VASH Assistant Program Manager

VASH Assistant Program Manager

REPORTS TO: Director of Veteran Services

HOURS: Full Time

CLASSIFICATION: Exempt

SUMMARY: 

The Assistant VASH Program Manager is a member of the VASH (Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing) team. VASH is a field based, VA-funded program providing permanent supportive housing and intensive case management services to Veterans. As a Licensed Mental Health professional (III), the Assistant Program Manager will provide program coordination and support for the Director and Program Manager and team as determined by the program’s requirements and needs.

Benefits and What We Offer:

• Opportunities for growth and professional development.
• Generous paid time off (13 paid holidays, 10 days of EPTO, 12 sick days).
• Competitive salary and benefits package. Health, dental, vision, Aflac, and life insurance $25,000.00
• 403(b) retirement plan available on the first day of work. After working 1000 hours, Step Up matches 3% of the 6% the employee contributes.

DUTIES: The following reflects essential functions for this job but does not restrict other tasks, which may be assigned:

Onboarding and Support:

• Collaborate with Director and Clinical Manager as requested to assist with staff recruiting and onboarding, including attending job fairs, screening potential applicants, and coordinating interviews, applications and background check process.

• Communicate with Director, Manager, HR, IT, and Director of Training throughout the Step Up onboarding process and complete the new employee onboarding checklist with new staff. Ensure staff attends Step Up New Staff Orientation. Train staff in SUOS policies, procedures, and core values.

Leadership, Administration, Oversight (Under the direction of the VASH Director and Program Manager)

• Assume leadership of the VASH team when Program manager is unavailable.

• Attend Program Manager Meetings as appropriate or at the request of the Director

• Manage assigned service team members ensuring:

• Staff provide clients with quality, timely, professional care services in accordance with Agency’s mission and values

• Services provided comply with regulatory agency requirements, contractual obligations and funding sources.

• Effective, professional communications within and outside of the office and effectively resolves problems relating to the provision of services.

• Coordinate with VASH staff, Director and Clinical Manager to ensure adequate coverage is in place for the program’s operation.

• Review and co-sign staff documentation.

• Provide weekly supervision to clinical/non-clinical staff on the VASH team.

• Approve ADP hours, mileage, and manage petty cash for assigned staff/supervisees.

• As an exempt employee, practice independent judgement and utilize discretion in appropriately managing job duties, maintaining time/organization and providing best care practices to members.

Clinical Services and Supports:

• Outreach to and assess potential new clients; make recommendations to the treatment team for appropriate treatment or enrollment.

• Coordinate with team members to ensure Veterans have access to available resources, including psychiatric and medical care/appointments, housing, benefits establishment, community rehabilitation and socialization activities, and drug/alcohol services, with VASH staff providing transportation and accompanying the client using personal or VASH vehicles when necessary.

• Manage a reduced client case load and assume all job duties as specified for a Service Coordinator II position. Assist clients, identify needs, set goals, establish concrete objectives and develop a treatment plan.

• Work cooperatively with VASH team members, including sharing responsibility for 24 hour on-call coverage. Provide ongoing support and crisis intervention to colleagues and clients as needed.

• Coordinate with VA Liaison to organize weekly case conferences for TBV/PBV and send out reminders to staff. Collect and review staff updates/plans for the Veterans that will be covered in the upcoming conference and ensure that VA liaison has a copy before the conference date. Attend TBV/PBV case conferences with staff and VA Liaison. Ensure cross collaboration between Step Up VASH and VA.

Documentation and Data Collection

• Provide support to individual staff members as needed regarding clinical documentation, assessments, and VA policies and procedures.

• With direction from Clinical Manager, oversee monthly peer review process to ensure that charts are up to date and are in compliance with the VASH TBV and/or PBV contracts.

• In collaboration with Clinical Manager and Director, ensure that the program census for TBV/PBV is up to date, detailing documentation that has been done/needs to be updated, and enter LOC tracking information.

• All other duties assigned by Director.

SKILLS: 

1. Possesses leadership, motivational and management desires or experience; Strong clinical assessment, interpersonal and intervention skills. 
2. Accuracy in charting of required documentation. Ability to train or guide professional staff to achieve confidence and ability to work independently in the field. Able to engage and work effectively with the homeless and
3. mentally ill population; Strong organizational skills and ability to delegate tasks to staff and monitor outcomes.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

1. Masters of Social Work, Counseling Psychology or Family Therapy, (MSW, MFT). 
2. Registered with BBS, licensed with at least 2 years clinical experience, including one year working with Veterans. 
3. Case management experience is essential, including the ability to chart client progress to meet VA documentation requirements. 
4. Valid California driver’s license, personal vehicle and insurance required. Computer fluency with Windows applications necessary.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

Work with people experiencing homelessness whether on the streets, in shelters or other places of habitation or services, may present inherent challenges and difficulties such as: exposure to bed bugs or other infestations, unpleasant smells or odors, individuals who may have poor hygiene or unclean homes due to homelessness, mental health symptoms, or poverty. Additionally, in working with our members, employees may encounter instances of profanity, sexually explicit or derogatory language, or verbal or physical expressions of anger and trauma. Very rarely do these situations ever escalate to physical contact, and negative or derogatory communication patterns can often be negotiated successfully. All direct care staff are provided adequate training to develop skills to deescalate crisis situations that may arise and Step Up has established procedural safeguards for all employees to mitigate (but not eliminate) these inherent risks of employment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands and fingers; handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; talk; and hear. The employee is frequently required to walk, balance, stoop, kneel, and/or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Keyboard data entry required.

Step Up utilizes the principles of trauma-informed care and mental health recovery. These principles inform our Core Values of Hope, Wellness, Voice and Choice, Respect, and Collaborative Relationships. As representatives of Step Up, employees agree to adhere to these values in their interactions with members, colleagues, supervisors, and associated community members.

STEP UP CORE VALUES

HOPE – We believe all people have the capacity for positive growth and change. We use hope to inspire and motivate ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

WELLNESS – We believe in promoting a culture that supports healthy and fulfilling lives. We use a supportive environment to foster well-being for ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

VOICE AND CHOICE – We believe in the right to choose and be heard. We use voice and choice to create meaningful outcomes and empowerment for ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

RESPECT – We believe in promoting interactions that are non-judgmental, transparent. We use respect to guide all of our words and actions with ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS – We believe in forming partnerships to share resources, knowledge, and experiences. We use collaborative relationships to strengthen accomplishments for ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

Step Up provides equal employment opportunities without regard to age, ancestry, color, creed, mental or physical disability, marital status, medical condition, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws.

STEP UP IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER