Client Services Manager (Resource Network)

Organization Overview

HomeFront’s mission is to end homelessness in Central New Jersey by harnessing the caring, resources and expertise of the community. We lessen the immediate pain of homelessness and help families become self-sufficient. We work to give our clients the skills and opportunities to ensure adequate incomes, and we work to increase the availability of adequate, affordable housing. We help families advocate for themselves individually and collectively.

Job Summary/Objective

One of HomeFront’s core beliefs is that families need basic necessities to live lives with dignity. Picture a family in real home. In that vision, you’ll see parents and kids sitting around a table sharing a nourishing meal or a young student seated at a desk doing homework. Parents and kids are sleeping in beds with clean sheets and their clothing is stowed away in dressers – not in garbage bags. That’s our vision, too, and HomeFront’s Resource Network – combined with our donors’ kindness – make it a reality for homeless and very low-income families.

HomeFront was founded on the idea that our community bears a responsibility to meet the basic human needs of our neighbors. Helping families secure safe and secure housing is critical but housing isn’t a home. Families also need food, clothing, pots and pans, linens, and furniture to live lives with dignity. These are things that most of us take for granted, but for our area’s most vulnerable families, these necessities can be difficult, if not impossible, to acquire.

HomeFront is seeking a strong leader with passion, dedication, and a deep desire to help families break the cycle of poverty to lead our “front door” to the community at our main office location, welcoming new and existing clients, and our Choice Food Market and Family Needs/Diaper Bank operations. The ideal candidate will collaborate with internal and external partners to ensure families’ needs are met, modeling high quality, trauma-informed service for every family seeking our assistance.

The HomeFront Client Services Manager scope includes:

• Direct supervision of up to 6 Resource Network staff and oversight of volunteers working in the Choice Food Market and Diaper Bank/Family Needs areas.
• The HomeFront Front Desk - the first point of entry for thousands of families a year that are seeking the wide range of support services that HomeFront offers.
• Fran’s Choice Food Market - HomeFront’s Choice Food Market is set up like a small grocery store, empowering clients to select the groceries they would like by giving them a sense of dignity and control over their food choices. The Choice Market also provides diapers, hygiene items, and produce, and it supports the grocery bags provided to HomeFront families being served by other departments.
• The HomeFront Diaper Bank/Family Needs operations – HomeFront’s Diaper Bank and Family Needs operations provide hundreds of thousands of diapers annually to families who may otherwise lack adequate supplies to keep their babies clean, dry, and healthy. In addition to direct community distribution, HomeFront also operates a regional Diaper Bank that supplies partner agencies with diapers for children and families as part of their programming.
• Annual Drives – Thousands of families a year receive support through our Diaper Challenge, Back to School, Thanksgiving, and Holiday Wishes Drives.

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities:

• Manage Front Desk operations that facilitate client access to available services and programs, including housing support, HomeFront’s Choice Food Market, and basic necessities distribution, while ensuring timely and accurate referrals to both internal and external programs.
• Manage and facilitate coordination with other Resource Network managers (Furnish the Future, FreeStore, 222 Hermitage) to ensure seamless operations, client access, and appropriate linkages to additional resources.
• Manage family needs and diaper bank programming, including inventory, volunteer management, ordering, delivery logistics, client access, storage, and partner relations.
• Coordinate with Family Needs Specialist, Resource Network Director, and HomeFront program managers to ensure the resource needs of HomeFront participants are consistently met.
• Develop and manage efficient and consistent diaper, feminine hygiene, and family needs product inventory process.
• Coordinate and execute, with support from the Family Needs Specialist, HomeFront’s external partner diaper distribution, including engagement with new partners, as applicable.
• Coordinate a Resource Network intake and distribution process that produces timely, accurate and complete files with required documentation.
• Foster a welcoming and tidy environment at the Front Desk and in all client reception areas and restrooms.
• Provide active direct and indirect management of Resource Network staff and volunteers, including leadership and guidance on operations and professional development.
• Partner with Resource Network Director on programming creation, refinement, and evaluation. This includes all programming related to family needs, client services, food access, and general basic necessities allocation.
• Collaborate with Community Engagement Team to develop partners for the Resource Network and the agency.
• Coordinate with and support the Family Needs Specialist and Community Engagement team as you prepare for and operate all annual drives. This includes our diaper, back to school, Thanksgiving, and Holiday Wishes drives.
• Work with Family Needs and Pantry team to create and operate Holiday Wishes Choice Market.
• Research and stay up to date on local, state, and federal policies around SNAP, as well as diaper and feminine hygiene product information and policies
• Maintain accurate records through files and database data entry.
• Collaborate with Innovation & Evaluation team and HomeFront leadership to make data driven decisions and ongoing quality improvement to programming
• Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with funding partners, referral
• agencies, and other regional social service agencies
• Ensure and protect agency, employee, and client confidentiality

Required Experience and Education

• Bachelors Degree in related human service field
• Minimum of 2 years managing a diverse team
• Valid driver’s license
• Familiarity with local social services resources/systems

Preferred Experience and Education

• Bi-lingual / Spanish or Haitian Creole preferred
• Strong customer service skills
• Time management and multitasking ability given frequent interruptions and high demand for service
• Ability to de-escalate crisis situations and serve clients experiencing difficult personal emergencies with patience, compassion and a trauma-informed approach
• Intermediate Microsoft Office skills
• Previous research and program development/evaluationexperience
• Experience in high-paced, high-stress environments
• Experience with de-escalation techniques and utilization of trauma-informed care principles
• Knowledge of inventory processes and procedures

Schedule

This is primarily a daytime role, but flexible scheduling may be required based on program needs. Standard weekly schedule: Monday 9:00am – 5:00pm; Tuesday 10:00am – 6:00pm; Wednesday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm

Physical Demands

• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Must be able to walk, stand and sit for long periods of time
• Must be able to walk up and down several flights of steps
• Exposure to the outdoors and inclement weather is possible
• Job operates in an office setting which routinely uses standard office equipment

Remote Work Eligibility

Eligible to Work Remotely in emergency conditions (e.g. inclement weather)

Disclaimer

This position description neither constitutes a contract of employment nor is designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice. Company may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

HomeFront, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome employees and prospective employees without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or veteran status.

Medical, Dental, Vison

401k + Match

100% Employer Sponsored Life Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid Time Off

11 Company Holidays

EAP + Discount Programs

Spanish or Haitian Creole Preferred