People and Culture Manager, Community Services

at  House of Friendship

At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!
Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It is!
Community Services programs work to ensure everyone can belong and thrive by connecting people to resources and supports they need to overcome barriers and build community. Reporting to the Community Services Director, this position is responsible for supporting people and culture for our Family Outreach, Emergency Food Hamper, Neighbourhood Food, Christmas and Community Centre programs. They will work closely with the Operations and Partnerships Manager to form the Community Services management team. This role directly supervises the Family Outreach Supervisor, Emergency Food Hamper Supervisor, Neighbourhood Food Supervisor, and Community Centre Supervisor who work with a diverse team of staff and volunteers.
We are seeking an experienced leader who is passionate about coaching and developing people and teams to provide leadership for our Community Services programs. They will provide leadership for the program and team by supporting the supervisor team members. This will include fostering connections between our programs located across Waterloo region. We are seeking a leader who can support the team to ensure our programs are community-driven and grounded in anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed approaches. You will help us to think and work differently - not shying away from challenging but important conversations with colleagues, partners and community members. You are an expert at building trusting, collaborative relationships to lead change in our teams and community to support everyone to belong and thrive.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

• University degree or College diploma in Social Sciences, Social Work, Human Resources, Community Development or other related field of study
• At least five (5) years’ experience leading a team ideally in a social services or community-based setting
• Very strong leadership, team building and decision-making experience including demonstrated strength in coaching and developing people and teams
• Experience working with diverse teams and populations, including people from various cultural/ethnic backgrounds and income levels, bringing sensitivity to individual realities and finding ways to address and remove barriers to engagement
• Experience in collaborative community leadership that prioritizes the importance of relationships to guide and create programs and services
• Shared lived experience with and/or direct ties to the communities we serve is an asset

JOB SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

• Passion and demonstrated skill to support leaders and teams providing programs and services to people experiencing the impacts of poverty and other inequities
• Demonstrated coaching, conflict resolution and negotiation skills with dedication to performance management, coaching and support for direct reports
• Demonstrated collaborative approach that values open and honest communication, integrity, and respect
• Understand behavioral complexity through a lens of curiosity and an invitation to learn and develop relationship through conflict
• Working knowledge of applicable employment legislation including Employment Standards Act; Human Rights Code, Occupational Health and Safety Act; Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, etc.
• Knowledge and familiarity with local community agencies and resources is an asset
• Knowledge of and/or experience serving in the areas of community development, social justice, and poverty alleviation with a passion to connect and empower community members who experience systemic barriers
• Demonstrated exceptional leadership in program oversight, implementation, assessment and reporting
• Expert level problem solving to navigate change and implement evidence-based practice
• Experience in keeping financial records is an asset
• Experience working within a non-profit and/or social services environment, is an asset
• Strength in using online communication platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, is an asset
• Ability to speak multiple languages, is an asset

CRITICAL SKILLS:

• Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected
• Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem-solving skills required
• Ability to work as a dependable, professional, and flexible team member with staff, participants and community members bringing an attitude of collaboration and curiosity
• Build solid and fruitful relationships with community partners and agencies to increase opportunities for innovation and positively impact outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a positive work environment including the ability to navigate change in a positive and productive manner
• Ability to build effective teams and create an atmosphere of belonging and collaboration that values diversity and individual strengths
• Strong intercultural competency, with the ability to recognize and respect cultural diversity, able to be diplomatic and sensitive to the dynamics of a culturally diverse workplace
• Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach in consultation, program design, evaluation processes and service delivery
• Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges
• Excellent organizational, project and time management skills including skills in logistics, planning, and detailed record keeping
• Ability to model effective problem-solving by recognizing the human, interpersonal and technical sides of a problem, show flexibility and explore possible solutions in an innovative and creative way

• Lead, develop, support and provide strategic leadership to the supervisory team, direct service staff, students and volunteers supporting the program
• Responsible for all aspects of leading a team including recruitment, retention, training and onboarding, supervision, performance assessment, development and management
• Develop and support people leaders to effectively and proactively manage employee performance through feedback, documentation, annual performance development planning and competency framework assessment; liaise with HR and supervisors regarding performance concerns as needed
• Support, coach and guide supervisors in navigating complex situations as they arise for our teams and the people we serve
• Responsible for the healthy and safe operation of the programs; ensuring a physically and psychologically healthy work environment for all team members
• Responsible for the allocation of staff, students and volunteers based on the needs of each program and/or site
• Apply deep knowledge of the inherent risk and challenges involved in working alongside the community to coach team members in mitigating risks, and supporting an environment that is trauma-informed and physically and psychologically healthy
• With the Operations and Partnership Manager, Community Services, have a shared responsibility for program operation including program development and review, program budget, allocation of resources, and relationships with funders and community partners, staff and participant safety
• With the Operations and Partnership Manager, Community Services, responsible for program data collection with a focus on Human Resources (HR) related data including running/obtaining reports to ensure data collected is reliable and valid
• With the Operations and Partnership Manager, Community Services, have a shared responsibility for ongoing program evaluation and quality improvement, leading program reviews and program evaluation initiatives to provide timely and appropriate programming to meet the needs of those in our community within our mission, vision and values
• Maintain high level proficiency with respect to confidentiality
• Support the Operation and Partnership Manager, Community Services to create reports and proposals to support or source funding and lead the management of financial functions and accountability across programs
• Collaborate with community partners and agencies to increase opportunities for innovation and positively affect outcomes
• Represent House of Friendship at various community services related meetings, community tables, communities of practice, and community forums; maintaining partnerships and bringing relevant issues and solutions to the conversation
• Take a lead role in community consultation and community leadership development initiatives
• Contribute to the organizational strategic planning process and provide leadership for annual planning processes and initiatives
• Schedule and consistently co-lead management meetings and program meetings, participant in cross-program meetings and organizational town halls
• Support service integration internally/externally
• Act as a change agent; contributing to continuous improvement and the successful implementation of change initiatives