Job posting: Enhanced Harm Reduction Service Coordinator, AVI Nanaimo


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 more than 500 people living with HIV and hepatitis C and more than 3000 harm reduction clients. We work within a social justice and health promotion framework – ensuring equity and access to services for all – and from a harm reduction perspective, understanding that clients are the best sources of knowledge regarding the services and supports they need. AVI provides comprehensive, accessible and effective education, prevention, care, treatment and support services to residents of Vancouver Island with offices in Victoria, the Westshore, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley and Campbell River. For more info see: www.avi.org

AVI Health Centre is a Community Health Centre (CHC) in Nanaimo. We provide Primary Care, HIV, Substance Use, STBBI, PrEP, PEP, and HCV medical services, as well as outreach, supports, and social programming for our clients. We also provide education services for the communities we support and for health and social services students and professionals that work with the same communities. Our Health Centre is located on the Snuneymuxw territories.

Join our supportive, dedicated and client-centred team in promoting the health, dignity and well-being of all people affected by HIV, HCV and substance use by delivering sex-positive and harm reduction-based education, prevention and/or support services.

The Enhanced Harm Reduction Service is a SAFER Initiative that is a flexible, community-based, harm reduction program, integrated into our CHC to provide pharmaceutical alternatives to the toxic street drug supply.

 

Job Summary:

The Enhanced Harm Reduction Service Coordinator provides support and supervision of non‐clinical SAFER staff and the daily operations of the program. This job is located in Nanaimo.

The Enhanced Harm Reduction Service Coordinator 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 Enhanced Harm Reduction Service Team Lead supports staff who hold multiple, intersecting identities.

The Enhanced Harm Reduction Service Coordinator will work closely with the Clinical Nurse Lead, who oversees clinical services and staff, and in collaboration with the Community Health Centre Management Team to align with the program’s strategic goals and operational requirements. This position reports to the Community Health Centre Director.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Supports staff in the daily operations of the Program, including spending time in the clinic space to support to frontline staff, monitoring and ordering supplies, monitoring workplace safety and facilities.
  • Engages with staff to establish empathic supervisory relationships with clear and mutually‐defined boundaries. Supervision will be grounded in harm reduction, understandings of the impacts of trauma and violence, and include mentoring, feedback and skills development.
  • Supports staff through regular one‐on‐one and team meetings, and problem‐solves challenging situations that arise.
  • Contributes to mentorship and modeling of practice for staff that is in line with principles of social justice, trauma‐informed care and cultural humility.
  • Works with the Enhanced Harm Reduction Service to provide psychosocial support to program participants.
  • Follows up on performance concerns and acts on disciplinary process when necessary.
  • Maintains the safety of all program spaces by following protocols related to violence prevention and critical incidents
  • Develops, implements and maintains administrative and operational policies and procedures.
  • Develops and maintains relationships with community partners, including participating in relevant internal and external committees.
  • Prepares statistical and program information in collaboration with the CHC Director.
  • Tracks and responds to issues raised by the Occupational Health and Safety committee and implement recommendations.
  • Performs related duties as required.

 

Qualifications:

  • University degree at bachelor’s level in relevant field i.e. Education, Social Work, 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.
  • Experience delivering harm reduction programming and services directly with program clients/participants.
  • Demonstrated commitment to social justice principles and practices, including harm reduction, anti‐ racism, decolonization, combating stigma related to drug use, HIV, heterosexism, HCV, and ableism.
  • Experience working in solidarity with diverse populations including people who are criminalized for their drug use; people who are denied housing/precariously housed/warehoused; racialized identities; Indigenous & Metis persons; LGBTQI2S+ identities; sex workers; people with disabilities.
  • Relevant or applicable training/experience in anti‐racism and a demonstrated commitment to anti‐ colonial learning/unlearning.
  • Strong analysis of colonialism and the ways in which historical and ongoing colonization impacts Indigenous People intergenerationally.
  • Knowledge of local Indigenous and non‐Indigenous social services including housing, income and food security supports that may benefit persons served.
  • Demonstrated experience in managing human resources in a union environment.
  • 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 an asset.

 

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 continuing and on‐going impact of colonization, and anti‐colonial, anti‐racist practices and principles.
  • 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 utilizing non‐violent communication.
  • 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 the Enhanced Harm Reduction Service, occasionally accompany staff on community outreach, and work off‐site either from a home office or co‐working space.

 

Position Details:

  • Hours and Schedule: This position is a 30 hour per week position with shifts Monday to Thursday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.
  • Term: This position is being hired to start as soon as possible and runs until September 30, 2023.
  • Reports to: This position reports to the Community Health Care Director.
  • Pay: Grid 38 + 10%: $31.42 per hour (at step 1)
  • Benefits: This position will be eligible for extended health, life and AD&D coverage after 488 hours with AVI.  AVI pays for the entire cost of the plan on behalf of its staff.
  • Pension: If you are already a member of the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP), you can continue with them at AVI immediately. At this time, AVI contributes an additional 9.31% towards your pension account.
  • Other Perks: This position gets 6% vacation (equivalent of 3 weeks), and accrues a Sick Bank of 6.9%.  Sick and Vacation Days are both available to be used after your first 488 hours at AVI.

 

Other Perks: This position gets 6% vacation (equivalent of 3 weeks), and accrues a Sick Bank of 6.9%. Sick and Vacation Days are both available to be used after your first 488 hours at AVI.

To Apply: Please send your resume to [email protected] by 5 PM on Tuesday, May 10th, 2022.

We strongly encourage applications from, but not limited to, folks who identify as Queer, who are living with or at risk of HIV, who identify as Indigenous, as a person of colour, as a person who is racialized, as a person living with a disability, as a person who uses or used drugs, as a person with experience engaging in sex work, as a person who lives with HCV, and/or persons who represent a diversity of sexual orientations and genders.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

We would like to thank all those that apply but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

 

View posting on AVI site.