ABOUT THE JOB

The Provincial Manager, IRAS, is responsible for supporting the launch, expansion and maintenance of a new province-wide independent rights advice service for involuntary patients under the Mental Health Act. The role is responsible for leading a provincial operations team at CMHA BC and working collaboratively with a group of organizational partners to deliver the service. While regional partners become established, the provincial office may also be involved in direct service delivery.

At CMHA BC, the Provincial Manager, IRAS and their staff will be responsible for providing backbone support related to IT, human resources, funding, evaluation, service standards and training for the provincial service and providing regional coverage whenever there is a gap in coverage.

The service will be designed and delivered using a partnership model that brings together multiple organizations and stakeholders. This role will be a keystone to the model. Success in the role will require an appreciation of collaboration and sharing power, recognition of multiple forms of expertise and knowledge, comfort with ongoing learning, and the ability to solve problems in a relational and effective way.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

IRAS Governance Committee and Partnership Support

• Provide backbone support for the IRAS Governance Committee, which is made up of Indigenous-led organizations, people with lived and living experience of involuntary treatment, stakeholders involved in mental health human rights, and other partners.
• Support strong communication among provincial implementation staff, regional partners, and the IRAS Governance Committee.
• Help identify risks and problems for the IRAS Governance Committee to advise on and support the Committee with the tools to address issues collaboratively.

Service Development and Implementation

• Design staffing models that make the most sense for IRAS and service-user needs.

• Develop and oversee all subcontracts with IRAS partners and vendors to ensure consistent and high-quality service throughout the province.

• Support contract renewals and discussions with the government funder related to deliverables and timelines.

• Develop and implement IRAS service standards, a quality assurance framework, privacy protocols, staff safety standards, a complaints process, business continuity and risk-management planning, moral-distress support and other operational policies and manuals to support the IRAS service.

• Support collaborative and responsive problem-solving and service adaptation as needed, especially during initial implementation and service change or expansion.

• To improve service rollout issues, meet with health authorities and designated facilities, relevant ministries, complaint bodies, legal aid and advocacy organizations, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders as needed. Troubleshoot concerns and escalate when warranted.

• Oversee the development and maintenance of IRAS IT infrastructure including the public information website (content developed by a partner), intake and scheduling tools, information management database, and a shared online platform for service providers, patients, families and Rights Advisors.

• Lead educational presentations for healthcare providers and government administrators (at the facility level, regional level and provincial level) and other community partners impacted by IRAS.

• Act as primary contact for government staff overseeing IRAS contract, including providing reporting data or briefing notes as needed.

• Contribute to evaluation(s) of the IRAS service.

• Support the education and training components of the service including the creation of education materials for the public on the website.

• Lead the development of operational training for Rights Advisors (onboarding and ongoing) that is complementary to the primary skills training offered by partners.

Human Resources and Fiscal Management

• Support the recruitment, supervision and support of the IRAS operations team at CMHA BC.
• Co-design a shared Rights Advisor job description and contribute to the recruitment processes of IRAS positions at regional partner organizations as needed.
• Recruit and retain Rights Advisors at CMHA BC for regions with no subcontractor.
• Co-lead budget development in collaboration with the departmental director.
• Support the IRAS Operations Supervisor in managing distress and moral distress among IRAS staff and in escalating systemic concerns to senior leaders.
• Implement and monitor IRAS service budgets to ensure cost-effectiveness and program accountability, with the support of service partners.
• Forecast spending and suggest remedial action if expenses are projected to outpace revenue.
• Develop and produce confidential timely project reports, updates, and briefing notes to various internal and external senior leaders, CMHA Board, and the IRAS Governance Council and Lived Experience Leadership Committee.
• Other duties as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• A post-secondary degree (graduate degree preferred), preferably related to public health, mental health and substance use, public policy, law, or a similarly relevant discipline.
• A minimum of 5-7 years of relevant experience managing programs, projects and staff while exhibiting strong, purposeful leadership qualities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Leadership (including change-management) experience in relation to large or complex service delivery projects, ideally in a health, justice and/or nonprofit context.
• Experience with engagement and partnership-based projects.
• Ability to prioritize and maintain professionalism amidst a high volume of communications, meetings, data and requests.
• Experience co-developing services with people with lived and living experience of involuntary treatment
• Experience supervising staff in a unionized context—including peers (those with lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges)—using collaboration and relationship-based approaches.
• Experience supervising a remote workforce.
• Experience with overseeing direct service, in-person outreach services and understanding the complexities and challenges of this kind of work.
• Background or training in supporting distress, including moral distress and vicarious trauma.
• Personal experience with mental health issues, services, or involuntary treatment is an asset in this role.
• Experience and comfort prioritizing multiple forms of knowledge and expertise.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act and the involuntary treatment system in BC.
• Experience with the publicly funded mental health and substance use system.
• Knowledge of human rights, their benefits as a determinant of health and of systemic inequities related to gender, sex, race, Indigeneity, (dis)ability, substance use, and other aspects of a person’s identity.
• Knowledge of reconciliation, decolonization, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
• Experience working to provide services in a trauma-informed, culturally safe and anti-oppressive way.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with multiple communities and stakeholders.
• Ability to work with humility and create a culture of ongoing learning.
• Strategic and conceptual thinking, including the ability to adapt.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Experience leading education and training efforts, including strong public speaking skills.
• Financial management skills.
• Ability and confidence to work in a self-directed manner.
• High emotional intelligence.
• Resourcefulness, judgment, flexibility and innovation to solve problems.
• Assertiveness, diplomacy and conflict management skills.
• Recent experience in program evaluation using multiple approaches, including quantitative data, qualitative data, stories, and developmental evaluation.
• Knowledge and agility with Office 365 tools and cloud-based software platforms.
• Successful completion of background screening checks including a criminal record check and education verification.

Our key values and principles

The Provincial Manager, IRAS, consistently conducts themselves in alignment with CMHA BC’s Core Values of being:

• Inclusive
• Proactive
• Compassionate
• Steadfast
• Collaborative

DIRECT REPORTS

• Operations Supervisor

INDIRECT REPORTS

• Quality Assurance Coordinator (1.0)
• Intake Coordinator (1.0)
• Administrative Coordinator (0.5)
• Rights Advisors (7 (Total 4.4 FTE))

WORKING CONDITIONS

• The position is 37.5 hours per week, primarily during regular office business hours.
• The position can be based out of the Vancouver or Victoria office and offers the potential for a flexible working arrangement, including working remotely depending on project needs.
• The position requires occasional flexibility to travel.
• Performance will be reviewed annually by the Director, Mental Health Promotion.
• Successful completion of background screening checks including a criminal record check and education verification.
• The Program Manager is an excluded role subject to the compensation reference plan of the Health Employers Association of BC.
• In determining salary, CMHA BC considers many factors including the successful candidate’s skillset and experience as well as internal equity. The final salary offer will be at CMHA BC’s sole discretion and presented as part of a competitive total compensation package.
• Salary Range: $84,279.00 - $121,151.00

Typical Hiring Range: $89,546.00 - $105,349.00

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your resume along with a cover letter, clearly documenting how you satisfy the requirements outlined in this job posting to https://cmhabc.bamboohr.com/careers/82 by 5 p.m. July 17, 2025.

We regret that only short-listed candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview. For more information about CMHA, BC Division, visit our website at www.cmha.bc.ca.

CMHA BC Division is committed to our workforce reflecting the diversity of the communities within which we work. As such, we encourage applications from persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people, people of all sexual orientations and genders, and others who may contribute to the diversity of our staff. Personal experience with mental illness and or addiction, either through self or a loved one, is an asset.

ABOUT US

Founded in 1918, The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a national charity that helps maintain and improve mental health for all Canadians. As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health and addiction, CMHA helps people access the community resources they need to build resilience and support recovery from mental illness and/or addiction.

We respectfully acknowledge xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), səl'ilwətaʔɬ (TsleilWaututh), Lkwungen (Songhees) and Wyomilth (Esquimalt) peoples on whose traditional, unceded lands the CMHA BC offices are located.