We're Hiring: Senior Director

ABOUT AVI

AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) is a multi-disciplinary community based organisation providing HIV, hepatitis C and harm reduction services out of 4 locations across Vancouver Island. We take evidence-based action to prevent infection, provide support, and reduce stigma. We work within a social justice and health promotion framework to ensure equity and access to services for all.  AVI works with diverse populations including people who are criminalized for their drug use; who have racialized identities; Indigenous persons; people living with and/or at risk of HIV and hepatitis C; LGBTQI2S+ identities; sex workers and people with disabilities. AVI has over 100 part and full time employees and currently has an annual operating budget of more than 7 million. AVI operates under a collective agreement from the BCGEU.

AVI offices are located on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, the Esquimalt (Xwsepsum) and Songhees nations, the Snuneymuxw nation, the K’ómoks First Nations, the We Wai Kai peoples and the Wei Wai Kum peoples.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Senior Director is a new role at AVI as the organization has grown (we doubled in size between 2020 and today) as part of the community based response to the toxic drug poisoning crisis. We want to fill this position with someone who is excited to grow and evolve the role and to help ensure that it is sustainable over the long term.

This position will work closely with the Executive Director to foster a supportive organizational culture that reflects the agency values and to ensure the delivery of services are aligned with our strategic goals. The Senior Director will develop strong collaborative relationships with managers to inform vision and strategy. They will work to ensure that all programs promote the dignity and respect of the people the agency serves.  The position will also assist the Executive Director in developing and maintaining stakeholder relations including with; service users, the Board of Directors, community members and funders.

The Senior Director will bring a collaborative and relational approach to the supervision of a number of agency programs. The assigned programs will be determined with the successful applicant and relevant managers.  Many or all of the following program managers may report directly to the Senior Director: Education & Health Promotion Programs, LGBTQI2S+ programs, Positive Wellness Programs, Harm Reduction Programs, Intensive Case Management (ICM) Programs, Clinic programs, Housing Overdose Prevention Programs (HOPPS), and Safe Supply programs.

This person will also take a leadership role in a number of agency wide initiatives. These may include:

  • Leading the ongoing process of decolonizing AVI’s practice and increasing diversity and inclusion.
  • Developing strategies to ensure a meaningful work environment for staff who hold multiple, intersecting identities including (but not limited to) people who use/d drugs, people with lived/living experience of HIV and hepatitis C, and LGBTQ2S+ people
  • Developing strategies to improve communication, accountability and transparency across the agency
  • Developing strategies to improve service user and staff experience

ABOUT YOU

You are someone who works from a relational perspective, is supportive and empathetic and able to uphold AVI’s values of harm reduction, social justice, trauma-informed care and cultural humility with staff and people accessing our services.  You are an experienced, resilient leader with a track record of taking a collaborative approach. You are excited to work from a sex positive, person centered and harm reduction-based approach. You are able to identify your own and others’ strengths and work to those. You are a strong communicator, with an inquisitive and open mindset who is readily able to build and maintain trust with a diverse range of people. You are also a strong administrator with the ability to manage multiple priorities.  You are highly organized and are able to bring adaptability and flexibility to a dynamic work environment. You are a strategic thinker with the ability to put sustainable vision into action.

ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE

  • 5-7 years senior management experience within a non-profit or community-based organization,
  • Demonstrated leadership with program development and supervision of diverse staff teams
  • Experience and passion for providing relational, practical and empathetic leadership and coaching to team members with diverse personal and professional experience and ability to self-reflect on the 
  • Ability to meet complex challenges with a positive, flexible, resourceful, approach
  • Prefers to work in a dynamic, informal, and relational workplace and brings an ability to self-reflect on the power the role holds in the agency
  • Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to facilitate conflict resolution, foster empathic communication and demonstrate clear boundaries
  • 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
  • Demonstrated understanding of colonialism and the ways in which historical and ongoing colonization impacts Indigenous People inter-generationally
  • Understanding of the principles of Nothing About Us Without Us and ability to consistently integrate them
  • Relevant or applicable training/experience in anti-racism and a demonstrated commitment to anti-colonial learning/unlearning
  • Demonstrated experience in managing human resources in a union environment
  • Demonstrated ability to engage and develop collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders including service users, funders, Boards of Directors, community partners
  • Strong management and administrative skills, including fund development, project coordination, report writing, budgets, evaluation etc.
  • University degree, preferably at a Masters level in relevant field i.e. Education, Social Work, or Social Sciences is an asset

BENEFITS OF WORKING AT AVI

Working for AVI means you are part of an organisation that seeks to provide equitable access to health care for people impacted by substance use, HIV and/ or hepatitis C

  • Enjoy the opportunity to develop your skills, knowledge, and career in a positive supportive work culture
  • Work as an integral part of a dynamic, supportive and collaborative team
  • 4 weeks of paid vacation, paid sick leave, Statutory holidays, Municipal Pension Plan and Extended Health benefits

To apply, please send a cover letter telling us about you and why you feel you are a good candidate for the role along a detailed resume in a single PDF to jobs@avi.org Please use Senior Director in the subject heading. If you have questions about the position, please send an email to jobs@avi.org

DEADLINE TO APPLY – 3pm on July 22, 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.