Security Attendant I - City of Vancouver, Vancouver

The opportunity

Known as the living room of the Downtown South, The Gathering Place Community Centre offers educational, recreational, cultural, and social programming for the benefit of low-income people of the Downtown South. The Security Attendant I is a front-line position with primary responsibilities in relationship building with community members, and centre safety, security, access control, and incident response and reporting. Security attendants work to ensure that the centre is a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for the public and staff. Violence prevention is a priority at the centre, and attendants are expected to use defusing and de-escalating skills when responding to all volatile situations, with physical intervention always remaining a last resort.

Skills and experience

• Completion of Grade 10 (Grade 12 preferred)
• Knowledge of the Downtown Southside and Downtown Eastside communities, local agencies, and services
• Considerable knowledge of the Gathering Place Community Centre's rules, services, and operations
• Experience working in a community, social service, or health care environment would be an asset
• Occupational First Aid Level I certification or the ability to obtain one would be an asset
• Fluency in a second language would be an asset
• Basic Security Training (BST) would be an asset
• Considerable knowledge and understanding of addictions, mental illness, conflict resolution, and violence prevention
• Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships
• Proven ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, including writing incident reports
• Proven ability to work with minimal supervision
• Proven ability to respond to incident using defusing and de-escalation techniques
• Proven ability to respond to emergencies, walk long distances, and carry heavy items using moderate strength and agility
• A Police Record Check demonstrating the absence of any criminal charges or convictions related to this position

Day-to-day

• Monitoring entrances and facilitating access control of the facilities
• Monitoring and upholding the Centre's Code of Conduct and ensuring standards of behaviour are being observed
• Conducting regular patrols of the building
• Effectively and professionally responding to incidents of concern, such as incidents of verbal abuse, verbal threats, physical aggression, and physical violence
• De-escalating and resolving conflicts through appropriate intervention techniques
• Providing support in the event of an emergency including first aid and overdose response
• Understanding the needs of and assisting patrons in a supportive manner by providing information and making referrals on the services and activities provided by the Centre and other community partners
• Assisting with front desk clerical activities such as answering phones, distributing mail, and simple data entry when needed
• Communicating information to other staff by way of log entries, incident reports, and emails
• Documenting security incidents using the Resolver Security Incident management system
• Communicating effectively using a two-way radio
• Maintaining health and safety standards
• Receiving routine deliveries
• Understanding and upholding occupational health and safety policies and procedures
• Performing janitorial and other duties as required