Manager, Harm Reduction Project

Reporting to the Director, Student Wellness Centre (SWC), the Manager is responsible for implementation, execution, and evaluation of the Integrated Harm Reduction and Mental Health Capacity Building Initiative, funded by the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES). In partnership with George Brown Polytechnic and Toronto Metropolitan University, and Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre and The Neighbourhood Group Community Services, this three-phase 18-month project aims to strengthen campus capacity through training, community-partnered harm reduction support and outreach, peer navigation and a podcast. Aligning with OCAD U’s long term strategic plan to centre the student journey, this initiative will strengthen trauma-informed, equity-based supports while generating scalable tools and resources.

Summary of Responsibilities

Leadership, Coordination, and Project Management

• Provide overall project leadership and coordination, across all partners, aligning timelines, deliverables, budgets, reporting and cross-campus stakeholder engagement
• Oversee development, implementation, and evaluation of all project phases, including co-design and health promotion across tri-campus environments
• Apply an equity-informed and intersectional lens across all project activities, with awareness of structural and systemic barriers and the impacts of social location on access to mental health and substance use supports
• Lead development and execution of a multi‑institutional project work plan and evaluation framework, including scalability, sustainability, and alignment with funding requirements.
• Coordinate collaboration across OCADU, TMU, and GBP, ensuring consistent communication, documentation, scheduling, and progress monitoring for all three phases.
• Strike, convene, and co‑facilitate advisory groups inclusive of students, community partners, and institutional stakeholders, ensuring co‑design principles guide decision‑making.
• Support recruitment and onboarding of students in peer and project roles, ensuring training, supervision, and administrative processes are in place.
• Oversee procurement, budgeting, and logistics for training delivery, harm reduction pop‑ups, podcast production, and community partnership activations.
• Prepare reports, updates, and presentations for institutional leadership, the funding body, and relevant campus units, communicating milestones, outcomes, and emergent needs.

Harm Reduction, Community Partnerships, and Capacity Building

• Lead planning, delivery, and continuous improvement of harm reduction, substance use literacy, and overdose response training across three campuses, using trauma‑informed and equity‑based approaches.
• Facilitate partnerships and collaboration with students, community organizations, subject matter experts, and institutional units to ensure trauma-informed, equitable, and culturally responsive program design and delivery
• Ensure all harm reduction activities, training materials and knowledge dissemination initiatives reflect anti-oppressive, decolonizing, and stigma-reducing practices, striving to meet the diverse needs of students disproportionately impacted by the toxic drug supply and structural inequities
• Build and maintain relationships with harm reduction service providers, drug checking programs, and community agencies to support low‑barrier pop‑ups, resource distribution, and peer navigation.
• Coordinate development of harm reduction resources and tools (digital, in‑person, drop‑in) ensuring accessibility, cultural responsiveness, and alignment with sector best practices.
• Provide guidance and support during urgent, complex, or unexpected situations related to substance use or student wellness, engaging appropriate institutional partners as needed.

Student‑Led Programming, Peer Engagement, and Knowledge Dissemination

• Co‑design and support delivery of peer-led training and outreach initiatives, including de-escalation, mental health, boundaries, substance use safety, confidentiality, and communication skills
• Lead knowledge dissemination and communications, ensuring materials are accessible, evidence-informed, scalable for sector-wide use, and grounded in harm reduction principles that address stigma and structural inequities within health and campus systems.
• Oversee planning and implementation of harm reduction pop-ups and peer navigation including campus-wide health promotion activities.
• Lead development and production of the student‑led podcast, including coordination with lived‑experience contributors, community subject matter experts, and institutional media channels (e.g., OCADU Live).
• Establish processes for continuous student input, feedback, and evaluation to inform program refinement, accessibility improvements, and knowledge translation.
• Ensure training modules, promotional materials, and podcast content are evidence‑informed, accessible, and designed for future sector-wide use and knowledge-sharing.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Public Health, Counselling or Clinical Psychology and/or acceptable combination of equivalent education and experience.
• Registration (or eligible for registration) with a regulatory body in Ontario is an asset
• Significant combination of front-line and supervisory experience, with a minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience in community mental health and substance use sector
• Demonstrated alignment with harm reduction values, with significant direct experience applying a harm reduction lens in community-based and/or post-secondary environments
• Direct experience and applied understanding of structural and systemic barriers faced by marginalized communities, with an acute awareness of intersectionality and how social location influences access to and navigation of mental health, substance use and health-related supports
• Proven experience supporting individuals with complex, intersectional needs, including substance use, mental health concerns and food and/or housing insecurity
• Demonstrated experience in program development, co-design, implementation, and evaluation
• Value alignment and appreciation for peer-based work, honouring lived and living experience
• Experience with development of comprehensive peer programs, leveraging internal and external expertise from a cross section of stakeholders
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, with an applied understanding of how intersecting identities and systemic inequities impact access to mental health and harm reduction supports
• Skilled in partnership development and stakeholder engagement
• Value alignment with student-centred support and approaches, co-creation and social prescribing
• Ability to work independently with strong initiative, judgement and attention to detail, and display a high degree of initiative
• Experience responding to urgent/crisis situations, with sound judgement and discretion, engaging in consultation with the Director as needed
• Certification in Crisis Prevention and Intervention is an asset
• Outreach, advocacy and health promotion experience considered an asset
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving skills; ability to respond to variety of needs of various stakeholders
• Strong computer skills with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications and experience with electronic medical records platforms
• Flexibility of in-person working hours will be required which may arise outside of traditional working hours

Mode of Work: On Campus

Compensation: $98,712.00 - $116,111.00
*The successful incumbent has the option of pay in lieu or enrollment in benefits.

Hours of Work: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week. This is a temporary contract expected to continue until March 31, 2028.