Friends of Ruby  (14 Month Contract)

Friends of Ruby is dedicated to the journey and well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, aged 16-29 through mental health services, social services, and housing. Friends of Ruby offers Youth Mental Health services, a Youth Drop-In Centre, and a Transitional Home. The Centre provides access to barrier-free counselling and therapeutic groups, case management and a drop-in space with hot meals, community, and comprehensive programming. The Home provides transitional and emergency housing, as well as mental health and life-skills to support youth moving towards independent living. 

Friends of Ruby recognize that a diverse work force is critical to accomplishing our mission. Our goal is to attract, develop, and retain highly talented employees from diverse backgrounds, allowing us to benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives.  

We strongly encourage applications from the 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, and diverse backgrounds that meet the requirements of the job posting. We suggest applicants introduce themselves, their stories and lived experiences in their cover letter to the degree they are comfortable with. 

Position Summary  

The Manager of Knowledge and Design will work in close partnership with the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programs, and collaborate with a team of three direct reports as well as external partners to support the transformation of the organization. The manager will ensure data is leveraged as a strategic asset. The manager will oversee internal data collection, data management systems, and use the aggregate data to support the development and delivery of internal services and programs and external obligations.  

The position is primarily responsible for leading the Strategic Initiatives to operationalize our Evaluation Framework, implement best practices in data management and oversee data-driven program design, evaluation, and continuous improvement. This includes providing expertise and guidance to the organization’s evaluation strategy and activities, leading change management efforts for implementation of new data management software, and overseeing program design and knowledge translation.  

Responsibilities  

• Lead the implementation of an evaluation framework for the organization including a logic model, key research questions for each program area, metrics to track outputs and outcomes and data collection tools.  
• Manage a team of diverse skill sets through regular communication, collaboration, performance management, team building, and professional development planning. 
• Oversee ongoing data collection, management, analysis, and reporting. 
• Lead improvements to data collection and management including the configuration of current data management platform and implementation of any new software. 

• Maintain and improve data quality through audits, training, and design. 
• Oversee onboarding of all program areas to the organization’s data management platforms and ensure the system is meeting their needs. 
• Report data and draw out insights and recommendations to convey to the board, management group and external stakeholders.  
• Oversee and support needs-based, evidence-informed program design and development. 
• Support ongoing program initiatives; ensure alignment between stakeholders with program needs and data needs. 

• When presented with problems or reporting needs, identify data and analytical process necessary to address them. 
• Continuously enhance knowledge within area of expertise and keep current with industry trends and business direction. 
• Drive initiatives forward while maintaining flexibility and capacity to respond to changing priorities and organizational needs. 

Qualifications  

• A minimum of master’s level in Social Work, Public Health, Health Services Management, Health Psychology or a combination of relevant experience and education. 

• Strong people manager as well as project and changes manager. 
• Good knowledge of health and mental health evaluation tools and data-driven program design. 
• Prior experience implementing, maintaining and improving Measurement Based Care and/or case management software is an asset. 
• Experience bridging the business and not-for-profit worlds with the ability to effectively articulate technical vision, possibilities, and outcomes and collaborate across teams to achieve desired results with positive attitude and strong work ethic. 
• Proficient in change management methodologies and continuous quality improvement techniques. 

• Execute with speed and precision, relishing all challenges as opportunities to dig in; constantly learn from both success and failure. 
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy with demonstrated strong logical and technical problem-solving skills. 
• Must be a self-starter with excellent listening, communication, and organizational skills. 
• Able to work well with limited supervision, tackle new problems with limited support, and require limited guidance to link each step. 

COVID-19 Protocol 

Friends of Ruby believes that immunization against COVID-19 is an individual and societal responsibility and that we must do everything possible to protect our clients, families, employees, students, volunteers and contractors against the spread of COVID-19. As a condition of employment, proof of full vaccination or exemption under the Ontario Human Rights Code must be submitted to Human Resources seven (7) calendar days prior to start date. 

Hiring Policy / Statement on Employment Equity and Diversity 

Friends of Ruby strives for inclusion and diversity by attracting extraordinary people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. Candidates with lived experience of homelessness and/or who self-identify as being from the 2SLGBTQIA+ or marginalized community, including Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and persons, are encouraged to apply and will be prioritized. We ask that these candidates indicate their relevant identities in their cover letters.