Milieu Manager

Opal: Food+Body Wisdom is a local, female owned and clinician-led eating disorder treatment facility in the University District of Seattle, Washington that offers Partial Hospitalization Program, Intensive Outpatient Program and traditional outpatient services. Our treatment is grounded in Radically Open Dialectical Therapy, with unique programming for Exercise+Sport and an aim for clinic wide weight-inclusive practices.  We are looking for skilled individuals who want to join our team to provide quality treatment and work along side a passionate and caring staff.  See www.opalfoodandbody.com to learn more.

Job Title:  Milieu Manager

Opal’s Milieu Manager owns the processes around milieu hiring, onboarding, current staff scheduling, performance management, and organization of Opal’s dining and group rooms, collaborating with dietitians and cook in order to support meal accuracy and efficiency. This team member will also serve as a Milieu Support Specialist and will work closely with the Associate Clinical Director regarding staffing, training, and clinical support of the milieu team.

Responsibilities: 

Ensure organizational alignment to and manifestation of Opal’s goals, priorities, mission and values by:

Co-lead weekly milieu supervision alongside Associate Clinical Director and co-lead milieu nutrition meetings with the Nutrition Director every other week.

Own milieu team hiring including anticipating hiring needs, serving as the point of contact for candidates, and interviewing.  Work with Human Resources, Director of People+Culture and Associate Clinical Director on hiring as needed. 

Hire and onboard new milieu support specialists in all systems (KIPU, Bamboo, Brivio, etc) and by scheduling training shifts, meetings, and assigning groups.

Manage and assign client lockers.

Train new milieu staff on milieu-specific tasks.

Approve timesheets and PTO for the milieu team in collaboration with Associate Clinical Director.

Own performance management for the milieu team including completing bi-annual assessments, giving formal and informal feedback about performance, and initiating performance improvement plans as needed.

Oversee the milieu chore list by assigning them to milieu staff and assessing future needs of milieu cleaning tasks.

Manage tech equipment in the milieu (charging, organization, updating message board etc.). 

Maintain a clean, therapeutic environment in the milieu group rooms and coordinate with Facilities Manager on maintenance of Opal’s physical space.

Maintain and update the Milieu Support Specialist Training Manual, milieu schedule, and other relevant documents. 

Maintain therapeutic milieu  scheduling, including Life Stories, Community group, group assignments, and team meetings. 

Overall support of milieu staff, as needs arise, including management, staffing for absences/illness, stepping into milieu role to support as needed, etc. 

Work Milieu Support Specialist shifts providing direct assistance to clients in Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Programs.  Including but not limited to: therapeutic meal support, co-leading groups, cooking/kitchen maintenance, sharing community announcements, etc.

Requirements: 

An Associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or working towards bachelor’s degree, preferably with an emphasis in the study of Psychology 

Must be able to obtain an Agency Affiliated Counselor/CAAR or equivalent license within 90 days of hire (Opal pays for this)

Ideally, at least 1 year of experience as a Milieu Support Specialist at Opal

Ability to anticipate needs of the milieu 

Strong understanding of milieu responsibilities and tasks 

Ability to work independently 

Effective communication skills

Ability to independently discern and exercise judgment, making decisions in alignment with Opal’s values, priorities, mission, and goals.

Live, behave and talk in a way that reflects a non-diet, non-weight biased relationship with food and body.  Also openness to learning about how this approach relates to eating disorder treatment.

Exhibit a high degree of confidentiality and personal boundary setting

Experience and/or understanding of eating disorders is highly desired; experience in other mental health field beneficial

Openness to learn new skills and take risks

Able to address conflict with directness and compassion

Comfortable with basics of nutrition, ie meal planning, basic cooking skills, grocery shopping, etc.

Skilled in culture building within the team they manage  

Systemic lens in their leadership and management style 

Strong managerial skills

Strong leadership and inter-personal communication skills 

Change-management skills

Hours: 

All work hours are on site, Monday through Friday, between 7:00am-530pm.

3 Milieu shifts included in this job.  Milieu management administrative hours estimated to be about 16 hours weekly.

Compensation:

$25.14- $31.49/hour

Benefits include: health insurance, retirement account with 3% matching, PTO, paid holidays, peer recognition system.

Vaccinations:  

As per Opal’s Vaccination and Respiratory Illness Policy, staff are recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at least annually and encouraged to follow any updated DOH recommendations regarding boosters or new vaccine formulations. Staff are required to receive the annual flu vaccine by December 15 of each year. Opal will honor religious accommodations requests under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and medical accommodations via the American Disabilities Act.

Opal’s Aspiration:  To contribute to a world where all are able to live fully with freedom

Opal’s Vision: To inspire cultural change regarding food, body, movement and mental health

Opal’s Mission: To free people from diet culture by offering eating disorder treatment for food, body and exercise concerns

Staff  Values:  Better Together.      Curiosity and Learning.      Do it. Self-Inquiry. Repeat.      Change the Script.