About this Role
Directions Youth Services is a division of Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV), which for more than 90 years has provided a variety of essential resources for children, families and individuals in the Greater Vancouver community. We believe in the resiliency of Vancouver’s youth who are at-risk, homeless, and street-involved. We assist youth under the age of 25 to get counselling for trauma, mental health or substance issues. Our teams strive to create spaces and build connections with youth who are facing challenges of street life, substance use, mental health concerns, and disconnection from their communities. Directions inclusive programs of shelter and drop-in, safe houses and other unique programs are committed to being a community leader in harm reduction work and fostering low-barrier spaces where all youth are welcome.
Working within the mission, vision, values and person-centered philosophy of the Agency, the Directions Kitchen Supervisor is responsible for the provision and management of effective and accessible pantry and kitchen programs for Centre youth. This leadership position will consist of supervising a team of kitchen staff and volunteers and working with a variety of unhoused youth struggling with substance use, including those who are neurodiverse and/or face emotional/social challenges. The focus of this position is to increase participant capacity to prepare healthy, low-cost meals while reducing isolation levels and increasing social and community connections. The position actively supports the Agency’s awareness and goals around diversity, inclusion justice and equity.
This position reports directly to the Centre Manager.
About our Opportunity:
Our Valued Benefits:
- Starting at three weeks’ vacation for full-time staff growing to more +
- Three paid household leave days a year
- Two paid Wellness Days a year
- Paid sick days
- Two and a half paid Agency days for full-time staff
- Five paid days for education leave/year
- One paid Moving Day/year
- Subsidized professional association annual dues (if applicable)
- A work culture that values transparency, teamwork, learning, fairness and integrity
Health and Wellness Resources:
- Generous health/dental benefits after 3 months.
- Three flex benefit options to meet your individualized needs
- Option of psychological/counselling services (up to $1500/year)
- Employee Assistance Plan
- Long Term Disability Plan
- Insurance, Travel insurance, ++
Pension: Pension plan enrollment for eligible employees
Work Hours: 37.5 hours/week. Sunday – Wednesday, 2:00pm-10:00pm, Thursday 11:00am-7:00pm.
Salary: Salary Grade 11 Step 1 - $32.04/hour, equivalent of $62,478 annual salary
Location : Directions Youth Services Centre, 1138 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Position Start Date: A.S.A.P.
Posting End Date: February 2, 2024.
What you bring:
- Facilitate and manage the Directions Centre Pantry and Kitchen program for diverse populations of youth by creating friendly, safe and non-judgmental environments that promote connections amongst members and community inclusion.
- Plan and develop healthy and economical menus and recipes, and purchase food, supplies and equipment for the kitchen.
- Ensuring FoodSafe cleaning standards are met in the kitchen and pantry program.
- Engage in outreach and promotion activities in community to maximize participant attendance, community awareness of kitchen and pantry programs, and community partnerships.
- Organize logistics of kitchen programs by solicitation and pick-up of donations and goods. Work closely with Fund Development to track and manage all donations. Drive Agency vehicle to pick up donations.
- Work closely with Fund Development to plan and facilitate corporate group volunteer opportunities in the kitchen.
- Liaise and coordinate services with community partners such as Greater Vancouver Food Bank, among others, and participate in relevant food security meetings and community events.
- Provide leadership to the team through recruitment, development, and supervision of two Food Program Assistants, and additional relief staff and volunteers. Includes participation in interviewing and evaluation of staff performance and professional development.
- Collect participant data and feedback from Kitchen/Pantry programming; complete required program documentation, reports, and forms; and submit information on program statistics on a regular basis.
- Authorize and manage expenditures within the existing assigned budget and make budget recommendations.
- Support Centre Manager in seeking and securing grants and funding sources for Kitchen/Pantry program.
- Coordinate and evaluate programming to ensure clients’ needs and required staffing levels are being met.
Education, Training, Experience
- Post-secondary education in Social Work, Youth Work, Child and Youth Care, and/or Nutrition- Health-Cooking, with minimum of two years’ direct experience in kitchens or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
- One year supervisory experience.
- Current Food Safe Level 1 certification.
- Minimum of two years removed from homelessness, street life, addiction, and/or other connected, relevant life experience.
- Lived experience is considered an asset.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
- Knowledge of substance use, mental health, and sexual exploitation; knowledge of and belief in the Harm Reduction model
- Extensive knowledge of healthy eating practices and nutrition, menu planning, low-cost shopping and effective budgeting practices, financial literacy as it relates to food programs.
- Demonstrated knowledge of safe and proper food preparation practices.
- Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position including lifting donations up to 20kg.
- Ability to take a leadership role within kitchen program and broader Directions programming, and work in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team.
- Ability to effectively support and supervise volunteers and staff.
- Knowledge of the ongoing and systemic impacts of colonization
- Knowledge of how systems impact and make vulnerable individuals and communities
- Ability to deal effectively with conflict situations, manage aggressive behaviour, and use non-violent crisis intervention and behavioural management techniques
Additional Requirements
- Successful completion of a Criminal Record Check
- Valid BC Class 5 Driver’s Licence (or Canadian equivalent)
- Successful clearance of ICBC Driver’s Abstract
- Proof of Covid-19 vaccination status will be required
How to apply:
If this describes you, please submit your application to us through our website, https://fsgv.ca/careers/ Competition #5-23
