Position: Team Supervisor

Location: Thunder Bay

Reports to: Director, Programs and Services

Context

The Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy (Oahas) is an Indigenous-led organization committed to promoting and supporting healthy, thriving Indigenous communities through providing culturally grounded education and access to harm reduction to reduce the transmission of HIV and other STBBIs in our communities. Oahas operates based on the principles of Greater Involvement of People living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA), Meaningful Engagement of People living with HIV/AIDS (MEPA), “nothing about us without us”, Indigenous harm reduction, and respect for our cultural knowledges and teachings. These foundational principles guide all aspects of our relationships and work.

Organizational Values

Oahas' organizational values are Autonomy and self-determination, Accessibility, Innovation, Justice, Connection, Accountability, Hope and Advocacy. Based on our organizational values, we have developed agency wide accountability behaviours that are shared with all Oahas staff and used as part of our performance evaluation tools. These include engaging in the work using direct communication, kindness, generosity of spirit and respect.

Summary

Working as part of an integrated services team, the Team Supervisor ensures that services are operating effectively in keeping within operational goals and planning. This role and its functions are located across Oahas program sites. With support and guidance from the Oahas Central office, the Team Supervisor is expected to manage the local team matters at the site they are located. We anticipate an approximately time breakdown as follows:

• 40% of the time is spent on staff supervision and overseeing and managing service delivery;
• 30% of the time on administration including finances, timesheets, internal meetings, and reporting;
• 30% of the time engaging with community through service provision and attending partnership meetings or committees.

Guided by a strengths-based multidisciplinary approach, rooted Oahas' values, this position will work closely with Indigenous communities to be responsive to their needs and desires, as it relates to providing cultural programming, HIV & HCV education and prevention, access to testing and treatment, and linkage to care and other health services. This position is expected to actively engage with community members, volunteers, staff, Knowledge Carriers, and partnering agencies to strengthen the health and well-being Indigenous people living with or at risk of acquiring HIV and HCV. This role has financial and budgeting responsibilities. Regular travel is required, along with some evening and weekend work.

Key Responsibilities

Community and Client Services

• Lead the delivery of culturally grounded and safe services while increasing and maintaining community engagement in Oahas' local programs and services. This includes providing direct support to community members from time to time.
• Implement assessment methods to monitor the effectiveness of service delivery while maintaining policies, procedures, standards and guidelines to ensure that services are effective.
• Advocate through presentations, sessions, workshops and training to service providers and institutions to increase better quality of care for Indigenous people accessing both mainstream and Indigenous specific services.
• Network and collaborate locally and regionally to ensure access to improved, culturally grounded, safe, and inclusive services and supports offered by Indigenous and non- Indigenous agencies/institutions, AIDS Service Organizations and, individuals including Knowledge Carriers and Elders.
• Working with a collaborative team lead by research, stay current with epidemiological trends and statistics relevant to Indigenous people and support the integration of new knowledge to inform local work planning. This may include staying up to date in new developments in the field such as vaccines, criminalization of HIV, new trends or sector changes affecting Indigenous access to care, treatment, support, etc.
• Supervise the delivery of services related to Indigenous harm reduction, universal precautions, modes of transmission, safer sex, cultural awareness, Indigenous history, Indigenous awareness, two-spirit awareness, youth-specific awareness, trans awareness, LGQBT awareness, women's awareness, sex-work, HIV and pregnancy, co-morbidities.
• Where resources are available, support the development and delivery of outreach and community-based HIV & HCV testing expansion through mobile outreach services.

People Leadership and Supervision

• Strengthen and support the development of healthy team dynamics, while supervising the building of service volume within assigned region.
• Ensure staff and teams work effectively and efficiently towards meeting annual planning goals tied to the Oahas operational plan and strategic plan. Support staff with the development of annual program work plans.
• Manage related recruitment and supervision for the assigned team, including conducting hiring processes, assigning work responsibilities, providing orientation, training and ongoing coaching, support, and performance evaluation.
• Participate in team and management discussions aimed at strengthening services. Including attending regular management meetings.
• Create an environment among staff team(s) that promotes trust, open communication, creative and analytical thinking and a cohesive team effort.
• Build collaboration and trust, communicate effectively, resolve problems and respond to the concerns of staff and volunteers in their area of responsibility.
• Where funding is available, oversee the development/delivery of Indigenous harm reduction peer services in the region.

Budgeting and Administration

• Prepare budgets and monitor expenses, review and submit team expense requests. Keeping within the parameters set by funding guidelines and the agency.
• Ensure service monitoring is completed, including tracking data, statistical analysis of data submission to funding partners as required. Coordinate data collection and support the completion of our regular reports (OCHART reporting). This includes ensuring all staff enter OCASE, OCHART and NEO data in a timely manner.
• Provide back-up to other members of the management team as required.
• Ensure proper file maintenance and records management.
• Provide leadership and direction for Board or staff committees, when required.
• Other duties as assigned by Senior Management.

Qualifications 

• Competency and deep understanding of Indigenous culture and ways, teachings, and history. Ideally, you are someone who is well along in their personal journey.
• Experience with the delivery of community-based, social services, health, or cultural services.
• Passion for nurturing culturally appropriate, community participation and modelling effective leadership within the Indigenous communities.
• Prefer a diploma or degree in a relevant field and/or a combination of related experience.
• Demonstrated 1-3 years of management experience along with ability to build trust, strengthen communication, create teamwork, establish partnerships on a regional level. Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor and supervise staff and volunteers. Excellent personal and professional boundaries.
• Ability to exercise tact, diplomacy and respect when communicating with the Indigenous communities, stakeholders, other agencies and external contacts.
• Strong planning, organizational and decision-making skills.

• Expertise in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to work outside regular working hours as required, travel throughout the province will be required which may include evening and weekends.
• Valid Ontario G driver's license, reliable vehicle, and relevant insurance.
• Ability to speak an Indigenous language is an asset.

Oahas is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to build an inclusive workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the communities in which we live. To this end, we strongly encourage applications from persons with lived experience with drug use, sex work, homelessness, street involvement; those living with HIV/HCV; members of 2SLGBTQ communities, Indigenous people, members of diverse ethno-cultural communities, and persons with dis/abilities.

This posting will remain open until filled.