Social and community service managers supervise and organize community organizations and social service programs. They manage staff who provide social services and work with community members to recognize needed programs and services. Their duties include data analysis of programs and budget management for organizations and programs.
In the skills section of the social and community service manager job description, note that the ideal candidate should have a degree in social work, urban studies, public health, business or public administration or a related field. Relevant work experience is essential for entering this occupation.
Social and community service managers should have strong analytical, communication and interpersonal skills because they will be dealing with people and data. Management and problem-solving skills are important because managers need to handle multiple issues. Look at the social and community service manager job description below for a better understanding of what to include in your own version.
Social and Community Service Manager Job Summary
Are you passionate about serving your community and providing services to strengthen it? Are you a leader who can motivate your staff, develop strong relationships with other community leaders and has proven management skills? Consider joining our team as a social and community service manager, where you can impact lives and make a difference. Work to ensure the effectiveness of the organization’s programs and the quality of service provided. Conduct outreach to promote awareness of our programs and services and implement improvements that will better serve the community. This rewarding and challenging leadership position provides an opportunity to affect positive change and deliver needed services.
Job Responsibilities
- Provide service and support to clients, including resolving complaints, conducting needs evaluations and handling referrals for child advocacy issues
- Recruit, interview and hire staff, provide training programs and consult on program-related federal, state and county policies and regulations, evaluating their work to ensure programs are running effectively, resources are used properly and the program quality is appropriate
- Develop and maintain relationships with community members from other agencies and organizations to collaborate on community service needs, ensure that services are not doubled and communicate agency purposes, policies and programs
- Plan and administer budgets for programs, support services and equipment
- Establish and oversee administrative procedures set by board of directors or senior management
- Research and analyze community needs to determine future program goals and direction
- Determine organizational policies on issues including program requirements, program benefits and participant eligibility
- Prepare and maintain reports and records, including budgets, personnel records and training manuals
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Bachelor’s degree in social work, public health, urban studies, public or business administration or a related field
- 5 years of previous work experience in social work or a similar occupation
- Strong critical thinking skills to analyze solutions to problems
- Excellent communication skills
- Experience in conflict resolution
Preferred:
- Master’s degree
Social and Community Service Manager Job Responsibilities
You’ve thought about how important a social and community service manager is as the public face of your organization’s outreach efforts, but have you considered how important a well-written job description is as the public face of your organizations’ recruitment? Your social and community service manager job description is often the first introduction a candidate has to your company, and in order to attract top talent, that job description needs to make a great first impression.
Make that impression a strong one by writing using the impact of action verbs to engage and involve the reader. Beginning each sentence with an action verb turns this from a dry job description into a vision in which the candidate can see their future with your organization, as well as their potential contributions. Keep your social and community service manager job description on point by minimizing the length and restricting it to 10 or fewer bullets. You don’t need to account for every second. Get to the meat of the job responsibilities section as quickly as possible and only discuss what really matters.
Take a look at our sample social and community service manager job responsibilities:
- Champion social service and community outreach programs in alignment with strategic objectives
- Develop tactical plans for improving outreach efforts and increasing access to services
- Evaluate data from target demographics to understand impact of existing services
- Continuously challenge personnel to go above and beyond in meeting community needs
- Recruit, train, and mentor new program management staff and team members
Social and Community Service Manager Job Specifications
If the job responsibilities cover what candidates want to do with your organization, then the job qualifications and skills should cover what you want from those candidates. You know the basic criteria for the role, and without those criteria, the candidate can’t to function successfully. Include those requirements in your social and community service manager job description to provide clarity in exactly the type of person you’re looking for.
While this minimizes your applicant pool, it’s also a positive. For every job, there are thousands of unqualified applicants, and to keep those applicants from your door, it’s best to be clear in what you do and don’t want. Create a list of 5-6 bullets as part of your social and community service manager job description, and increase your response rate from qualified candidates while eliminating jobseekers who just don’t fit the bill. If necessary, discuss with others on the social and community outreach team to define and refine your screening criteria.
Here’s a few example social and community service manager job specifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in social work minimum; Master’s given preference
- 10 or more years of program leadership experience
- Strong background with government agencies or nonprofit organizations
- Experienced in outreach to underserved and underprivileged communities
- Excellent public speaking and relationship building skills