Cambridge HEART Director of Wellness

Focus:  Co-creating consistent supportive spaces for Cambridge HEART Responders and supporting in-field behavioral health response.

Job Description: Centering marginalized people, Cambridge Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team (Cambridge HEART) builds local capacity to disrupt cycles of harm by responding to crises, conducting research, and facilitating community cohesion. To support this mission, we seek to hire a full time experienced licensed mental health professional to join our team. The Director of Wellness will play a crucial role in continuing to shape and develop HEART’s approach to care and healing practices both within the organization and in the broader community by supporting the clinical components of the organization’s work. This position will work with HEART responders one on one and collectively to address the vicarious trauma they may experience in their work, as well as develop systems to support wellness within the organization as a whole. The Director of Wellness will also collaborate with responders in their crisis response work and coordinate ongoing learning opportunities for HEART staff to develop their skills in supporting the mental health needs of community members. 

Because HEART is an innovative and evolving organization, we are looking for someone who is skilled in clinical practice and is excited about big picture visioning and building infrastructure that supports non-carceral community solutions to social problems. This is a highly collaborative role that aims to share power more horizontally than the title of Director might imply.  This position is required to be in-person no less than 3 days per week, with some flexibility for remote work, 2 days per week.

The Director of Wellness will collaboratively direct and support the clinical components of Cambridge HEART’s work. 

We encourage candidates who are comfortable with 60 per cent or more of the responsibilities and qualifications listed below to apply.  There is room for growth and learning in this role. 

Responsibilities:

The Cambridge HEART Director of Wellness position is responsible for:

Administrative Work and Clinical Infrastructure

• Providing regular updates to the HEART Board. 
• Developing, tracking, and analyzing Key Performance Indicators (KPI) (no prior experience needed).
• Collaboratively developing, updating, and helping implement protocols for HEART crisis response and internal operations based on best practices and accumulated community knowledge.
• Maintaining strict confidentiality guidelines for clients, conversations, and referrals.
• Helping other HEART staff  meet relevant legal requirements around service-delivery through an abolitionist lens.
• Administrative duties as needed.

Community Connections and Resources Development

• Representing Cambridge HEART at external events and meetings.
• Participating in regular meetings related to position (e.g. twice-monthly HEART mental health working group, HEART domestic violence/sexual assault working group meetings, HEART staff meetings, etc.).
• Liaising with referral organizations and strengthening the referral network.

Clinical Support & Staff + Community Wellness

• Collaborating with Responder Team and Cambridge residents in planning and identifying support for callers with complex support needs.
• Offering thoughtful and HEART values-aligned clinical advice and collaboration around issues of mandatory reporting. 
• Facilitating check-ins, meetings, and processing at multiple levels:
• Baseline monthly individual check-ins with each Responder on the team.
• Weekly debrief with Responder Team to process calls/incidents.
• As needed or requested, offer 1-on-1 and/or group processing sessions after significant work-related events  – and have these incorporate various modalities for processing (e.g. rituals/embodiment work, talking, writing, etc.).
• Assessing professional development needs for Responder Team and organizing relevant training and ongoing educational opportunities. 
• Helping organize HEART staff enrichment and wellness activities.
• Assisting staff with urgent clinical situations.
• Being on call to support responders in the field - expectations to be determined collaboratively with Director of Wellness 

Qualifications:

• Must have one of the following licenses:
• Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in Massachusetts
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Massachusetts
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts
• Experience building relationships and collaborations, especially across sectors, and within multi-racial organizations and communities.
• Ability to create open, supportive spaces where vulnerability is encouraged.
• Demonstrated experience valuing and respecting marginalized populations.
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse cultures, ages and economic backgrounds in a culturally competent and sensitive manner.
• Ability to think deeply about societal issues and use a strengths-based approach.
• Working knowledge of clinical policies and procedures at the city, state, and federal level.
• Past managerial or supervisory experience (and this can come from a variety of sources, not just paid/hired work).
• Content knowledge of mobile crisis response team, harm reduction, mental health, and social justice.
• Knowledge and experience with evidence-based practices, including trauma informed care framework.
• Commitment to Transformative Justice, disability justice, and abolitionist values, principles, and strategies. 
• Approach to mandatory reporting that aligns with our organizational practices. At HEART, we aim to creatively address crises and limit the use of mandatory reporting structures while still respecting local policies and laws.
• Excellent communications skills
• Strong clerical/administrative skills including personal computer skills (Microsoft Office software and Google Suite—Documents, Sheets, Drive, etc.)
• Understanding and grace for the evolving nature of responsibilities in a young yet robust organization
• Physical activity: Will spend substantial time interacting and communicating with people and sometimes changing locations/environments. We are happy to discuss workplace accommodations as needed/desired.  

Preferred Background/Experience: 

• Bilingual (any spoken language: Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Portuguese)
• Member of marginalized communities 
• Lived experience with being directly impacted by carceral systems 
• Experience with adults with substance use disorders and harm reduction approach 
• Experience holding and/or participating in Circle Process 
• Current or former Cambridge/Boston area resident  

Employment Details:

• Full time schedule (40 hours per week). Some evening/on-call hours required
• Support with professional development, CEU requirements, and license renewal 
• Based in Cambridge, MA and requiring in-person work at least 3 days a week, with some flexibility for remote work other 2 days
• Salary: $75,000/year
• Includes health and dental benefits subsidized at 75%
• Paid vacation and sick days (20 days paid time off, 7 floating holidays, 2 weeks office closures, professional development)
• Can contribute to an employer sponsored retirement plan; no match by employer
• Thoughtful work environment - we aim to treat each other with care and respect.  
• Reports to Co-Director of Infrastructure, Political Development, and Strategic Partnerships position (Dara Bayer)
• Must complete CORI/SORI as requested by the agency. (Please note: a criminal record doesn’t inherently disqualify someone from this role and lived experience with carceral systems is welcome on our team.)

To Apply:

Send a cover letter, resume, a detailed description or 1-2 minute video about a project or program you’ve developed and managed, and contact information for three references to apply@cambridge-heart.org. At least one reference should be from someone you've managed or supervised.

Please note that Cambridge HEART  in partnership with its fiscal sponsor the Community Service Care is proud to be an equal employment workplace. We welcome and encourage job applicants who are motivated to work with us in addressing social injustice and those who have personal experience with injustice. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on any of the follow factors; race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), age, sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/ or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition (genetic characteristics, cancer or a record or history of cancer), military or veteran status, national origin, ancestry, disability (mental and physical including HIV/AIDS, cancer, and genetic characteristics), and genetic information.

Questions:

We welcome questions!  You are invited to email us at apply@cambridge-heart.org. 

Rolling application due date, however we are reviewing candidates as they come in and are hoping to hire for this position by the end of September.