Overview

Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST) was founded in 1986 by human‑rights activists and mental‑health workers to support refugees arriving from armed conflicts in South and Central America. Over three decades VAST has grown into BC’s largest centre for refugee mental‑health, serving over 100 countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Services are offered in more than a dozen languages, including Arabic, Farsi, French, Mandarin and Spanish, and focus on the psychological trauma experienced by survivors of torture, political violence and other persecution.

Position Details

- Role: Mental Health Services Manager (MHSM)
- Employment Type: Full‑time
- Rate of Pay: $35 per hour
- Office location: Hybrid – Vancouver and/or Surrey
- Benefits: Comprehensive health perks package

Job Summary

The Mental Health Services Manager (MHSM) supports VAST clients, staff, management, partners and funders in delivering high‑quality mental‑health services. The MHSM coordinates clinical team activities, develops and maintains clinical standards, manages key partnerships, ensures legal and ethical compliance, and provides data for program evaluation and reporting.

Responsibilities

- Support hiring, onboarding, oversight and support of clinical team members, including screening, interviewing, selecting clinical employees, contractors, volunteers and practicum interns.
- Develop, manage, update and adhere to VAST’s clinical protocols, processes and systems.
- Manage the Provincial Refugee Mental Health Coordination role (toll‑free line, email address, training and capacity‑building requests).
- Support development and management of core and associative partnerships,



including launching relationships, formalising MOUs or contracts, and co‑creating joint projects, campaigns, policy positions, support groups and referral pathways.
- Oversee ethical and legal integrity of case‑file protocols, ensuring quality content, counseling processes and client‑file structure.
- Improve policies, procedures and practices affecting client intake, planning, delivery and evaluation of services in consultation with the Executive Director and Clinical Supervisor.
- Collaborate to redesign the client database to align with organisational policies and procedures.
- Ensure timely allocation of clients to appropriate counsellors and smooth referral to internal and external service providers.
- Maintain confidentiality through appropriate record keeping and file‑management systems.
- Coordinate psycho‑legal assessments and letters to lawyers for the refugee claim process.
- Maintain written and electronic client records, individual consultations and team case reviews.
- Coordinate workshops with the Executive Director and Clinical Supervisor, and facilitate workshops on refugee mental‑health for legal, health, social and settlement service providers.
- Provide statistical and narrative information on the clinical program for funding applications, reports, clinical evaluation and research.




- Assess, evaluate, and document personnel training needs; ensure staff are trained on VAST’s policies and procedures regarding mandated reporting (child abuse/neglect, suicidal or homicidal ideation and other reportable behaviour).
- Create an annual training plan and coordinate or deliver staff training, including knowledge and skill‑building exercises.
- Ensure senior clinical team members or the Executive Director are available for debriefing and consultation.
- Prepare and disseminate briefs and reports to policymakers at municipal, provincial and federal levels.
- Maintain existing relationships with universities and cultivate new ones; establish, coordinate and maintain student training and volunteer programs.
- Report on existing grants and coordinate research on grant projects.

Qualifications Required

- Awareness of the torture rehabilitation sector and migration pathways in BC.
- Advanced university degree in medicine, public health, law, psychology, psychiatry, social work, conflict studies, migration studies, sociology or anthropology.
- Knowledge of trauma‑informative and mental‑health best practices.
- Knowledge of international affairs, human rights and international humanitarian law.
- Experience in a team‑based management or communications role.
- Effective relationship‑building abilities.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate with formal institutions.
- Preference will be given to candidates with lived experience.
- Experience and knowledge of other cultures and languages is a plus.

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📌 Mental Health Services Manager: Social Worker (Vancouver)
🏢 VAST_BC
📍 Vancouver