Temporary SAFER Program Manager- Full time

at  AVI Health and Community Services

AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) is a multi-disciplinary community-based organization 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 (http://www.avi.org)
SAFER is a flexible, community-based, harm reduction program that provides safer, pharmaceutical alternatives to the currently toxic drug supply. SAFER is located on the territories of the Lekwungen peoples (Esquimalt and Songhees nations). The SAFER Harm Reduction Workforce program provides dedicated access to prescribed safe supply for people who work in harm reduction services and otherwise meet the criteria for the service. The SAFER 713 Prescribed Safe Supply program provides access to prescribed safe supply for people who access the 713 drop-in who meet the criteria for service. SAFER is located on the territories of the Ləkʷəŋən peoples (Esquimalt and Songhees nations).

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the AVI Senior Director, or designate, the SAFER Program Manager provides support and supervision of non-clinical SAFER staff and the daily operations of the SAFER Clinic and the 713 Prescribed Safe Supply (PSS) Program. The Program Manager has a strong relational practice of leadership in harm reduction healthcare to support and supervise staff in their roles providing psychosocial support to program participants. The Program Manager supports staff who hold multiple, intersecting identities including (but not limited to) people who use/d drugs, people with lived experience of HIV and hepatitis C, and LGBTQ2S+ people - from a sex positive and harm reduction-based approach. The Manager will work closely with the SAFER Coordinator, SAFER 713 PSS Coordinator, Clinical Nurse Lead and Clinical Nurse Educator, who oversees SAFER’s staff, and in collaboration with the Senior Director, to align with the program’s strategic goals and operational requirements.
The successful candidate embodies collaboration, works from a relational perspective, is supportive and empathetic, 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 SAFER Program promotes the dignity and respect of the people we serve.

QUALIFICATIONS

The SAFER Program Manager has the following qualifications:

• University degree at bachelor’s level in relevant field (i.e. Social Work, Public Health, Social Sciences), or equivalent combination of related experience and education
• 3 - 5 years senior experience and demonstrated leadership with program management and supervision of diverse staff team, preferably within a non-profit or community-based organization
• Able to respectfully engage and support Indigenous relationships, with a trauma informed and decolonial lens
• Demonstrated experience in managing human resources in a union environment
• Experience delivering/managing harm reduction programming and services directly with program clients/participants with a harm reduction lens
• Solid comprehension of the political context for Safe Supply in BC; and understanding of what “substance use disorder” is considered and a working understanding of opiate agonist treatment.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice principles and practices, including harm reduction, anti-racism, decolonization, combating stigma related to drug use, HIV, hepatitis C, and challenging gendered oppression, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia
• Experience working in solidarity with diverse populations including people who are criminalized for their mental health and/or drug use; people who are denied housing/precariously housed/warehoused; racialized identities; Indigenous & Metis persons; LGBTQI2S+ identities; sex workers; people with disabilities
• Strong analysis of colonialism and the ways in which historical and ongoing colonization impacts Indigenous People, and a demonstrated commitment to ongoing anti-colonial learning/unlearning
• Knowledge of local Indigenous and non-Indigenous social services including housing, income and food security supports
• First Aid training and experience responding to critical incidents including overdose/toxic drug poisoning
• Employment subject to criminal record check for working with vulnerable populations
• To comply with current BC Public Health Orders, must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have an approved medical exemption. Proof of vaccination status will be required for successful applicants for positions covered by the order.
• Current Valid BC Drivers’ License is an asset
• First Aid training and experience responding to critical incidents (eg. overdose/toxic drug poisoning)

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrated leadership skills in program management and supervision of diverse staff teams
• In-depth understanding of current systemic barriers and violence faced by people who use drugs 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 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.
• Excellent communications skills including in-person and also via technology (ie video calls, Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams). Ability to quickly grasp fundamentals of new computer programs such as electronic medical record software.
• Excellent organizational, prioritization and time management skills
• Ability to work with diverse groups of stakeholders including people impacted by poverty, substance use, criminalization, people who use drugs, service providers, funders and other community members
• Experience managing hostile interactions, utilizing non-violent communication and diffusing techniques
• Strong project coordination skills, including time, budget, and workload management
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible and versatile in a changing work environment while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency
• Ability to work in a variety of settings on a regular basis, including on-site at SAFER Clinic and the 713 PSS program, occasionally accompany staff on community outreach, and work off-site either from a home office or co-working space