On-Site Manager – National Indigenous Crisis Lines

Job Title: On-Site Manager – National Indigenous Crisis Lines Reference #: 7833 Location: On-Site in Ottawa, Ontario Type: Term Employee Donna Cona is seeking an On-Site Manager to provide operational leadership and oversight for the National Indigenous Crisis Lines. This role is responsible for coordinating day-to-day operations, ensuring quality service delivery, and supporting staff and supervisors. The position involves a balance of responsibilities, with approximately 75% focused on team management and 25% providing direct crisis line support. This is a full-time onsite position in Ottawa, with some evening, overnight, and weekend coverage as required. We’re looking for an experienced and organized manager who values operational excellence, collaborative teamwork, and is committed to providing culturally safe support within a positive environment. If you’re ready to lead a dedicated team and support essential services, we encourage you to apply. Preference will be given to Indigenous candidates. The ideal candidate MUST have: An undergraduate degree in Social Work, Psychology, or a related discipline; A minimum of twelve (12) months of experience in a supervisory role; A minimum of twenty-four (24) months of experience providing crisis intervention; A minimum of twenty-four (24) months of experience working directly with Indigenous peoples, organizations, and/or communities; Experience managing diverse teams of 20+ team members delivering 24/7/365 support services; Excellent customer service skills and sensitivity to handle stressful calls; Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and conflict resolution skills; Ability to lead a team, work collaboratively, and make sound decisions in high-pressure situations; Familiarity with relevant ethical guidelines, legal requirements, and best practices in crisis counseling and crisis intervention; Knowledge of issues impacting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, including but not limited to Indian Residential Schools, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and intergenerational trauma; Completion of Mental Health First Aid Standard, Mental Health First Aid, Mental Health First Aid Inuit, Mental Health First Aid First Nations, and/or equivalent training demonstrated by a certificate of completion within the last five years and a copy of the syllabus for the equivalent training; Completion of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) or equivalent training (e.g. Signs of Suicide (SOS), safeTALK, Question Persuade Refer, Lifeline, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Suicide Risk Training) demonstrated by a certificate of completion and a copy of the syllabus for the equivalent training; Security clearance at the level of Reliability (Eligible); and Asset – The ability to communicate in French, Cree, Inuktitut, Ojibway or other Indigenous languages is considered an asset. Responsibilities include: Overseeing day-to-day operations of the onsite crisis line team: Managing scheduling, staffing, and resources allocation to ensure optimal coverage and operational efficiency including managing time off requests and shift adjustments for consistent 24/7 service delivery; Managing surge staffing for instances where known increases in volume have been identified; Fostering a positive and inclusive team environment by addressing interpersonal dynamics, resolving conflicts and promoting open communication; Serving as the primary onsite contact for program operations and issue escalation; Collaborating with HR to address employee concerns, support performance management processes and ensure compliance with workplace policies and employment standards; Maintaining accurate and timely reporting to support quality assurance and performance monitoring; and Assist Lead Supervisors as the contact person for service users to provide feedback on the National Indigenous Crisis Lines. Provide reporting on all feedback presented. Providing leadership, supervision, training, and ongoing support to crisis counsellors: Providing oversight on the crisis lines services, ensuring that crisis counsellors are consistently demonstrating excellent crisis intervention skills, and adherence to policies and procedures; Providing oversight for reporting, ensuring that documentation of interactions is accurate; Providing direct support to crisis counsellors on difficult calls; Working in collaboration with crisis counsellors on calls/chats flagged for suicide risk, ensuring that evidence-based protocols are utilized, and engaging emergency services when deemed necessary; and Providing debriefings to crisis counsellors on a regular basis, and especially after difficult calls. Responding to crisis calls and / or online chats on the National Indigenous Crisis Lines, including calls routed through 9-8-8; Providing culturally competent crisis intervention and counselling service to clients in distress via the telephone and online chat modalities; Maintaining Service Users anonymity and confidentially, except when required by law or Duty to Report, or where explicitly requested by Service User; Providing evidence-informed crisis intervention, suicide risk-assessments, and suicide interventions to callers in distress; Develop safety plans for callers in distress; Adhering to operational protocols; Documenting interactions accurately and efficiently for program reporting as required; Utilizing resource referral database to provide information and referral assistance to Service Users seeking services including for mental health and substance use; Performing and facilitating warm transfers of callers to third-party support resources, when required; and Participating in required training and debriefing. Donna Cona is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer. We don’t discriminate on the basis of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, national origin, disability, age or any other protected status. We are committed to maintaining a barrier free recruitment process by providing equal employment opportunities through recruiting and retention of individuals.