Program Supervisor – Red Deer, AB
This is not a daycare, day home, or early childhood education environment.
This role supports youth with complex behavioural needs, significant trauma histories, emotional dysregulation, and high-acuity support requirements. Many of the youth in our care require therapeutic crisis intervention, medication administration, behavioural support planning, and consistent trauma-informed responses during escalated situations.
If your experience has primarily been in daycare, preschool, or traditional childcare settings, this role will be very different from what you may be used to.
This is not a sit-back-and-manage role. This is for someone who leads from the floor, not the sidelines.
You will work directly “in-ratio” alongside frontline Child and Youth Care Workers while also overseeing the day-to-day operation of the program. That means actively supporting youth during difficult moments, coaching staff in real time, responding to critical incidents, ensuring documentation and reporting standards are met, and helping create stability in a high-needs environment.
This Role Requires
- Confidence and experience working with high intensity specialized programming, complex behaviours, and trauma
- Experience supporting escalated youth safely and therapeutically
- Medication management experience
- Critical Incident Reporting knowledge
- Strong leadership under pressure
- The ability to stay calm, regulated, and professional in unpredictable situations
- A hands-on leadership style
If you are the kind of leader who builds trust through presence, earns respect through action, and isn’t afraid to step into hard moments with youth who need consistency the most… keep reading.
If you are looking for something predictable, low-demand, hands-off, or primarily administrative, this will not be the right fit.
Schedule
- Full-time, permanent
- Days: 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- In Ratio Rotation: 6 days on, 3 days off
- On-call rotation required
Why This Role Matters
You’ll know you’re doing this right when:
- A youth who struggles to trust adults starts opening up to you
- A difficult moment de-escalates because of your presence
- Your team begins to mirror your approach, your calm, and your standards
This work is demanding. It will stretch your patience, your creativity, and your leadership. But it will also give you the chance to make a lasting impact in a child’s life, and to lead a team doing the same.
What You’ll Do
On the Floor
- Provide direct, trauma-informed care to children and youth
- Build trust through consistency, engagement, and genuine connection
- Support youth through crisis using de-escalation and intervention strategies
- Create meaningful moments, play, teach, guide, and support daily routines
- Document observations and progress with accuracy and care
Leadership & Operations
- Lead, coach, and mentor a team of CYCWs
- Set and maintain high standards of care through role modeling
- Support scheduling, staffing, and day-to-day program operations
- Collaborate with internal teams (People & Culture, Finance, Communications)
- Partner with families, caregivers, and external stakeholders
- Ensure safety, compliance, and program consistency
- Participate in on-call support rotation
What You Bring
Core Requirements
- 3+ years of direct care experience with children and youth (developmental disabilities and/or mental health needs)
- 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience in front-line care
- Post-secondary education in Child and Youth Care, Social Work, or related field
- Experience working with Children and Family Services, FSCD, or PDD
What Sets You Apart
- You lead by example, not just direction
- You stay calm, grounded, and decisive in high-stress situations
- You balance structure with empathy, firm, but fair
- You genuinely enjoy engaging with youth (sports, games, life skills, connection)
- You are solution-focused and growth-oriented
- You understand (or are committed to learning) trauma-informed care and child development
Assets (Nice to Have)
- Trauma-Informed Care training
- Suicide Prevention training
- Mental Health First Aid
- Brain Story Certification
Requirements (Must have)
- Valid Alberta Class 5 Driver’s License
- 3-year Alberta Driver’s Abstract
- Reliable 4-door vehicle
- Alberta Vehicle Registration
- $2 Million Alberta Auto insurance liability
- Clear Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector (within 5 months)
- Clear Intervention Record Check (within 5 months)
- Standard/Intermediate First Aid with CPR Level C
Physical Requirements
You must be able to:
- Stay active throughout your shift (walking, standing, engaging)
- Support physical environments indoors and outdoors
- Bend, crouch, and respond quickly when needed
- Lift up to 10 lbs occasionally
- Maintain energy and presence for the duration of your shift
What You Get
- Health, dental, and vision benefits
- Employee & Family Assistance Program
- Group RRSP matching (after one year)
- Ongoing training & professional development
- Cornell University TCI Certification
- Access to innovative care technology + mobile tools
- A collaborative, supportive team environment
- Real opportunities for growth within a rapidly expanding organization
Who This Is For
This role is for someone who:
- Wants to lead and stay connected to the work
- Finds purpose in supporting youth with complex needs
- Is ready to be relied on, by both their team and the children in their care
Who This Is Not For
This role is not for someone who:
- Prefers hands-off or administrative leadership
- Is uncomfortable with crisis situations or behavioural challenges
- Is looking for a low-demand or routine position
We take our responsibility seriously, the children and youth we support deserve consistency, safety, and care they can trust. If you are ready to step into a role that will challenge you, grow you, and allow you to make a real impact, we’d love to hear from you.
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