Head of Social Unit at the West Adult Psychiatry Service (13379-PS-230-2026)

About the job

Psychosocial

Head of Social Unit at the West Adult Psychiatry Service

The West Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Service (SPPAO) of the Department of Psychiatry is seeking a Head of Social Unit (HSU) at 70% (20% HSU - 50% clinical) for its Prangins site from 01.08.2026.

Context

The Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) is one of the 5 Swiss university hospitals. Thanks to its collaboration with the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of the University of Lausanne and EPFL, CHUV plays a leading role in medical care, medical research, and education.

The West Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Service (SPPAO) is one of the clinical services of the CHUV Department of Psychiatry. It provides care for adult patients from western Vaud, organised into hospital and outpatient centres.

Within these structures, the social service actively contributes to the development of individualised care projects, in collaboration with patients, their relatives, and the entire medico-social network.

In this dynamic and demanding context, we are recruiting a Head of Social Unit (HSU), called upon to play a key role in managing social services and supporting complex clinical situations.

The position is structured around two complementary dimensions:

• a team management aspect, including supervision, development, and organisation of the social unit
• a clinical aspect, involving social care of hospitalised patients at the Prangins hospital.

Mission

As Head of Social Unit (HSU), you coordinate and supervise a team of about 5 social workers active in the hospital and outpatient facilities of the Northern sector.

Your main tasks are as follows:

Leadership and team management

• Supervise, support, and develop the skills of the social team
• Organise activities, set priorities, and ensure quality of services
• Foster a collaborative dynamic and a constructive working atmosphere
• Manage HR (recruitment, monitoring, planning, professional development)

Practice development and institutional role

• Harmonise and develop social intervention protocols in psychiatry, according to current standards
• Provide support in complex situations
• Contribute to service projects and departmental reflections
• Represent the social service with internal and external partners

Coordination and networking

• Develop and maintain a strong network with medico-social, legal, and community partners
• Strengthen the link between hospital, outpatient, and community interventions
• Actively participate in coordination forums (conferences, working groups, cantonal network, etc.)

You maintain a significant clinical activity, essential for understanding the field:

• Conduct in-depth social assessments in often complex situations
• Support patients in their administrative, social, and legal procedures
• Assist patients in setting up their institutional accommodation projects
• Co-construct discharge and integration plans with the patient, teams, and network
• Intervene in crisis contexts (precariousness, isolation, involuntary hospitalisation, etc.)
• Provide support in the living environment (home, institutions, partners)
• Support relatives and strengthen their involvement in the care process

You thus contribute to comprehensive, concrete, and coordinated care, close to the realities of patients.

Profile

• You hold a HES-SO Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or an equivalent qualification (SEFRI recognition required for foreign diplomas)
• You have proven experience in adult psychiatry
• You have management experience or a strong interest in team leadership
• You master Swiss social insurances
• You are well acquainted with the Vaud medico-social network
• You demonstrate leadership and a strong sense of responsibility
• You have solid analytical skills and can take a step back in complex situations
• You possess excellent interpersonal skills
• You have good organisational skills and a sense of priorities.

Depending on the profile, the salary scale will be between level 10 and level 11.

We offer

Becoming a collaborator at the Lausanne University Hospital means benefiting from:

• First-rate social benefits, 20 days paternity leave and 4 months maternity leave (with the possibility of an additional month of breastfeeding leave)
• Regular salary progression adapted to responsibilities
• A 13th month salary and 25 days of holiday per year
• A right to a minimum of three training days per year, with access to a varied offer within the CHUV Training Centre and partner training centres of the State of Vaud
• Facilitated access to one of the 500 furnished apartments offered in the surrounding neighbourhoods for people relocating to Switzerland from abroad
• Social, cultural, and economic benefits offered to members of the H-Oxygène association
• Benefits within the mobility plan (discounts on public transport subscriptions, promotion of "Mobility" vehicles and discounts on the purchase of electric bicycles)
• Quality staff restaurants in each hospital building with preferential rates.

Contact and application submission

As all our applications are processed electronically, please apply exclusively online by clicking the APPLY button at the bottom of the advertisement.

If you have difficulty applying, you can consult our procedure on how to apply online. If for technical reasons you cannot apply online, please contact our Recruitment Unit who will assist you, either by email at e.recrutement@chuv.ch or by phone at 021 314 85 70.

As part of the recruitment process for this position, if hired, you will be required to provide an original criminal record extract. You will also be asked to present your original diplomas and an identity document.

CHUV applies the highest quality standards in its recruitment processes. Furthermore, committed to promoting diversity among our collaborators, we are attentive to different life paths and do everything possible to ensure equal treatment and avoid any discrimination. We look forward to receiving your application.

We kindly ask placement agencies to note that applications submitted directly by them on our recruitment platform are not accepted and cannot be invoiced. Thank you for your understanding.