Manager, Addiction Services (ACSS) Kitchener, ON, Canada

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!

Concurrent Supportive Housing (CSH) worksto provide addiction counselling and support to individuals living in a supportive housing environment. A housing first model, this program aims to support those actively seeking to make change to their substance use, as well as support those whose substance use may be affecting their ability to remain housed.

Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinics are a walk-in clinic for those concerned with their substance use and seeking support. We provide low-barrier, quick access to addiction medicine providers, addiction counsellors and peer workers for individuals looking to explore or make changes to their substance use.

Community Withdrawal Support services (CWSS) is a short-term service that offers an alternative to live-in withdrawal management programs for individuals anticipating that they will experience mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms. Participants in this program receive support from an addiction counsellor as they withdraw from substances in a community setting.

We are hiring for a Manager, Addiction Services position for the Addiction Community Support Services (ACSS) program. ACSS is comprised of CSH, RAAM and CWSS. The Manager will possess and utilize their passion for coaching and developing people and teams. They will provide leadership for the programs and the teams by providing support to the supervisory and direct service teams while coordinating the daily operations of the programs.

This is a contract position, starting as soon as possible (ASAP) until approximately January 15, 2028. This is a full-time position (37.5 hours per week). Schedule is generally Monday to Friday, daytime hours, with flexibility to meet program needs. Successful completion of a Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector) required pre-employment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and support the Supervisors as well as their teams (staff, volunteers and students) working within assigned programs, including coaching and development, team dynamics, conflict management etc.
• Responsible for all aspects of leading a team including recruitment, retention, training and onboarding, supervision, performance assessment, development and management
• 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
• Responsible for all aspects of program operation including program development and review, program budget, allocation of resources, and relationships with funders and community partners, staff and participant safety
• Responsible for all aspects of program data collection including completing audits of staff logs and running reports to ensure data collected is reliable and valid
• Responsible for ongoing program evaluation and quality improvement, leading program reviews and program evaluation initiatives
• Maintain high level proficiency with respect to confidentiality in compliance with Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)
• Create reports and proposals to support or source funding. Responsible for the management financial functions
• Responsible for property management functions
• Collaborate with partners and agencies to increase opportunities for innovation and positively affect outcomes
• Represent House of Friendship at various community development and neighbourhood related meetings and community forums; bringing relevant issues and solutions to the conversation
• Take a lead role in community consultation and community leadership development initiatives
• Maintaining partnerships, presence at appropriate community tables/communities of practice
• On-call responsibilities for after-hours emergency crisis
• Committed to service integration internally/externally

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills

• Sensitivity to and knowledge of issues relating to and impacting on all genders and all marginalized populations
• Very strong leadership, team building and decision making skills required including demonstrated strength in coaching and developing people and teams
• Experience with coaching and mentoring for personal growth and development, including the ability to coach others through conflict
• Commitment to work with and support training of students, volunteers and new employees as required
• Demonstrated skill in building and maintaining productive relationships (staff, community partners, funders)
• Demonstrated ability to calmly problem-solve in a fast-paced, sometimes stressful environment
• Passion for utilizing innovative approaches to providing supports in addiction treatment settings
• Knowledge of complementary therapies is preferred
• Demonstrated capacity for accurate and efficient documentation and computer data entry
• Commitment to stage matched, strengths based, person-centred quality psychotherapy services
• Advanced knowledge of and training in substance abuse and recovery issues
• Knowledge of Ministry of Health and Long Term Care requirements
• Knowledge of local community agencies and resources is an asset
• Commitment to ongoing professional development and training
• Ability to accept and apply feedback and take initiative
• Group facilitation and management skills
• Familiarity with data collection tools used to set and monitor targets and support improvement

Education/Experience

• University degree in Social Work, Counselling or related field of study
• Professional registration, in good standing, as either a Social Worker or Social Service Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) or a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)
• Minimum 3 years leadership experience, developing, leading and coaching a team required
• Knowledge of substances, problematic substance use, recovery oriented interventions, evidence informed practices and clinical treatment modalities, including but not limited to Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy required
• Experience with collaboration, program development and program implementation
• Experience providing clinical supervision

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 professionally as a team member with staff, participants and community members
• 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
• Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural background, income levels, and sensitivity to their needs
• 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
• Must be dependable, professional, flexible, a team player, and have a positive attitude
• Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges
• Excellent project, timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics and planning and detailed record keeping
• Able 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
• Act as a change agent; contributing to continuous improvement and the successful implementation of change initiatives

Compensation

At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

Time off includes vacation pay and 2 personal days per year

Employee & Family Assistance Program

Rate of Pay

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 6 (Manager I)

Min: $34.62

Mid: $39.36

Max: $44.09

Working Conditions

• Generally daytime hours with pre-planned evening and weekend hours to support the 24/7 operation of services, as needed
• On call 24/7 for program leadership and direction during times of crisis in some programs
• Intensive contact with program participants required
• Encountering participants at program sites under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness to be expected
• Travel within Waterloo Region and Wellington County required for some programs

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.