OPERATIONS DIRECTOR POSITION
Homeless Action Center (HAC) is a community-based legal services program founded in 1990 to provide legal services to people who are homeless in Alameda County. HAC’s specialty is public benefits advocacy, with a focus on Social Security disability benefits and a goal of stabilizing and increasing clients’ income so that they can obtain sustainable housing and health care. Employing a client-centered model and harm reduction framework, HAC’s staff work closely with other legal and social services programs to assist clients in meeting their emergency and longer-term needs during the process of obtaining benefits. HAC is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and working diligently toward an anti-racist organization and society. Please refer to www.homelessactioncenter.org.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
The Homeless Action Center is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and working diligently toward an anti-racist organization and society. HAC’s Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) and Social Impact and the Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Committee, with the support of other dedicated staff, have put in a tremendous amount of work towards positively impacting change around diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice. HAC employs DEI principles at all stages of the hiring process, collects and analyzes data on staff demographics and retention, and periodically engages with consultants to assess the organization’s culture, facilitate processes and working groups, and make recommendations with implementation strategies for improvement. HAC’s Executive Director has declared that DEI will be one of the organization’s top priorities and the Management Team, in partnership with staff, continues to strive to increase DEI within HAC.
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR POSITION SUMMARY
HAC seeks a full-time Operations Director to manage the internal systems of the organization and lead as a member of the executive team, reporting directly to the Executive Director. This is an exciting new role, and this position aims to advance the work of building a sustainable and resilient organization. The Operations Director will provide crucial leadership in a number of key areas, including Administration, Human Resources, Data Management, Information Technology, and Facilities.
The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in all aspects of operations in a nonprofit organization, and will be the direct supervisor of our HR team, Systems Manager, IT Manager,
Facilities Manager, and Almost Home Director. This role will lead the design of the final structure for the Operations Team, as it has been growing and is in transition.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Duties include but are not limited to the following:
Provide strong leadership that delivers efficiency in HAC’s operations by designing, implementing, and evaluating the internal processes, practices, and systems that HAC relies on.
Manage and lead the Operations Team, ensuring their work is aligned with HAC’s annual objectives and overall strategy and deliver responsive supervision that supports the growth in skill and capacity of all team members.
Develop and implement organizational wide policies, admin processes, and HR procedures that ensure compliance with Federal and State regulations and foster a healthy organizational culture within HAC.
Center equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all spaces and at all levels of the Operations Team, in collaboration with HAC’s DEI & Social Impact Director.
Lead and implement initiatives on best practices in organizational management, performance management, and professional development.
As part of the Executive Team, participate in decisions that will impact the organization related to strategy, resources, and organizational risk and collaborate to set the annual operational priorities for HAC.
Regularly assess and update all organizational policies related to operations, HR, Data Management, Facilities, and Information Technology ensuring they are well documented, relevant, equitable, and accessible.
In coordination with the Executive Team and the Finance Director, administer the budget and financial decisions related to the Operations Team that factor in our external commitments and internal capacity, and conduct administrative duties to ensure HAC is fiscally and legally sound.
Be aware of all aspects and provisions of HAC’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and help ensure that HAC is in compliance with the CBA; take immediate steps to rectify any potential problems with regard to HAC operations and HAC’s union.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
5+ years’ experience with operations, financial management, IT, and HR preferably at a nonprofit organization.
5+ years of previous supervisory experience, including leading a team.
Experience in roles where success was measured by being able to anticipate, identify, and resolve problems and obstacles.
Familiarity with key federal, state, and local labor and payroll laws.
Technology knowledge and experience working with various platforms and tools including Microsoft, Google Suite, etc.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and proactive communicator: asks questions or requests assistance when tasks, processes, or projects are unclear.
Ability to communicate the short and long-term impact of changes to organizational policies and procedures and a capacity to facilitate decision-making and collaboration across a variety of teams.
Detail-oriented with impeccable organizational skills.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Experience working in a social justice organization
Working knowledge of the issues affecting our unhoused and disabled clients today
Has interest or experience in public benefits work prior to joining HAC
ADDITIONAL VALUES AND CORE COMPETENCIES
HAC’s Core Competencies are the skills we expect all of our staff to have and continually develop - regardless of role or level. These core competencies are the skills that reflect how we live our values, support a consistency of staff experience across HAC, and help us understand what is expected of us and where we have room to grow.
Values
Core Competencies
Harm reduction
This value requires us to meet our clients where they are on their path in life and co-create strategies for survival with the resources available. Harm reduction is in contrast to a model that conditions the receipt of services on abstinence, socially acceptable behavior, or gratitude. Harm reduction empowers others to make choices to reduce the harms associated with the experiences of precarity, lack of access to treatment, health care, and permanent housing. A harm reduction and trauma informed mindset and ethos requires the following competencies:
Centering client dignity and autonomy
Interacting with our clients without fear or judgment
Ability to interact with people experiencing severe mental illness, under the influence of substances, and at times displaying antisocial and offensive behavior
Radical Compassion
We expect our staff to have a demonstrated commitment to social change. Everyone deserves second chances - especially our clients - and we are not afraid of conflict in the service of solving problems and making HAC better. This value is about prioritizing relationship building and how we treat each other. Compassion at HAC also means understanding that socioeconomic systems, not individuals, are responsible for poverty. Compassion at HAC means:
Practicing empathy in all interactions
Having understanding and radical love for our clients first, for each other as colleagues, and for ourselves
The ability to have difficult conversations, manage conflict, and face confrontation with humility, kindness, and respect
Redemption
We show up to this work with an understanding that HAC's clients are not the typical clients of a legal services organization. We do not condition representation on perfect behavior, and we are prepared to give multiple chances. Redemption at HAC means:
We do not end relationships with clients because a client said the wrong thing, missed an appointment, or refuses to engage in drug treatment or health care
We do not give up on our clients
We go above and beyond for as long as it takes
Excellence
By excellence, we mean the quality of the services we deliver, the culture we foster, and our commitment to growth and learning. We expect excellence to look like:
Attaining successful outcomes for our goals and objectives
Demonstrating cultural humility by taking a learning stance and being open to our clients and colleagues’ cultural experiences
Growing professionally and always learning in order to deliver outstanding work product
Collaborating across teams and being proactive in offering solutions to challenges
Honor
We feel honored to be able to do this work at this time in this community. Our clients entrust us with their most difficult and private struggles and we are able to offer some relief. It’s hard work, and it has meaning and is honorable as well. What this means in practice is:
We show up with integrity, an open mind, and heart
We are able to deal with workplace stress and change
We are adaptable and responsive
We all make mistakes, take responsibility for them, and extend each other grace
Justice
Justice is the systematic fair treatment of all people, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all. It is not just the absence of discrimination and inequities, but also the presence of deliberate systems and supports to achieve and sustain equity through proactive and preventative measures. To embody justice at HAC, everyone:
Is committed to advancing racial equity
Has been directly impacted by inequity or has lived experience of solidarity with oppressed groups
Has a deep understanding of the impact of race, class, gender, disability, and other kinds of injustice.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Contact with clients who may have behavioral and psychiatric problems including shouting, use of profanity and inappropriate behavioral choices.
Supervision: assigned duties according to specified procedures and receives detailed instructions. Work is reviewed frequently. The employee performs a variety of routine work within established policies and procedures, and receives instructions on assignments, new policies, or projects.
Our offices have open spaces, and thus can be loud and chaotic. While we are a working law office, the layout, as well as the nature of our work, can mean that it is louder than a “typical” office space.
We have animals – cats and dogs – in our offices.
This position requires interacting with people living in homeless encampments. Encampments may be especially chaotic, and may have debris, drug paraphernalia, rodents, and other possible hazards.
Occasional need to interact with clients that may be expressing anger both appropriately and inappropriately.
The worker is occasionally exposed to perfume or scents in personal care products used by employees, clients, and visitors.
The worker is occasionally exposed to cleaning products.
The work environment includes traveling using various modes of transportation.
The work environment may include driving an agency vehicle.
SALARY & BENEFITS
Starting salary commensurate with experience, starting at $150,000. Salary scale is examined at least annually.
Employer paid insurance: health, vision, and dental, as well as $150,000 basic term life insurance policy, long-term disability insurance and employee assistance program. Coverage includes 100% employer paid medical, dental and vision insurance for employee and dependent spouse/domestic partner or children; when adding spouse/domestic partner and children, 100% of the child premiums and 50% of the spouse/domestic partner premiums are paid by HAC. Additional optional life insurance, short-term disability, accident, and critical illness plans available.
Optional Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for healthcare or dependent care available.
50% Subsidy for Commuter Check program.
Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) in the amount of $200 subsidy per month for all staff who have student loans, regardless of salary or loan amount.
403(b) account available with employer contribution of up to 4% of annual salary.
Generous vacation, holiday and sick time.
TO APPLY
Please submit your cover letter and resume as a single PDF attachment when applying.
In order to best serve our clients and our community, HAC is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. Please address the following question(s) in your cover letter: How has your personal background or experience, professional or otherwise, prepared you to contribute to social justice, racial equity, and diversity among our staff? What is your style of problem solving and conflict resolution?
HAC is committed to equity in hiring. We encourage people of color, women, people with disabilities, older people, LGBTQIA people, and members of other historically oppressed groups to apply. It is HAC’s policy 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. HAC will conform to the spirit, as well as the letter, of all applicable laws and regulations.
DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.