Mental Health Service Manager (MHSM)

Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture...; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused mental health organization in Vancouver seeks a Mental Health Services Manager. This role will oversee clinical team management, ensure adherence to best practices, and engage in partnerships to support refugees and their families. Candidates should have an advanced degree in a relevant field and experience in trauma-informed care. A comprehensive health benefits package is included with a pay rate of $35/hr.

Benefits

Comprehensive health benefits package

Qualifications

• Awareness of the Torture Rehabilitation sector and migration pathways in BC.
• Knowledge of international affairs and human rights.
• Proven ability to communicate with formal institutions.

Responsibilities

• Support hiring, onboarding, and development of clinical team members.
• Oversee policies, procedures, and practices for client intake.
• Maintain relationships with universities and cultivate new partnerships.

Skills

Effective relationship-building abilities

Excellent written and oral communication

Knowledge of trauma-informed and mental health best practices

Experience in a team-based management or communications role

Education

Advanced university degree in a relevant field

Job description

August 26, 2025

Introduction to VAST:

In 1986, a group of human rights activists and mental health workers founded the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST). VAST works with refugees from over 100 countries and offers services in over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Farsi, French, Mandarin, and Spanish. We support the mental health of refugees who arrive in British Columbia with psychological trauma resulting from torture, political violence, and other forms of persecution on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

VAST facilitates healing for survivors and their families through accessible individual and group counselling, psycho-legal documentation, and support for refugee claimants through the asylum process. We also work with Temporary Foreign Workers when needed. VAST is a signatory to international conventions and is an active member of professional networks including IRCT and CNSTT. Our model emphasizes trauma-informed care and community-based, culturally appropriate services, and we advocate to strengthen BC’s mental health sector for newcomers.

Classification & Job Title: Mental Health Services Manager (MHSM)

This job description is subject to change

Full Time Position

Rate of Pay: $35/hr.

This position includes a comprehensive health benefits package

Job Summary: The MHSM supports VAST clients, staff, management, partners, and funders by facilitating high-quality mental health services and supports. Services are delivered by the VAST Clinical team, the Community Engagement team, Management, Contractors, and collaborating guests and partners. Clinical supervision for individual and group services is provided by VAST’s Clinical Supervisor, with support from the Senior Expressive Arts Therapist, Executive Director, and Social Worker. The MHSM coordinates with other team members to ensure adherence to VAST’s best practices and applicable provincial, national, and international standards.

Description of Typical Job Duties

• Support hiring, onboarding, oversight, and development of clinical team members, including:
• Screen, interview, and select clinical volunteers
• Screen, interview, select, and provide supervision for practicum interns as appropriate

• Develop, manage, update, and ensure adherence to VAST's clinical processes, protocols, and systems
• Oversee the Provincial Refugee Mental Health Coordination role, including toll-free line, email, and requests for training, consultation, and capacity building
• Support management and establishment of core and associative partnerships, including MOUs or contracts, joint projects, policy positions, and referral pathways
• Oversee ethical and legal integrity of case file protocols, including quality of content and client file structure
• Improve policies, procedures, and practices affecting intake, planning, delivery, and evaluation of services
• Collaborate on client database improvements to align with policies and procedures
• Establish and manage partnerships related to consultations, trainings, and advisory work with various governmental and international bodies
• Coordinate psycho-legal assessments and letters to lawyers for refugee claims (where qualified)
• Maintain written and electronic client records in an electronic database
• Coordinate workshops and deliver workshops on refugee mental health for legal, health, social, and settlement service providers
• Provide statistical and narrative information for evaluation, funding applications, reports, and research
• Ensure client therapeutic needs are met and client files are up to date
• Assess, evaluate, and document personnel training and support needs
• Ensure staff are trained on policies related to mandated reporting and related responsibilities
• Create an annual training plan and coordinate/deliver staff training
• Ensure availability of senior clinical staff or the Executive Director for debriefing and consultation
• Allocate clients to appropriate counsellors and ensure smooth referrals
• Maintain confidentiality through record-keeping and file management
• Keep records of consultations and team case reviews
• Oversee scheduling and documentation of supervision sessions
• Prepare and disseminate briefs and reports to policymakers at municipal, provincial, and federal levels
• Maintain relationships with universities and cultivate new partnerships
• Establish, coordinate, and maintain student training and volunteer programs

Individual and Group Services Management

• Oversee hiring, onboarding, oversight, and support of clinical team members
• Screen, interview, and select clinical employees, contractors, and volunteers
• Screen, interview, select, and provide supervision for practicum interns as appropriate
• Assess, evaluate, and document personnel training and support needs
• Ensure clinical staff are trained on policies and procedures, including mandated reporting
• Develop an annual training plan and coordinate/deliver staff training
• Oversee scheduling and documentation of supervision sessions
• Ensure availability of senior clinical staff or the Executive Director for debriefing and consultation

Mental Health Services Oversight

• Oversee ongoing improvement of policies, procedures, and practices for client intake, planning, delivery, and evaluation
• Support development and adherence to clinical processes, protocols, and systems
• Collaborate to improve client database alignment with policies and procedures
• Ensure timely allocation of clients to appropriate counsellors and smooth referrals
• Ensure client therapeutic needs are met and evaluated regularly
• Oversee ethical and legal integrity of case file protocols and records
• Maintain written and electronic client records and keep records of consultations
• Ensure confidentiality in record-keeping and file management

Program Evaluation & Reporting

• Provide statistical and narrative information for funding applications, evaluation, and research
• Maintain relationships with grants, liaison, and reporting
• Conduct and coordinate research on grant projects

Partnerships & External Relations

• Develop, manage, and establish core and associative partnerships, including:
• Launching new relationships
• MOUs or contracts with formalized relationships
• Joint projects, campaigns, policy positions, support groups, programming, referral pathways, or shared initiatives

• Establish and manage partnerships for consultations, training, and advisory work with municipal, regional, provincial, national, and international bodies (e.g., CBSA, MAP, City of Vancouver, Province of BC, IRCC, IRCT, UNVFVT)
• Prepare and disseminate briefs and reports to policymakers at municipal, provincial, and federal levels
• Maintain existing university relationships and cultivate new ones
• Establish, coordinate, and maintain student training and volunteer programs

Workshops & Capacity Building

• Coordinate workshops with the Executive Director and Clinical Supervisor
• Facilitate workshops on refugee mental health for legal, health, social, and settlement service providers
• Manage the Provincial Refugee Mental Health Coordination role, including the toll-free line, email address, and requests for training, consultation, and capacity building

Specialized Clinical Tasks

• Coordinate (and provide if qualified) psycho-legal assessments and letters to lawyers for the refugee claim process

Qualifications Required:

• Awareness of the Torture Rehabilitation sector and migration pathways in BC
• Advanced university degree in medicine, public health, law, psychology, psychiatry, social work, conflict studies, migration studies, sociology, or anthropology
• Knowledge of trauma-informed and mental health best practices
• Knowledge of international affairs, human rights, international humanitarian law
• Experience in a team-based management or communications role
• Effective relationship-building abilities
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Proven ability to communicate with formal institutions
• Preference will be given to candidates with lived experience
• Experience and knowledge of other cultures and languages is a plus

How to apply

Please send us your resume via email to [e-mail] or by using the apply button.