Welcome Center Coordinator

Welcome Center Coordinator

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Sacred Heart Community Service, located in San Jose, CA, is looking for a poised, community-oriented professional to join Sacred Heart’s Welcome Center Program. The Welcome Center Coordinator is a member of the team of staff and volunteers that welcome, orient, and engage community members to our programs and opportunities for involvement. The position is the face of Sacred Heart to the community. The ideal candidate will be self-directed, flexible, and exhibit strong communication, efficient administrative and multi-tasking skills, excellent customer service skills, and the ability to stay calm and collected in the midst of an occasionally chaotic environment. Most importantly, they must have a passion for our mission – to build a community free from poverty.  For over 55 years, SHCS has been one of the leading institutions addressing poverty in Santa Clara County through a strategy that combines meeting basic needs, offering tools for self-sufficiency, and providing opportunities for the wider community to get involved and take action.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Under the supervision of the Welcome Center Manager, the Welcome Center Coordinator support, the engagement to hundreds of community members each day. This position implements and improves our efforts to welcome, register, and connect everyone to the resources and opportunities available to them. Core responsibilities include outreach activities to assist member’s access utility assistance,  implementing processes to effectively triage the needs of new members; connecting them with programs and engagement opportunities; enrolling clients and updating information in our database; keeping our lobby and service lines organized and moving efficiently; recruiting, training, and guiding volunteers as they engage with our members; and helping to keep a welcoming and peaceful environment in the midst of the hectic situations that sometimes develop. Understanding the stress and trauma experienced by low-income individuals and families, the position guides our efforts to ensure everyone is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.  

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

Program Coordination (65-75%)

●        Welcomes and registers members triage needs, responds to questions, updates member data, and connects members to the programs, resources, and engagement opportunities.

●        Supports the development, implementation, and reporting of member database including registration, updates, survey processes.

●        Implements and troubleshoots data entry processes to ensure applications and updates are being entered efficiently and used appropriately.

●        Maintains regular communications with internal SHCS programs and external agencies to facilitate member education about internal and external programs, resources, and events, through flyers, member interaction, PowerPoint presentations, and tabling.

●        Supports Welcome Center space operations by ensuring organization, program line flow, cleanliness, and supplies and materials levels.

●        Supports crisis intervention efforts by responding to situations, training and supporting volunteers in effective responses, and documenting incidents.

●        Ensures appropriate scheduling, coverage of team responsibilities, and support for colleagues addressing challenging scenarios.

●        Maintains relationships and performs site visits to partner organizations for referrals knowledge and shared learning.

●        Answers SHCS phones and ensures automated phone system information remains current.

●        Provides member enrollment, appointment scheduling, and pre-screening support for SHCS programs and events.

●        Supports continuous learning, evaluation, and improvement of the Welcome Center area including policies, guidelines, and performance metrics.

●        Assist customers to complete utility assistance, and meet with customers and collect data to determine program eligibility, including collecting required documentation. 

●        Review energy assistance applications for completeness, accuracy, and required documentation.

●        Maintain accurate customer records; provide reports and statistics as requested.

●        Determine customer eligibility and process utility assistance payments.

●        Enter data into the program database system and ensure accurate and timely data entry.

●        Prioritize and register energy assistance applications into the statewide processing system.

●        Assist with opening applications and payment notifications.

●        Provide customer education related to energy conservation and weatherization services.

Volunteer and Member Engagement (20-30%)

●        Provides regular communication, support, supervision, training, recognition, and professional development for Welcome Center volunteers and interns in alignment with SHCS’s operating values. The position ensures volunteers and interns feel appreciated, meaningfully engaged, and they understand their roles and responsibilities.

●        Engages members in organization-wide public policy campaigns and supports members in understanding the need to address the structural causes of poverty as well as providing direct service.  

●        Conducts 1:1 and team meetings with volunteers and members to cultivate their deeper involvement, to develop their analysis of the systemic roots and solutions to poverty, and increase their leadership capacity and ownership of the program.

●        Supports the recruitment, development, and work of the Welcome Center Advisory Committee.

●        Manages volunteer schedules including outreach, reminders, and coordination with the volunteer office.

●        Ensures volunteers and member information is updated and volunteer engagement is tracked in the database (i.e. log-in processes, hour tracking, etc.).

Leadership (5-10%)

●        Supports the planning and implementation of organization-wide programs, events, training, and outreach efforts. This includes special efforts such as Holiday distribution events.

●        Supports and supervises other Essential Services programs (Pantry, Clothes Closet, and Donation Station) and volunteers as needed.

●        Supports planning and execution of Sacred Heart and team meetings, training, retreats, and events.

●        Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience

●       Strong commitment to our vision of ensuring every child and adult is free from poverty.

●       2-3 years of program management or supervisory experience.

●       Four-year degree or a minimum of 5 years of experience in social services, public health, or a related field.

●       Bilingual and bi-literate in English and in Spanish, Vietnamese, or Mandarin

●       Strong communication skills, including the ability to deliver difficult messages with compassion and to communicate respectfully with individuals in stressful situations.

●       Demonstrated ability to work with diverse people, communities, and cultures with an understanding of culturally competent practices.

●       Computer literacy with proficiency in standard computer programs like Microsoft Office and Google Docs.

●       Superior verbal, written, and presentation skills.

●       Sensitivity to issues surrounding households experiencing homelessness, substance use, mental illness, and disabilities.

●       Ability to thrive in a flexible, fast-paced environment, while maintaining a positive, solution-oriented approach.

●       Ability to multitask, work under pressure, and work through ambiguity and the unexpected.

●       Experience with peaceful mediation or de-escalation while working with people in crisis or conflict

●       Ability to lift up to 15lbs without assistance and up to 30lbs with assistance. The position requires computer use up to 6-8 hours per day. The physical demands described here are representative of what an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with differing abilities to perform the essential functions.

●       Must be insurable under the organization’s driving insurance requirements.

●       Must complete a DMV and criminal background check.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:

This position reports to the Welcome Center Manager. 

COMPENSATION:

This is a non-exempt, full-time, hourly position paying $21.00 - $23.00/hr. Excellent benefits include fully paid medical insurance for employees and majority paid medical insurance for qualified dependents, dental insurance, vision insurance, 12 paid holidays, 10 paid sick days per year, paid vacation starting at 10 days per year, additional wellness benefits, basic life and long-term disability insurance, professional development and more. 

Sacred Heart Community Service is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Workplace and an Affirmative Action Employer. SHCS is committed to building a team of people of diverse ethnic, cultural, and experiential backgrounds. It is the policy of Sacred Heart Community Service to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, medical condition or genetic information, veteran status, national origin, disability, marital or other protected status. SHCS will conform to the spirit, as well as the letter of all applicable laws and regulations. 

We especially encourage members of historically underrepresented and marginalized communities, people of color, women, people living with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ+ people to apply. 

This position is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 521.