Data / Project Assistant - STAR Center in Seattle, Washington at Downtown Emergency Service Center

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

Shift: Day

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs,19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

JOB DEFINITION:

DESC's STAR (Stability Through Access and Resources) Center is a time-limited, 24/7, behavioral health-focused non-congregate shelter program. Services at the Center are tailored for unsheltered adults facing significant untreated and under-treated challenges related to mental health and substance use disorders. The center is located at 619 3rd Avenue and Cherry St in Seattle.

Part of a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week team of professionals providing emergency shelter and service navigation for homeless individuals. The Data / Project Assistant will manage data and reporting requirements. In addition, the Data / Project Assistant provides support to the STAR Center Project Manager in day-to-day operations including scheduling, coordinating activities with external partners at the City of Seattle and other organizations, vendors, and managing inventory and supplies.

The Project Assistant must be willing and able to work in an environment where staff availability and client needs are often changing. Considerable attention and skill are needed in data systems and tracking.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage HMIS and other data input and reporting requirements.
• In conjunction with Center leadership, Housing Program Administrative Senior Manager, and City of Seattle partners, provide oversight to data collection, compliance and reporting activities, and DESC evaluation activities.
• Monitor service and other program data to track performance and compliance in identified areas.
• Provide training and support to Center staff in their assigned documentation and data activities.
• Assist Project Manager with program operation tasks as assigned.
• In the absence of the Project Manager, liaise with key partners and stakeholders, including the Navigation Team and City of Seattle, to ensure effective operations and communication.
• Work with Service Coordinator Supervisors and Housing Program Scheduler and On-call Supervisor to ensure that the project is sufficiently staffed on all shifts.
• Coordinate scheduling and orientation of on-call staff with the Housing Program Scheduler and On-call Supervisor.
• Provide administrative support to hiring team and assist in training new employees.
• Provide primary coordination with the facilities team to ensure work orders are entered and addressed in a timely fashion.
• Oversee inventory of supplies and coordinate vendor activities.
• Assist in coordinating and facilitating STAR Center meal service.
• Coordinate transportation and visiting provider scheduling.
• Provide milieu coverage as needed.
• Actively participate in team meetings and trainings; maintain minutes of staff meetings.
• Coordinate a wide range of project logistics and resource needs.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Two years’ experience working with homeless, mentally ill, or substance using adults.
• Computer skills, including data entry and word processing skills/experience, or related experience with the indicated potential to learn these skills quickly.
• Strong organizational, administrative, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong communication and writing skills.
• Careful attention to detail.
• Initiative and creativity in problem solving and system development.
• Ability to work independently with a minimum of direct supervision with multiple demands and interruptions.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with a high degree of professionalism.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds.
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behavior.
• Subscribe to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for clients.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree (social service or behavioral science preferred).

OR

• Extensive relevant work experience may be substituted for degree, plus two years of experience with coordination responsibilities.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bilingual in Spanish/English.
• Administrative and/or office experience.
• Ability to drive agency vehicle, valid Washington State Driver's license and insurable driving record.

Strong applicants are able to demonstrate the ability to be positive in their empathetic responses to all persons, and value a non-judgmental response to sensitive issues. Candidates should be able to accept feedback and work in a highly collaborative and potentially stressful environment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required sit for long periods of time, communicate with other persons by talking and hearing, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace, and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.