Manager, Harm Reduction Teams

AVI Health and Community Services•Victoria, BC

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

AVI HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES (AVI) is a multi-disciplinary community-based organisation providing HIV, hepatitis C and harm reduction services out of 5 locations across Vancouver Island. AVI provides services to people living with HIV and hepatitis C and harm reduction clients. We take evidence-based action to prevent infection, provide support, and reduce stigma. We work within a social justice and health promotion framework to ensure equity and access to services for all. At the core of what we do is our ability, and commitment to, creating meaningful connections. Every day, we strive to create meaningful connections between clients and staff, between peers, between staff members, between organizations, between communities, and between funders and impactful programs. For more info see www.avi.org Victoria Harm Reduction Services Team provides services for people who use drugs and may be impacted by criminalization, systemic injustice and stigma. The Harm Reduction Services Teams provide supports in various locations, including the drop-in and overdose prevention service at 713 Johnson St and at two housing sites in community. The Victoria Harm Reduction Services are located on the territories of the Ləkʷəŋən peoples (Kosapsum and Songhees nations). JOB SUMMARY With the support of the Director of Community Programs - Victoria, the Manager of Harm Reduction Teams provides support and supervision of staff and the daily administration and operations of harm reduction services in Victoria, including the Housing Overdose Prevention and Support Team, the Drop-In Team, and associated programs. The Manager of Harm Reduction Teams has a strong relational practice of leadership based in the principles of harm reduction, community care and solidarity. The Manager of Harm Reduction Teams will support staff who hold multiple, intersecting identities including (but not limited to) people who use/d drugs, people who navigate their own mental wellness daily, people with lived/living experience of HIV and HCV, and LGBTQ2S+ people - from a sex positive, person centered and harm reduction-based approach. The Manager of Harm Reduction Teams will work alongside the leadership team to align programs strategic goals and operational requirements. The successful candidate embodies collaboration, is supportive and empathetic, and upholds AVI’s harm reduction, social justice, trauma-informed care and cultural humility values with staff and people accessing our services. They support and ensure that the staff team all promote the dignity and respect of the people we serve and the people providing services.

Requirements

3-5 years demonstrated leadership experience including the following:
Relevant training/experience in anti-racism and a strong analysis of colonialism and the ways in which historical and ongoing colonization impacts Indigenous People
Experience managing hostile interactions, utilizing non-violent communication, and diffusing techniques.
First Aid training and experience responding to critical incidents including overdose/toxic drug poisoning.
Knowledge and working relationships with local service care providers including housing, income and food security supports that may benefit persons served.
Excellent communications skills including in-person and via technology (ie video calls, Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams). Ability to quickly grasp fundamentals of new computer programs.
In-depth understanding of current systemic barriers and violence faced by people who use drugs and/or experience mental health distress, and a working knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of anti-oppressive practice
Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to coach and mentor staff, facilitate conflict resolution, foster empathic communication and demonstrate clear boundaries.
Demonstrated commitment to the policy and practice of harm reduction, cultural safety and trauma and violence informed practices in the provision of health and social services.
Demonstrated understanding of the continuing and on-going impact of colonization, and anti-colonial, anti-racist practices, and principles
Demonstrated understanding of the importance and role of people who use drugs in the development, delivery, and evaluation of services intended to benefit them.
Positive approach, flexible, resourceful, and enjoys working in a dynamic, informal, and relational workplace.
Strong project coordination skills, including budget and workload management.
Ability to work in a variety of settings on a regular basis, including at different worksites, occasionally accompany staff on community outreach, and in shared office spaces.

Nice To Haves

University degree in Health or Social Services, (Public Health, Social Work etc.) or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

Provides strong leadership and direction to team members and contributes to mentorship and modeling of practice including conflict resolution.
Engages with staff to establish empathetic supervisory relationships that are grounded in trauma informed practice, the principles of harm reduction, and mutually defined boundaries.
Fosters a team culture that values diversity, inclusivity, and collaboration.
Manages staff recruitment, interviewing and hiring, work assignments, orientation, training, performance supervision, and discipline according to work rules, regulations, and collective agreement.
Monitors and responds to performance concerns including gathering information, tracking documentation, and making decisions around disciplinary processes, when necessary.
Conducts performance evaluations and professional development activities that support the growth and well-being of team members and of the program.
Conducts regular team meetings, 1-on-1 check ins, and facilitates trainings to support collaboration, growth, and the wellbeing of staff.
Provide one week of on-call manager coverage every 5 weeks
Ensures that programs are operating in alignment with AVI’s principles of social justice, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility.
Provides direct support to program participants alongside staff members and engages with participants to ensure community involvement in service design, implementation, delivery, and evaluation.
Works with leadership team members to identify and respond to staff needs, participant concerns, and issues related to programming and occupational health and safety.
Develops, implements, and maintains administrative and operational policies and procedures.
Reviews and authorizes credit card expenses, petty cash, and monitors expenditures related to program budget.
Prepares statistical and program information narratives for reporting to funders
Approves significant leaves and payroll expenditures and provides ComVida oversight and manages the scheduling of those they directly manage.
Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with community partners and service providers
Other duties as assigned.
Working within unionized environments and supervision of a diverse staff team, including people with lived and living experience, preferably within a non-profit or community-based organization.
Collaborating with senior leadership and community partners to align leadership strategies with organizational goals, foster cross-functional coordination, and represent the programs in external engagements.
Delivering/managing programming and services directly with, and informed by, program participants with a harm reduction lens.
Working in solidarity with diverse populations including people who are criminalized for their drug use and/or mental health; people who are denied housing/precariously housed/warehoused; racialized identities; Indigenous & Metis persons; LGBTQI2S+ identities; sex workers; people with disabilities.