Clinical Manager

Who we are

Children are at the front and centre of what we do; they are the foundation of our purpose and the basis for our evidence-driven strategy. Our mission is to transform the lives of children, youth and their families by developing and delivering innovative, research-based mental health and early learning programs. At the Child Development Institute (CDI), we are passionate about helping our communities' most vulnerable members and their caregivers. It motivates each of us to face what can be difficult situations while continuously finding the purest joy in play, in silence, in advice, and in the unbelievable strength and resilience of our young clients. Joining us now is a rewarding opportunity to be part of an organization that is built on a legacy of more than 100 years of helping children and families.

Recognized as a leader and model for measurement-based impact, we are client-centred, family-centred, and data-informed. We are a place where professionals grounded in mental health, care, and well-being of infants, children and youth, come together in collaboration, learning and inclusion. As a multiservice organization delivering social, emotional, and behavioural counselling services, early childhood education, learning disabilities and mental health services, and family violence services, we address the whole person from when they begin their life. Every child and family that reaches out to us is unique, and we value and embrace their individuality. We deliver the tailored support and tools they need to build life-long skills, positive mental health, and resilience. With their trust in us, we guide children and families along a supportive journey. It is an often difficult path and simultaneously the most rewarding experience for providers, children and families.

Who we need

We are seeking a Clinical Manager to oversee the daily management, operations and implementation of CDI’s clinical SNAP® child and parent programs, ensuring the continued delivery of efficient, effective, high-quality therapeutic programming. Over time, the Clinical Manager will also become involved in other clinical work and programs.

Leading and supervising a team of Social Workers and Child and Youth Workers, the incumbent will provide active leadership towards the achievement of clinical excellence and exemplary supervision. Previous supervisory experience and demonstrated experience in quality improvement and program innovation is required.

The ideal candidate will have strong clinical acumen and demonstrated competency in Family, Group and Child/Youth counselling in a community setting. Previous experience with evidence-based interventions at a practice level is essential, as is experience using outcome-informed practice tools with the use of data. Candidates should bring a strong interest in client-level measurement-based care is desired as CDI is in year 3 of implementation.

The Clinical Manager will be involved in the conceptualization, innovation, and delivery of new and existing programs and services based on best practices and will implement and drive innovative change at a clinical practice level. A learner-mindset and focus on continuous learning will be important in this role, as will staying current in the field.

Since 2023, CDI has deepened our commitments to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA), and to Truth and Reconciliation. We benefited greatly from the revitalization of our IDEA Advisory Committee, making encouraging progress on implementing key priorities of the IDEA Work Plan, including IDEA measurement and benchmarking through our employee surveys. Candidates must be embrace and model IDEA principles as we have embedded these in our Clinical Supervision Framework and clinical practice.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Clinical SNAP^® & Therapeutic Recreation Programs, the Clinical Manager, will be part of the CDI People Managers Team and the Clinical Managers group, both of which support and participate in the Agency’s strategic processes. The Clinical Manager will also be involved in the communities-of-practice for Family Counselling and Clinical Supervision.

Work Location: This role is primarily based at CDI’s St. Clair site, located at 46 St. Clair Gardens, Toronto and does require attendance at other program delivery sites.

Compensation: We believe that compensation should be transparent, fair, and supportive of your experience and growth. For this role, the annualized salary is $94,000 - $111,000 plus comprehensive benefits, with starting salary commensurate with experience.

This posting is for a new position which is currently vacant.

The SNAP^® Program
SNAP^®, which stands for Stop Now And Plan, is an evidence-based cognitive behavioural, family-focused model, providing a framework for teaching children and their parents effective emotional regulation, self-control and problem-solving skills. The primary goal of SNAP is to keep children in school and out of trouble by helping them make better choices “in the moment.”

SNAP^® is grounded on the following principles: client centered, gender-sensitive, ecosystemic, strength and skill based, service coordination, collaborative, accountable service excellence and in the context of community. The program is focused on children with elevated levels of disruptive behaviours as assessed by standardized measures. SNAP^® services include the manualized child and parent group program, family and individual counselling. Fidelity monitoring of the group program and program evaluation are important aspects of program delivery.

Based on cognitive behavioural therapy, SNAP^® helps children and their parents deal effectively with problematic impulses and provides a tactical and strategic option for reducing such impulses. SNAP^® enables children to make better choices in the moment to calm themselves and generate solutions to challenges they face.

Information about other Programs at CDI:

• Child & Youth Mental Health Services
• Gender-Based Violence Services
• Early Years & Child Care Services

Clinical Manager - Duties & Responsibilities

1. Clinical
   • Provide clinical supervision to clinical staff applying current best practices
   • Ensure clinical practices are evidence-based, meet ethical and professional standards, are family-centred, and are congruent with the mission and direction of the agency
   • Maintain a current knowledge of relevant clinical practices and theoretical models
   • Ensure provision of quality services in accordance with sound clinical management practices, clinical policies, the Collective Agreement and agency approach to supervision.

1. Operations:
   • Responsible for program operations of clinical programs under their supervision
   • Ensure adherence to standards of CYFSA legislation, Health & Safety legislation, Accreditation standards, and regulatory professional standards
   • Manage budget, expenses and assigned financial resources for clinical programs under their supervision within scope of authority
   • Develop, improve and ensure compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and regulatory guidelines for clinical programs under their supervision
   • Manage staff workloads to maximize effectiveness and utilization of staff resources while maintaining quality client services
   • Monitor volume of service delivery (service targets, KPIs) to identify areas of efficiency
   • Organize program staff scheduling and coverage required for service delivery

1. Program Innovation & Quality Improvement
   • Participate in program development planning and continuous quality improvement
   • Evaluate service delivery practices and outcomes on an ongoing basis
   • Identify the need for updating or adapting new treatment approaches aligned with emergent clinical best practices
   • Utilize analysis of program evaluation and Measurement Based Care (MBC) outcomes to identify and implement evidence informed service innovation
   • Facilitate processes to support high completion rates of clinical measures
   • Contribute to the design and rollout of clinical programs, new processes and new technologies.

1. People & Stakeholder Management:
   • Co-lead recruitment, hiring, training and onboarding of program staff in collaboration with HR
   • Evaluate and regularly review performance strengths and issues against established benchmarks and key performance indicators with assigned staff, in keeping with agency policy and service standards
   • Mentor and coach program staff throughout their career at CDI
   • Establish professional development plans for program service staff
   • Provide performance management to program service staff (goal setting, evaluation, feedback, development opportunities)
   • Work collaboratively with members of the Clinical Managers group to ensure overall coordination and effective agency operations
   • Assist with achieving funding through proposals and partnerships in collaboration with Clinical Leadership and the Fund Development team

1. Perform other assigned duties in the interests of the organization, as assigned.

Clinical Manager - Qualifications and Skills

• • Master’s degree in social work, or a related discipline, from an accredited educational institution.
  • Registration with a professional college (College of Social Workers, Psychotherapists) with membership in good standing
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience providing clinical supervision in a clinical setting
  • Extensive clinical practice experience in children’s mental health sector working with children & youth (6-18 yrs), families, and groups
  • Advanced level clinical knowledge and experience in relevant theoretical approaches (e.g. CBT, TF-CBT, Systems Theory, trauma informed practice, attachment theory, etc.) applied in therapeutic practice.
  • Understanding of PHIPA (privacy/ethical standards) and other relevant legislation

Technical Skills

• • Clinical Supervision: apply best practices in supervising clinical and program staff to ensure quality service delivery.
  • Treatment Planning: utilize expertise in clinical theory to support the clinical staff in developing case-specific treatment plans.
  • Crisis Intervention & Case Management: provide guidance in high-stakes client situations. Inform action to minimize harm.
  • Family-Centered Therapy: apply evidence-based therapeutic techniques within the family context.
  • Measurement Based Care: effectively integrate clinical measures & tools into clinical practice
  • Program Adaptation & Innovation: apply knowledge of evidence-based implementation to program adaptions and evidence informed service innovation

Functional Skills

• • Regulatory Knowledge: ensure adherence to privacy, ethics and accreditation standards.
  • Risk Management: support Clinical Supervisors and staff with complex cases and escalate to Associate Director and Clinical Director as required.
  • Time Management: balance supervision sessions and crisis support.
  • Policy Development: maintain knowledge of clinical theory and professional standards of practice. Participate in updating policies and procedures based on best practices.
  • Program Development & Quality Improvement: participates in program development planning and continuous evaluation of services.
  • Training & Development: design/ deliver effective training programs for program staff and facilitate implementation of new learning.
  • People Management: coach and mentor program staff throughout their career journeys.

Behavioural Skills

• • Leadership: inspire and guide program teams and staff toward service excellence
  • Conflict Resolution: navigate and resolve interpersonal challenges constructively.
  • Problem-Solving: recognize and address issues faced by the Supervisors and staff.
  • Decision Making: make timely, evidence-informed decisions in complex situations.
  • Emotional Intelligence: demonstrate empathy, self-awareness, discretion and interpersonal sensitivity.
  • Cultural Competence: demonstrate cultural competencies and understanding of IDEA in clinical practice by integrating into clinical supervision.
  • Communication: exhibit verbal/written communication skills for diverse audiences.
  • Team Building: foster a collaborative and inclusive team culture.
  • Change Enablement: guiding clinical staff through changing mindsets, skillsets and behaviors.
  • Clinical Documentation: accurate, compliant, and confidential client record-keeping.
  • Data Analysis: use data to monitor outcomes and inform decision-making.
  • Program Evaluation: support evaluation activities to assess and improve clinical service delivery
  • Interpersonal Skills: build trust and rapport with staff, clients, and external stakeholders
  • Community Outreach: network and build relationships to support service coordination for program clients.

To Apply for this Role
Interested candidates are asked to submit their resume and letter of interest by November 24, 2026. Please complete the form on the right-hand side of the screen.

• • This is a confidential application process, and candidate applications and information will be reviewed only by CDI’s HR team, recruitment consultant, and hiring managers.
  • CDI does not use artificial intelligence to screen resumes or assess candidates. Humans will be reviewing your materials, and leading all interviews.
  • We also commit to responding to all applicants.

Not sure and need more info? Our recruitment consultant will be happy to answer questions or provide more information. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected]

Join us.
Fostering positive transformations in mental health for over a century, CDI is a world-class leader trusted in helping children, youth and families through a wide range of evidence-informed services to build lasting change.
At CDI, we prioritize the mental well-being and work-life balance of our teams. We acknowledge the reality of the emotionally demanding work each of us puts in every day. To that end, we strive to create a collaborative, diverse, inclusive, and equitable space where creativity flourish by offering:

• Full health and well-being benefits.
• Flexible hours in a planned program environment.
• A focus on cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Ongoing paid professional development opportunities and certifications.

If you want to be part of our vision to make a measurable lifelong impact on the mental health and well-being of children, youth and their families, join us.

Apply now
If you're excited about this role but your experience aligns differently with every requirement, we encourage you to apply. While specific qualifications are strictly required, others can be based on various experiences, backgrounds, and knowledge. We can't promise an interview, but we will consider your whole application.

What you can expect from our interview process:

• An in-person interview with the Hiring Manager and an HR Representative, where you will have an opportunity to further expand on your knowledge and experience as well as ask questions.

CDI is firmly committed to diversity within its community and welcomes applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, Indigenous People of North America and the world, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, and those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. We are committed to providing equitable opportunities in employment and to providing a workplace which is free from discrimination and harassment. We are equally committed to providing an inclusive and accessible workplace. If you require accommodations, please reach out to us at [email protected].