Position Summary: The Program Assistant is the first contact the public and incoming residents have with the House of Ruth Maryland and is responsible for setting a helpful, welcoming, and informed tone for each individual’s experience with us. Shelter Residents are traumatized both by the intimate partner violence they experienced, and the sudden experience of homelessness. Families may also have unrelated trauma experiences from their lives. As such, the Program Assistant must be comfortable engaging traumatized people in a calming and sensitive manner and must be comfortable working in a Voluntary Services program model. The Program Assistant is responsible for providing administrative assistance and operational support to the day-to-day work in the Residential program. This includes roughly 40% effort in receiving and relocating material donations such as clothing, household items, food and toys, and 60% effort in administrative data and scheduling coordination tasks. The Program Assistant also assists with activities and special projects that enable the Residential program to work effectively.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Take initiative and create systems that improve efficiency and effectiveness of administrative functioning of program.
- Provide a wide range of administrative functions including answering and routing phone calls, sorting and distributing mail, photocopying, faxing, filing, scanning, maintaining program records and administrative files, maintaining inventories and ordering office supplies/ building commodities, ensuring adequate supply of program forms, and running program related errands.
- Provide administrative and scheduling support to the Residential program such as coordinating room and event calendars, staff contact lists and work schedules, and supporting on site events through room and material preparation in advance of events and returning rooms to use following events.
- Receives, sorts and distributes donated goods and purchased commodities, coordinating with HRM Donations Center, non-Shelter departments housed within the Shelter, and HRM food pantry programs not housed within Shelter to meet program and victim needs.
- Transports donations between Shelter and Donations Center, Storage spaces, and Food Pantry.
- Maintains inventory of donated material goods and purchased commodities. Updates and distributes a needs list among Shelter based programs, and meets regularly with Program Leads to prioritize procurement and distribution of items.
- Tracks receipt and distribution of goods/ commodities through agency software/ paper system.
- Collects information to thank and follow up with donors.
- With Operations staff, organizes and maintains donation and purchased goods storage areas.
- Maintain an efficient, professional, and pleasant environment in front office and office equipment room, troubleshooting office equipment problems, and arranging for and coordinating office equipment repair.
- Screen and assist residents, visitors, donors, and vendors for entry into the facility, being sensitive to trauma and safety needs. Enforce visitor confidentiality policy and donation policy.
- Coordinate connections for new Shelter residents, scheduling internal appointments for intake.
- Provide technical support and limited training to program staff on use of computer hardware and software, fax machine, copier, and other equipment, to resolve problems and upgrade skills. Liaison with HRM information technology staff on issues related to software and hardware problems.
- Manage the staff picture board and mailboxes, keeping them up to date.
- Update and maintain front office operations manual.
- Complete routine data entry tasks efficiently and accurately. Produce reports as required.
- Identify opportunities to utilize trainees and volunteers to enhance operations. Act as the main point of contact for Weinberg Center volunteers, working with program staff and the Community Relations Manager to support volunteers on site.
- Facilitate conflict resolution among residents. Demonstrate conflict management and conflict resolution behaviors.
- Maintain strict confidentiality with respect to victims, sensitive documents, and Leadership level projects and communications.
- Other duties as assigned.
House of Ruth Maryland is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws
*Please no calls regarding position