Pathways Vermont Soteria House Team Lead chez Pathways Vermont

Pathways Vermont Soteria House Team Lead

The Company: Pathways Vermont is a dynamic nonprofit agency committed to permanently ending homelessness and offering innovative mental health alternatives throughout Vermont.

Pathways Vermont is committed to a diverse workplace that reflects the communities we serve and is particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people interested in providing supportive social services to Vermonters including people with military experience, individuals with disabilities, and people of color.

Soteria supports a hospitalization prevention residence for individuals experiencing an early episode of psychosis/extreme state/non-consensus reality who wish to avoid or minimize their exposure to medications. Soteria House operates as a Therapeutic Community Residence (TCR). Services are funded by the Vermont Department of Mental Health (DMH) and TCR compliance is overseen by the Department of Aging and Independent Living (DAIL). 

The Role: Soteria House will be Co-Directed by one House Manager and one Team Lead. Co-Directors will be jointly responsible for systems-level leadership, operation design, & strategic coordination; while also participating in direct peer support as per the program’s philosophy. Co-directors will participate in management of all aspects of program administration and operation, assisting each other as necessary. 

The Team Lead is particularly focused on program administration related to internal systems and staffing - providing program-wide leadership in the establishment and implementation of policies, protocols & best practices. The Team Lead will organize implementation of service courses and staff systems, with a particular focus on: nursing/medication; HR & training; budget enforcement; and house (“physical plant”) maintenance. Co-Directors are responsible for ensuring excellent, consistent, and equitable services that meet program goals, funding requirements, and agency expectations. 

Available Positions: 1

Location: In Person (Burlington, Vermont) 

Schedule: Full time, exempt salaried employee (35-40 hours per week, not to exceed 40 hours) 

Supervisor: Alternative Mental Health Services Director 

Application Requirements:

A Cover Letter and Resume are required with your application. 

Job Responsibilities:

• Exercise Systems-Level Leadership and Operational Design

• Ensure Excellent and High Quality Services are provided to Soteria Residents

• Engage in direct peer support with Soteria Residents 

• Execute Strategic Coordination of Soteria Team with coworkers and residents internally, and with related teams within Pathways and the broader system of care 

  • Team Lead focuses on internal coordination  

• Work in coordination with the Service Coordinator and House Manager to implement resident derived service plans and ensure that staff and residents are working in coordination towards identified goals 

  • Aid in service plan implementation by creating action plans that are shared and delegated across shifts and relevant staff

• Support House Manager with maintaining compliance with Therapeutic Community Residence regulations and guidelines 

  • Team lead focuses on implementing systems and plans related to adherence to TCR guidelines, in partnership with House Manager, who focuses on systems design and planning 

  • Specific areas of focus -

    • Medication management

    • Physical plant maintenance and upkeep 

    • Staff training and qualifications 

    • Kitchen and Meal Planning 

• Work in coordination with House Manager to maintain and regularly update program policies and procedures, and participate in review, creation, and updating of agency wide policies 

• Provide Medication and Psychiatric Services Oversight

  • Work in partnership with the APRN and contracted psychiatrist to oversee medical and psychiatric services for residents 

  • Support APRN in their role of training staff in medication assistance, including performance improvement plans as needed 

  • Service as Medication Delegate in order to assist with completion of APRN tasks as needed 

  • Provide Direct Supervision to Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner (APRN) 

    •  Support APRN in their role of prescribing medication and training staff in medication assistance, as needed 

  • In partnership with APRN and/or community providers, determine appropriate responses to non-emergent medical events at Soteria

    • Including sickness, injury, lack of sleep, etc 

  • In partnership with APRN, oversee Covid-19 (or other public health emergency) response and best practice and compliance with state regulations and guidance 

  • In partnership with APRN and contracted psychiatrist, discuss emergency situations that may warrant a resident’s emergency exit from the Soteria program 

  • Support APRN in determinations related to resident medication self-management 

• Oversee and provide final approval of incident reporting internally, to licensing, and external parties as needed

  • Team lead focuses on internal; House manager focuses on reports to licensing and external parties 

• Maintain and regularly update program policies and procedures; and participate in review, creation, and updating of agency policies

• Provide some backup on-call coverage as part of a rotation with house manager, alternative mental health services director, and director of services 

• Support House Manager in participation in community meetings with Department of Mental Health and other community providers as requested 

  • Participate in facilitation of trainings with relevant community partners including but not limited to crisis screeners and designated agencies 

• Develop an annual Quality Improvement (QI) Plan, including goals that ensure cohesion with program values and objectives, monitoring of services, incidents and outcomes, and suggestion of training, program changes, staffing support, etc. 

• Attend and co-facilitate weekly team meetings and leadership meetings 

• Attend any union related settings, as requested or scheduled

• Attend monthly co-reflection meeting; 

  • Willingness to facilitate co-reflection meetings 

• Prepare and/or assist in preparation and delivery of regular reports to funders and regulatory bodies quarterly or as requested

• Participate in program budget management - with particular focus on budget design and interfacing with finance team 

  • Assist in development of annual budget

  • Approve program expenditures in order to ensure adherence to program budget 

  • Regularly monitor spending and make adjustments as needed

• Supervise 2-3 Soteria Leadership Team Members from the following list

  • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shift supervisors 

  • Service Coordinator 

  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurse 

• Manage implementation and coordination of cross shift work

  • Ensure communication and coordination between shifts is consistent and clear, and supports us in working together as a team toward quality service provision 

    • Implement additional small team check-ins, announcement emails, shared calendars, and other tools and structures as needed 

• Manage internal systems for training and knowledge transfer 

  • Training Categories: 

    • New Resident Support Staff

    • New Supervisors

    • Annual trainings and background checks 

    • Protocol and approaches for navigating challenging situations including but not limited to incidents and emergencies, implementation of “being with”, engagement around thoughts of suicide and self harm, and setting and maintaining boundaries with residents 

  • Work with the Pathways training team to develop and implement in service trainings for soteria staff and trainings for external partners 

  • Identify where we do not have systems in place and design and implement those systems 

• Coordinate shift coverage with per diem staff for predictable or planned open shifts (excluding last minute shift coverage, which is covered by the shared on-call rotation

• Other Duties as assigned

• Attendance at the annual All Staff and Programmatic Retreats is an expectation of employment with Pathways Vermont, unless excused by the employee’s manager/HR. Retreats are held on workdays, during normal working hours, and are fully paid.

Requirements / Qualifications:

• Per TCR regulations: An Associates Degree (or higher degree) in the area of human services OR three (3) years of general experience in a human services-related field

• At least three years of management or leadership experience preferred

• Experience supervising a team preferred

• Experience in residential programs preferred

• Knowledge of Psychiatric Alternatives and psychosocial approaches to mental health and wellbeing preferred and considered an asset

• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to Pathways’ mission 

• Patience, creativity, flexibility, compassion, and sensitivity to diverse populations including people of color, persons with disabilities, individuals who have experienced trauma, and persons who have been oppressed

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and ability to efficiently and independently follow through on task completion 

• Strong facilitation skills

• Strong interpersonal skills - the ability to network with funders and community stakeholders 

• Valid drivers license, a reliable personal vehicle available for work purposes, and current automobile insurance 

• Ability to share one’s own personal transformative life experiences

• Personal experiences of homelessness, mental health, extreme states, or other life challenges 

• Willingness to self-reflect, learn, and practice new ways of being in relationships 

• Risk and discomfort tolerance 

Working Conditions / Physical Demands:

• Almost constant operation of a computer and other office machinery

• Regular, repetitive movement of hands and fingers including substantial movements of wrists, hands and fingers for typing and/or writing, grasping paperwork, using technology equipment and other tasks

• Frequent talking and participation in exchanging ideas through spoken word as well as ability to hear and receive detailed information through oral communication

• Avantages supplémentaires