Manager, Homelessness Prevention and Children's Services (County of Lambton)

Job Number: J0619-0962
Job Title: Manager, Homelessness Prevention and Children's Services
Position Status: Full Time
Union: Non-Union
Division: Social Services
Facility: Lambton Shared Services Centre
City: Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Number of Positions: 1
Hours of Work: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
Wage Rate: $59.36 - $69.27/Hour
Date Posted: July 2, 2019
Closing Date: July 21, 2019
Starting Date: August 19, 2019
 
The County of Lambton is an urban-rural area in southwestern Ontario that is home to over 126,000 residents. The Corporation's seven divisions operate programs and services for the residents of Lambton County such as land ambulance, provincial offences court, three Long-Term Care Homes, 25 library branches, two museums, an art gallery, archives, local roadways, public health services, housing services, social services, building services and planning and development services. Lambton County is a community dedicated to economic growth, environmental stewardship and an enhanced quality of life through the provision of responsive and efficient services and collaborative efforts with its municipal and community partners.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Manager, Homelessness Prevention and Children’s Services ensures the effective development, management and administration of both the Homelessness Prevention Programs and the Childcare and Early Years Programs. Provides overall planning and direction for the implementation and evaluation of Lambton County’s Homelessness Prevention Initiatives and Poverty Reduction Initiatives. This position is also the lead on Social Planning for the County of Lambton. To provide leadership, guidance and direction to a team of social service professionals comprised of Supervisors, Social Planners, Case Workers, Administrative Assistant, Program Support, Data Analyst and Students.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage and Administer the Homelessness Prevention and Poverty Reduction Programs:
• Coordinate, plan direct and evaluate assigned programs and services in accordance with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing mandated programs, County policies and approved budget and community needs.
• Direct staff in the provision of Circles Poverty Reduction, Local Immigration Partnership, and Homelessness Initiatives, including Home for Good and the Community Homelessness Initiative Prevention Program, to ensure community needs are met and achievement of objectives.
• Collaborate with housing and social service stakeholders, community partners and private sector partners to develop and implement a comprehensive Housing and Homelessness Plan.
• Identify emerging trends through the analysis of policy, program parameters and legislation. Develop reports, business plans and social policy responses which facilitate action planning, community partnerships and sustainable community development.

Manage and Administer the Child Care/EarlyON and Family Centre Programs:
• Coordinate, plan, direct and evaluate assigned programs and services in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s mandated programs, County polices and approved budget and community needs.
• Direct staff in the provision of child care subsidy, wage subsidy, special needs funding, and EarlyOn programming to ensure parent and children's needs met.
• Interpret legislation and policy (Day Nurseries Act and Regulations, Child Care Modernization Act, Child Care Service Management and Funding Guideline, Provincial Policy Directives, Family Law Act,) and provide advice to staff on complex situations, including, child care fee subsidies, wage subsidies, special needs resources and EarlyOn Programming.
• Work with community partners, local Boards of Education and the broader community to develop and implement a comprehensive evidence based Child Care and Early Years’ Service System Plan. 
• Negotiate and monitor service agreements with providers and community agencies in the delivery of child care, subsidy, and funding.

Human Resource Management:
• Recruitment and hiring of Homelessness Prevention and Children’s Services staff.
• Prepare and deliver annual performance appraisals, deliver discipline and establish corrective action, staff scheduling.
• Monitor program requirements to ensure appropriate allocation and assignment of staff based on workload, licensing, provincial targets, and special project timelines 
• Compile staff training development plan.
• Ensure adherence to legislation such as Employment Standards Act, Ontario Health and Safety Act, Human Rights Code, collective agreements and County policies. 

Budget/Finance: 
• Develops, prepares and monitors operating and capital budgets, advising on budget cuts as required. 
• Reports expenditure or revenue irregularities monthly to General Manager and prepare quarterly variance reports, authorize expenditures in accordance with approved budget and county policy. 
• Develops, prepares, negotiates and monitors provincial subsidy submissions; prepares Ministry of Education, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing quarterly and year end reporting and EDU semi-annual and year end reporting. 
• Negotiate, develop and monitor agreements/contracts with Child Care Agencies, Homelessness Prevention Agencies, Child Poverty, and Circles partners, including forecast reporting and statistical reporting. 
• Complete quarterly reports for Children Services, Child Poverty, Homelessness and Social Planning Programs. 

Communication: 
• Coordinate program activities with other department Managers such as Housing Services, Ontario Works and Legal services.
• Represent municipality on external working groups at community, regional or provincial level related to policy, program management and new initiatives. 
• Liaison with community partners, consultants, and various provincial Ministries (MMAH, MCSS, EDU, MCBS, MHLTC). 
• Liaison with other County departments (e.g. Information Technology, Finance). 
• Conduct community consultations/forums following social planning protocols for community consultations to gather community input and establish partnerships with user groups and key stakeholders. 

General: 
• Incumbents must keep up-to-date on all relevant legislation, collective bargaining agreements, County Policies and Procedures, etc. ensuring that these are implemented as prescribed. 
• Incumbents must possess the physical ability to meet the duties and responsibilities of the job description and/or the requirements identified within the position's Physical Demands Analysis. 
These describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbents in this classification. They are not an exhaustive list of all job duties in the classification. Other duties may be assigned. 

Supervision Requirements
Direct Supervision: Supervisors (3), Administrative Assistant (1) 
Indirect Supervision: Approximately 22 employees in the department
Functional Supervision: None

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Formal Education:
• A university degree from an accredited post-secondary school institution in Social Sciences, Social Planning or Public Administration emphasizing planning and research, or a combination of education and experience in a relevant discipline related to the areas of service provision.

Experience:
• Five to six years of experience in the administration of social services, homelessness prevention, children's services or social planning. 
• Three to five years of similar experience at a supervisory level working in the provincial or municipal sector. 
• Comprehensive understanding of appropriate federal, provincial and municipal legislation and regulations. 
• Knowledge of the financial implications and requirements stipulated by the various statues and regulations. 
• Knowledge of local labour market and community agencies. 
• Demonstrated oral, written communication and report writing skills. 
• Strategic planning, mediation and conflict resolution, policy development, program planning and implementation, budget preparation and monitoring, administration, Human Resource planning and labour relations interpretation.
 
We ask that all applications are completed through our website www.lambtononline.ca/jobs