The Director of Programs is responsible for the implementation, management, supervision and evaluation of all the organization’s programs in accordance with the organization’s standards. As a member of the senior management team, the Director of Programs participates in strategic program planning and budgeting initiatives in addition to problem solving. He/she works within the guidelines, policies and mission of the organization and will be accountable and responsible for maintaining a positive and productive work environment and organizing specific projects as assigned. Reporting to and working cooperatively with the Executive Director.

HOURS: Full-time, 37.5 hours
SCHEDULE: Monday to Friday (9:00-5:00) on-call, evenings, weekend work required
SALARY RANGE: $58,000-$70,000 (with comprehensive benefits package)
START DATE: Mid-September

Duties and Responsibilities

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT

• Ensure the successful delivery of all RaY programs and services.
• Ensure activities operate within the ethics, policies and procedures of the organization.
• Monitor day-to-day operations in cooperation with the front line and department coordinators and their related tasks/functions.
• Accountable for the petty cash used for programming and accurate reporting of all expenditures to the Office Manager.
• Ensure that program activities and staff comply with all relevant legislation and professional standards.
• Coordinate the delivery of services among different program activities to increase effectiveness and efficiency; including chairing weekly case management meetings.
• Immediate reporting of incidents relating to the safety of participants, staff and agency to the Executive Director, in particular when police/emergency services are called upon.
• Ensure that all employees have the equipment, resources, tools, training, and information needed to carry out their function.
• For participants, work in consultation with the Executive Director to determine appropriate participant disciplinary action in response to incidents.
• Be available to mitigate incidents with staff during off hours.
• Develop and maintain the operations manual including safety protocols for staff and participants.
• Update resource referral bank and ensure staff are familiar with community resources;
• Support the Executive Director and Information Manager in operationalizing strategic and program planning.
• Support the Information Manager in compiling regular/monthly program reports for the Executive Director and Board of Directors.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• Direct, plan, mentor and coordinate the work of the program staff including direction, input, supervision and evaluation, training and team building.
• Ensure adequate and qualified employees carry out the program activities safely.
• In consultation with the Executive Director and department Managers/Coordinators, the Director of Programs is responsible for the selection, hiring, coaching, discipline, probationary and termination processes of the program employees.
• Prepare and monitor staff schedule in an effort to provide the utmost access to street youth.
• In consultation with the Office Manager ensure employees are using the correct number of vacation days, sick days and banked time.
• Evaluate all program employees’ performance annually through a fair and objective review process.
• Ensure that personnel files for the program employees are up-to-date and are properly maintained.
• Coordinate, support and monitor individual professional development plans for program staff in consultation with the Executive Director.
• Ensure human resource policies, procedures and practices of the organization are followed in accordance with labour laws, human rights, current legislation and agency mandate.

RISK MANAGEMENT

• Able to identify, assess and prioritize risks.
• Able to deploy resources to minimize, monitor and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events.
• Understanding emergency service protocol.
• Effective writing of incident reports.

STAFF TRAINING

• Ensure that all program employees receive an appropriate orientation to the organization and the programs, organizational standards and operating protocol, including the processes of critical case management.
• Ensure that all employees understand the principles and mandates of the organization, and their specific duties and responsibilities.
• Ensure that front line employees are appropriately trained, including: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, Brief Intervention Training, mental health first, CPR/First Aid, motivational interviewing, conflict resolution, and CMHA’s Hearing Voices training.
• Ensure employees have CPIC and Child Abuse Registry checks.
• Facilitate up to date training opportunities in regards to current issues and arising trends.

COMMUNICATION/COORDINATION

• Ensure that all communication pathways are open and functional within the organization.
• Schedule and chair daily morning meetings and daily shift change meetings to ensure all essential communication is transferred successfully.
• Schedule and chair monthly departmental meetings to maintain effective communication and promote cohesion between departments at RaY.
• Schedule and attend quarterly organizational meetings (RaY Days) to maintain effective communication
• Schedule meetings with individual employees , as requested/required
• Ensure regular communication with the Executive Director regarding agency trends, participants’ statistics, human resource issues, critical incidents and other agency issues.
• Scheduling and organizing resource meetings introducing RaY employees to external agencies to facilitate partnerships.
• Ensure that the staff are submitting are professional, including the encouragement of high quality data.
• Build relationships and develop partnership strategies with relevant community stakeholders.
• Communicate with participants and other stakeholders to gain community support for the program.
• Ensure regular staff communication and information dissemination.

REPORTING

• Report program activities to the Executive Director and recommend changes to enhance the program as appropriate.
• Create monthly Program Reports for the Board of Directors including:
• Human Resources
• Programs Summary
• Trends
• Incidents
• Risk Management

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• In cooperation with Executive Director and Office Manager develop an annual program budget for all programs.
• Using reports provided by the Office Manager, ensure that the programs operate within approved budgets.
• Support the Information Manager in developing funding proposals for programs to ensure the continuous delivery of services.
• Support the Information Manager in the management of Service Purchase Agreements.

PROGRAM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Plan the delivery of programs and their activities in accordance with the mission and the goals of the organization and participants’ needs in keeping with agency principles.
• Observe trends amongst participants and respond accordingly to identify areas for program improvement.
• Work collaboratively with Departmental Managers/Coordinators to continually measure the effectiveness of programs and develop new program initiatives to support the strategic direction of the organization.
• Monitor program activities on a regular basis.
• Continually seek out and establish new resources for participants.
• Responsible for the collection, accuracy and maintenance of records on the participants of the program for statistical purposes according to the confidentiality/privacy policy of the organization and per funding protocol.

YOUTH CARE

• To have a keen awareness of internal and external resources, such as government systems and mechanisms experienced for participants and an ability to establish interim resources where gaps exist.
• The ability to build trusting relationships with participants in a non-judgmental and non-threatening basis, in alignment with RaY values and principles.
• To impart information and direction that will empower participants to make informed decisions in the hopes of improving their quality of life.
• To advocate on behalf of participants on a case by case basis with various “Systems” i.e. Child and Family Services, Employment and Income Assistance, Legal Aid, Health, Addictions, Justice etc.
• To effectively engage in conflict resolution, systems navigation and problem solving.
• Responsible for leading overall youth care environment in the agency.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Participate in community tables deemed appropriate.
• Establish and maintain good community relations and have a keen awareness of community resources to support participants and programs.
• Engage with the community through public speaking engagements and or board or coalition membership.
• Initiate and contribute to program partnership development with other Program Directors/Senior Operation Managers in local agencies to strengthen service provision for youth.

Education & Experience

• Undergraduate University degree in a related field, Master’s degree preferred.
• 3 to 5 years’ experience in a related field, working with marginalized populations
• 5 years of experience working in a management role, or a suitable combination of relevant education and experience.
• Criminal Record Check, Child Abuse Check and Driver’s Abstract

Knowledge

• Program development, implementation and management;
• A strong level of understanding of the issues in following subject areas:
• Poverty and issues of social marginalization including systemic causes of youth homelessness and current solutions;
• Indigenous history, intergenerational trauma and the effects of Canada’s colonial history;
• Mental health issues and co-occurring disorders;
• Youth homelessness and the Housing First framework;
• Child/youth risk/protective factors;
• Harm reduction;
• Strength-based youth care and youth engagement strategies;
• Determinants of health;
• Community development
• Knowledge of the not-for-profit sector and government in Manitoba
• Understanding of financial statements and budgeting

Personal Characteristics

• Demonstrates integrity: understands ethical behaviour and maintains strong professional and personal boundaries.
• Exceptional leadership: able to positively influence others to achieve results that are in the best interest of the organization.
• Youth Driven: Ability to understand and respond to the needs of youth and participants with a non-judgmental attitude.
• Fosters Relationships and Teamwork: ability to establish positive relationships with others and work collaboratively to enhance organizational effectiveness.
• Solves Problems: Excellence in problem solving and collaborative decision making with superior conflict resolution and mediation skills.
• Communicates effectively: Speak, listen and write in a clear, thorough and timely manner using appropriate and effective communication tools and techniques;
• Plans and Organizes: Able to set priorities, develop strategic plans, goals, and implement action plans while evaluating processes and results

Skills

• Thorough understanding of effective HR practices and policies in Manitoba
• Proficiency in MS Office suite (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel);
• Prolific writer, experience with grant writing preferred
• Program and community development experience
• Financial management and planning ability
• Superior time management skills

RaY is committed to representing diversity among our staff and volunteers. Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.

Please email your Cover Letter and CV to employment at rayinc.ca by September 2nd, 2016. We will contact you if we wish to set up an interview.

SOURCE: Resource Assistance for Youth, Inc.