.
Ensure that partnership agreements, memoranda of understanding and contractual commitments are understood, monitored and fulfilled.
Address partnership challenges early and constructively.
Maintain productive relationships while protecting SWCHC's responsibilities, standards and organizational interests.
Support the development of coordinated pathways between primary care, mental health, substance use services, housing, outreach and other community supports.
Provide disciplined oversight of multi-million-dollar operating budgets, funding agreements and resource allocations.
Monitor financial performance and respond promptly to emerging pressures, variances and sustainability risks.
Ensure that expenditures, contracts and procurement decisions follow organizational policies and delegated authorities.
Provide clear and timely financial, operational and performance information to the CEO.
Work closely with Finance, Human Resources, Quality, Facilities, Information Technology and other organizational functions.
Ensure accurate and timely reporting to funders, government partners and organizational governance bodies.
Work with partners to evaluate the effectiveness of the integrated service model.
Translate complex program information into clear, compelling and credible messages.
Identify evidence that can support future funding, service expansion and public-policy discussions.
Ensure that services are person-centred, trauma-informed, culturally responsive and grounded in dignity.
Demonstrate a strong understanding of harm reduction, treatment and recovery as complementary parts of a continuum of care.
Embed equity, anti-racism and anti-oppression within program design, workforce practices, resource decisions and performance monitoring.
Build meaningful mechanisms for the participation of people with lived and living expertise.
Support Indigenous-led, Africentric and other culturally grounded approaches where appropriate.
Maintain constructive relationships with surrounding communities and respond thoughtfully to community concerns and impacts.