Salary
$34.78 - $39.93 / hour
Location
Strathcona, BC
Strathcona, British Columbia V6A 1C6
Posted
Jun 21, 2026
Encouraged to apply
Youth
Role overview
←Back to all jobs at First United
Shelter Shift Supervisor (Casual, on-call)
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FIRST UNITED is a registered charity that has been serving Vancouver's Downtown Eastside community for 140 years. We offer responsive, low-barrier services to individuals who are low income, underhoused or homeless. We pursue dignity, belonging, and justice to meet the daily needs of community members while engaging in systems change work to reduce homelessness and break cycles of poverty. If you're looking for purpose-filled work and want to make a difference in the community, this might be the opportunity for you.
Each job within the FIRST UNITED CHURCH Community Ministry Society should promote our accomplishment of ourvision, mission, and values.
WHAT WE OFFER
Wage: $32.79 per hour
POSITION OBJECTIVES:
The casual, on-call Shift Supervisor supports the Shelter Program
at First United by providing direct service and supervision to staff, shelter
residents, and community members, helping them understand and adhere to shelter
and organizational policies and protocols, encourage a healthy work culture
guided by our mission and values, and ensuring effective operations of the
shelter program.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain a safe, supportive environment within the shelter and problem
solving for the fostering of effective team relationships.
- Provide leadership while participating in and overseeing the
regular activities of the shelter. Take responsibility for all decisions,
including when to contact emergency services or to escalate an issue to
management. Taking an active role in defusing and de-escalating aggressive
situations, ensuring organizational policies, best practices and safety
procedures are following including proper incident reporting, maintain the
cleanliness and safety of the space and coordinating necessary services
for repairs and cleaning.
- Monitor facility to maintain safety of clients and shelter space.
- Assist clients with shelter routines.
- Support clients in following all shelter procedures.
- Help clients work through conflict with others living in the
shelter.
- Keep shelter clean, restock supplies, and ensure that bed checks
and wake up calls are being done.
- Communicate observations and interactions with clients to shelter
manager and shelter management through documentation in shift reports, and
reports.
- Ensure confidentiality and professional language are practiced at
all times.
- Assist with shelter meals as required, following all food safety
guidelines.
- Intervene in incidents in the shelter, using appropriate
techniques and safety procedures.
- Complete documentation as needed for client reporting, and
incident reporting.
- Basic maintenance, organization & cleaning of facilities.
- Treat clients in a culturally sensitive manner.
- Assist with scheduling/shift coverage.
- Participate in Departmental, staff meetings and relevant trainings
as required.
- Adhere to agency policy, procedures and practices, including
Occupational Health and Safety.
- Direct staff when emergency protocols required (critical
incidents, overdoses, medical emergencies, etc.).
- Complete all duties as assigned. Other duties as required.
- Due to the nature of the 24 hr/365 day shelter operations shifts
may be day, evening or overnight.
SKILLS & ABILITIES
- Demonstrated ability to oversee employees and ensure they meet
performance expectations.
- Demonstrated ability to motivate, train, delegate, mentor and
coach employees.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment in responding to
complex operational needs, client privacy, emergency situations.
- Ability to maintain a work environment that is safe, secure and
healthy.
- Demonstrated skill at entering confidential information into a
database.
- High degree of proficiency in MS Word and Outlook.
- Speed and accuracy in completion of tasks, including recording
keeping.
- Attention to detail and consistency in managing repetitive
situations.
- Superior writing skills.
- Very good telephone manner and communication skills.
- Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
- Fluency in English; additional languages an asset.
- Friendly, professional demeanor.
- Ability to handle multiple emergent situations simultaneously.
- Demonstrated ability to maintain professionalism in a stressful
environment.
- Ability to handle sensitive and/or confidential information
responsibly.
- Experience in a low barrier shelter.
- Ability to maintain clear personal and professional boundaries.
- Experience working with a diverse population, with sensitivity to
differences in culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity
& expression, race, age, and physical and mental illness.
- Ability to remain alert and on duty throughout shifts.
- Ability to respond responsibly and effectively in emergency and
crisis situations.
- Ability to follow detailed instructions.
- Current driver's license.
- Ability to maintain professionalism in all interactions with
clients, co-workers, and volunteers.
- Physical ability to lift 50 pounds, sit, stand, bend, reach, run,
kneel, and perform cleaning duties.
- Pass a vulnerable sector criminal background check.
- Proven track record of consistent punctual attendance at work
- Professional demeanor.
- Culturally competent and sensitive.
WORK EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION:
- Minimum Grade 12.
- Related training in non-violent crisis intervention.
- Basic First Aid Certification.
- Post-secondary diploma or degree in related field.
- Food safe level 1.
- Basic First Aid.
- NVCI.
- Trained in naloxone.
- Minimum 2 years’ experience working with clients who experience
addiction and/or mental health.
SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY:
Supervisory/Management responsibility: Supervision of shelter resource workers, shelter
residents, and community members.
INTERNAL/EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS
- Regular communication is maintained with all levels of staff and management.
- Communication is also maintained with management and co-workers as work is assigned and completed, and information exchanged on an ongoing basis.
- The Shift Supervisor is to seek input or to exchange information about regular duties with the Assistant Managers and/or Manager of Shelter Services
JOB CLASSIFICATION:
Bargaining Unit
Job Classification: CSSEA Provincial Agreement JJEP Classification 14
We are committed to becoming a more just, equitable, inclusive, and diverse workplace, which extends to how we hire. We are continually learning new and unlearning old practices while examining systemic causes of inequity, including colonialism. We aim to be representative of the communities that we serve. We welcome everyone to apply, and we strongly encourage applications from members of communities that have been marginalized based on Indigeneity, race, colour, religion, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. In order to achieve a representative team, preference may be given to people who are members of one or more of these groups.
Please visit our careers page to see more job opportunities.