AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) is a multi‐disciplinary community-based organization providing HIV, hepatitis C, harm reduction and mental health services on Vancouver Island. AVI works within a social justice and health promotion framework to ensure equity and access to services for all. In the North Island, AVI provide services in the Comox Valley on the lands of the K'ómoks First Nation and in Campbell River on the lands of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation and Wei Wai Kai First Nation. Current programs include harm reduction education and distribution, positive wellness, health promotion, prescribed Alternatives (PA) and mental health crisis response.
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 Crisis Response Community Lead (CRCL) is a community-led mobile crisis response to mental health crises, delivered by individuals with mental health expertise and lived and living experience. The model uses a person-centered, trauma-informed approach to support individuals in crisis and connect them to appropriate community services.
CRCL operates in relationship with K'ómoks First Nation and is grounded in respectful collaboration with Indigenous partners, recognizing Indigenous governance, cultural safety, and the importance of community-informed service delivery within the territories we serve.
Job Summary
The Manager of Program Development is responsible for supporting program quality, performance, and continuous improvement within CRCL. This role helps ensure services remain aligned with CRCL standards, funder requirements, and organizational policies.
Working in shared leadership with the Manager of Program Delivery, this position contributes program monitoring, system insight, and strategic recommendations that support effective, responsive, and accountable service delivery.
The role supports program learning by participating in critical incident reviews, contributing to onboarding and training alignment, and providing program-level insight that helps strengthen practice standards and service consistency.
In addition to maintaining key community relationships, the Manager analyzes program data, service trends, and stakeholder feedback to identify opportunities for improvement and inform thoughtful, sustainable program development.
Key Responsibilities
Program Monitoring
- Monitor service data, call volume, documentation quality, and performance indicators to ensure alignment with CRCL standards.
- Identify emerging trends, service pressures, risks, and gaps impacting program delivery.
- Monitor program expenditures to ensure spending aligns with approved budgets, funding parameters, and operational priorities.
- Maintain reporting readiness and prepare concise internal summaries of program performance.
- Lead the preparation and submission of monthly and quarterly reports to funders and stakeholders, ensuring accuracy, analysis, and compliance.
- Forecast staffing and training needs based on service demand, funding parameters, and program growth.
- Organize and co-lead recruitment planning and role design to ensure workforce capacity aligns with program standards and service expectations.
- Support staff following critical incidents, including participation in structured debriefs to identify learning, risk, and quality considerations.
Quality Assurance
- Lead regular internal file reviews and documentation audits.
- Develop and maintain simple quality review tools and checklists.
- Ensure compliance with CRCL standards, funder requirements, and organizational policies.
- Identify areas requiring improvement and outline clear next steps.
- Track follow-up actions and monitor progress.
- Support preparation for funder reviews or external evaluations.
Training Development & Learning Support
- Identify training needs based on audits, service trends, and community feedback.
- Develop, organize, and facilitate internal trainings aligned with CRCL standards and best practice.
- Create and update training materials, tools, and onboarding content as needed.
- Maintain and coordinate an annual training calendar.
- Lead structured case reviews and team learning sessions.
- Evaluate training effectiveness and adjust content accordingly.
- Work collaboratively with the Manager of Program Delivery to strengthen practice consistency and skill development.
- Assist in identifying staff development needs and coordinating appropriate learning opportunities.
Staff Leadership & Program Accountability
- Assist in providing clarity regarding roles, responsibilities, and expectations within the program.
- Support the consistent interpretation and application of organizational policies and collective agreements.
- Participate in workplace reviews, investigations, and resolution processes as required.
- Contribute information and analysis related to practice standards, documentation, and program compliance during workplace investigations or labour matters.
- Contribute to establishing and reinforcing performance expectations related to quality, documentation, and professional conduct.
- Provide input into performance management processes where program standards, compliance, or training needs are identified.
- Encourage participation in quality improvement and accountability initiatives.
Community Relations & Strategic Partnerships
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with K'ómoks First Nation, ensuring respectful collaboration, ongoing communication, and alignment with Indigenous governance and priorities.
- Maintain consistent engagement at relevant community tables, inter-agency meetings, and sector forums related to crisis response and mental health.
- Represent the program in alignment with organizational values, cultural humility, and accountability.
- Develop and sustain partnerships with health services, emergency services, social service agencies, and other community stakeholders.
- Support continuity of care through appropriate coordination and information-sharing within privacy and role boundaries.
- Monitor the health of key partnerships and identify emerging relational risks or misalignment.
- Maintain clear role boundaries in community-facing work and route concerns, requests, and feedback internally for appropriate follow-up.
Collaborative Program Planning & Implementation
- Work in collaboration with the Manager of Program Delivery program leadership to identify and prioritize program improvements based on data, audits, and community feedback.
- Contribute to structured program planning processes, including evaluation, refinement of service models, and implementation planning.
- Support development of clear action plans for approved program changes.
- Assist in translating program decisions into updated tools, procedures, training, and documentation.
- Support communication of program changes internally and, where appropriate, externally.
- Monitor implementation of approved changes and identify areas requiring adjustment.
- Provides vacation and leave coverage for the Manager of Program Delivery
This is an evolving role; job duties may be subject to change as we learn from the implementation of the program.
Qualifications
Education & Experience
- Post-secondary education in social work, public health, Indigenous studies, community development, human services, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education, relevant professional experience, and/or lived experience.
- 5-7 years' progressive leadership experience in mental health and/or substance uses services, including community-based or crisis response environments.
- 5-7 years demonstrated experience supervising staff within a unionized environment and working in alignment with collective agreements.
- Experience operating within a unionized workplace, including familiarity with labor relations processes and organizational policy application.
- Proven experience providing leadership, direction, and accountability within multidisciplinary or cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated experience in inter-agency collaboration and cross-sector coordination.
- Strong ability to build and maintain respectful, trust-based relationships with diverse communities, service providers, and system partners.
- Experience preparing written summaries, briefing notes, funder reports, or narrative documentation that synthesize program data and stakeholder feedback.
- Demonstrated ability to navigate complex or sensitive workplace and community-facing situations.
- Working knowledge of privacy legislation, human rights law, and ethical information-sharing practices.
Personal Attributes & Leadership Approach
- Reflective, self-aware, and open to feedback and continuous learning.
- Emotionally steady and able to remain grounded when navigating tension, competing expectations, or public accountability.
- Organized and able to maintain consistent follow-through on stakeholder engagement and communication commitments.
- Collaborative and comfortable working in peer leadership structures where clarity of role is essential.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, social justice, and community-informed approaches to service delivery.
- Integrity-driven, with strong professional boundaries and ethical engagement practices.
- Demonstrated commitment to social justice principles and practices, including harm reduction, anti-racism, decolonization, combating stigma related to drug use, HIV, hepatitis C, and challenging gendered oppression, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia.
Job Specifics
- Schedule: 37.5 hours/week. This role operates primarily in-office with a hybrid work arrangement of approximately four days on-site and one day remote, subject to change based on program and operational needs.
- Pay: $83,947.50 annually (equivalent to $43.05 hourly rate) per the HEABC pay grid for excluded managers.
- Term: Ongoing- Subject to funding.
- Reporting: This position reports to the Director of Culture and Community Services
- Union: AVI is a union environment under the Collective Agreement: HEABC & Health Services & Support Community Subsector Association and this role is an Excluded Position.
- Benefits: This position will be eligible for extended health, life and AD&D on the 1st of the next month that starts after this position begins. AVI pays for the entire cost of the plan on behalf of its staff.
- Pension: This position is immediately eligible to join the Municipal Pension Plan. Currently, AVI contributes an additional 9.31% towards your pension account.
- Other Perks: This position gets 8% vacation (equivalent to 4 weeks, prorated for part time), has a Sick Bank of 6.9%. Sick and Vacation Banks are both accessible after your first 3 months at AVI.
- Hours of work, days off and work area may be subject to change.
This position is open until filled.
AVI is committed to equity and diversity and we strongly encourage applications from, but not limited to, folks who identify as Indigenous Persons, persons of colour, racialized, persons living with a disability, persons who use/d drugs, persons with experience of sex work, persons who live with HIV and/or hepatitis C, and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities.
Accommodation is 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.
