Manager, Life Skills and Community Housing

Covenant House Vancouver; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 77,000 - 97,000; Full time

Job summary

Covenant House Vancouver seeks a Manager for Life Skills and Community Housing to oversee community-based housing programs. This role involves program planning, staff management, and collaboration with various departments. Ideal candidates have leadership experience and a background in social work or related fields. The position offers a competitive salary and excellent benefits.

Benefits

Extended health and dental benefits

Three weeks paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Registered pension plan

Investment in professional development

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of leadership experience in housing services.
• Experience working with youth in a support role.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee community-based housing programs and life skills team.
• Manage program budget and forecast expenditures monthly.
• Interview, hire, and train program staff.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem Solving

Interpersonal Skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Associate degree in Social Work

Diploma in Child and Youth Care

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Outlook

Job description

Manager, Life Skills and Community Housing

Please note: A cover letter and resume are mandatory for all applications.

As we serve vulnerable youth, all employees working for Covenant House Vancouver must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Proof of vaccination status will be required prior to your start date.

Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has provided relentless support for youth experiencing, or at-risk of experiencing, homelessness. We provide support to young people age 16 to 24 who have experienced a wide range of early life and ongoing, complex trauma; including physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. Our purpose is to serve all youth, with absolute respect and unconditional love, to help youth experiencing homelessness, and provide a safe and supportive environment for all youth in need.

Working at Covenant House will be one of the most meaningful things that you’ll do in your life. However, you will be confronted with significant issues in this work and frankly, this work is not for everyone. In the course of doing your work, particularly for those doing frontline work, you will be exposed to the trauma of others. The youth we serve may also experience overdose, physical harm perpetuated by self or others and even death. Because we provide a relational model of care, the harms our youth experience can impact us in varying degrees.

While we provide training for youth workers on avoiding what we call vicarious trauma (namely, the trauma you can experience or take on by hearing other’s traumatic stories), and a generous allowance for counselling, it is still difficult work that can and does take its toll on many employees. Self-awareness and self-care are key. Some candidates and employees decide during the recruiting and probationary periods that this work isn’t for them, and that is totally fair.

We will provide more information on vicarious trauma during recruiting and on-boarding, to help you decide if Covenant House is the place for you.

The Impact the Manager, Life Skills and Community Housing can make:

The Manager, Life Skills and Community Housing oversees Covenant House Vancouver’s (CHV) community-based housing programs. These include off-site transitional housing programs and the life skills team. The Manager will be responsible for the design and implementation of CHV’s community housing program. The Manager is responsible for all aspects of program planning, development, and implementation, referral and intake procedures, community engagement and resourcing, human resource management, financial management, communications, reporting and evaluation and liaising with other program teams as needed. The manager also ensures the development and safety of all staff and clients, as well as adherence to the Mission, Principles, philosophy, and policies of Covenant House.

How you will contribute:

• Create the environment for the success of Community Housing staff and program participants
• Work collaboratively with the entire CHV staff and Management
• Work collaboratively and support department Managers within Program Services and staff from Philanthropy, Communications, Finance, People and Culture, Facilities, Food services and Volunteer services
• Facilitate biweekly staff meetings and weekly huddles to allow for knowledge exchange and consultation
• Operational, administrative and process problem solving as required, consulting with others in management as needed
• Responsible for direct implementation and adherence to CHV philosophy, policy and procedures, in particular, staff and youth manuals and handbooks
• Provide input and assistance in service planning, including the ongoing development and evaluation of the program and budget
• Manage program budget and forecast expenditures monthly
• Provide regular direct supervision to assigned staff
• Ensure all supervision and performance management of staff remain up to date
• Update employee job descriptions as required for approval by the Director of Housing Supports
• Responsible for monitoring staff and youth morale, including identification of trends, staff promotions and workplace health
• Interview, hire, and train program staff, including both internal and external candidates
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels with consideration of vacation and training coverage
• Attend house meetings, community dinners and other activities to support staff and youth
• Attend intra-agency and program related meetings as required
• Oversee collection and accuracy of client statistical data
• Use data collection to identify trends, analyze issues and forecast program needs
• Provide quarterly reports as required to the Director of Housing Supports
• Additional duties as required

Who are we looking for?

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s or Associate degree or diploma in a related field (Social Work, Child and Youth Care, Psychology, Non-Profit Management, or a relevant discipline). Combination of education and experience will be considered
• Minimum 3 years of leadership experience, preferably in a setting providing housing services, life skills implementation, and work with at-risk youth and advocacy
• Demonstrated experience in supporting marginalized and/or multi-barrier persons
• Experience working with youth in a support or change role
• Computer literate in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Client database
• Understanding of adolescent development, residential living, growth toward independence
• Understanding and commitment to youth participation and empowerment
• Exceptionally organized and able think critically and problem solve
• Strong leadership abilities and management skills
• Goal oriented, able to plan and delegate
• Ability to plan and implement change
• Superior interpersonal, communication and conflict resolution skills

Compensation

The successful candidate can expect a starting annual salary of between $77,350.00 and $96,678.40 depending on factors such as internal equity, experience, competencies, and education. Once hired, salaries are reviewed annually following the annual performance review and successful employees have the opportunity for their annual salary to increase, over time, up to the maximum of the pay band, currently $116,006.80.

Total Rewards

Beginning immediately, this position has excellent extended health and dental benefits for you, your spouse, and your children, including generous counselling benefits. During the first year, employees receive three weeks’ paid vacation, increasing to four in the second year. We have paid sick leave, paid personal leave, a registered pension plan, investment in professional development, and more. If you’d like more information on what we offer, please ask!

We were recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2024!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Covenant House Vancouver is a secular organization that welcomes and serves young people from all backgrounds. While the international federation to which we belong was founded in the 1970s by members of the Catholic Church, we are not aligned with any specific faith traditions.

CHV is committed to upholding diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace. We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:

• Persons from groups marginalized due to race, ancestry, colour, religion/spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
• Persons with visible (physical) and/or invisible (mental) disabilities;
• Persons who identify as women;
• Persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; and

We recognize that many of these identities intersect and that therefore, diversity, equity, and inclusion can be complex. We value the contributions that each person brings and are committed to ensuring full and equal participation for all at Covenant House Vancouver.

We love what we do and try to make a difference every day. Covenant House Vancouver offers a competitive salary with a great benefits package and excellent opportunity for training and career advancement. If you are looking to join a place where we have a purpose and aim to achieve positive outcomes, please join us by applying.

If our recruitment process does not work for you, let us know. Let’s see how we can work together to get to know you and see what might be a great fit!