Program Assistant

Please note: This is a 5 day a week Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm hybrid position.

SUMMARY:
Inland Housing Solutions (IHS), is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with over 30 years of experience serving homeless and affordable housing individuals and families. The mission of IHS is “to break the cycle of homelessness in the Inland Empire, by providing permanent housing options and other essential services to families who have no place to live.”

IHS is committed to being an innovative leader in the region with high-quality service that is responsive to the needs of clients and partners. IHS as an organization strives for a holistic approach to helping individuals and families overcome their challenges or circumstances while being responsive to the evolving policies and procedures. We are looking for dynamic, resourceful, passionate, and customer-service-oriented individuals who understand the importance of building relationships with property owners, tenants, families, and other supportive agency partners. This focus holistically creates a supportive environment for addressing community gaps for our most vulnerable individuals and families.

The role is a Program Assistant, where you have the opportunity to be the critical front-line interface for clients, members, and partners. We are seeking a Program Assistant who is looking for a long-term position in which to grow and develop professionally alongside a team of talented Housing Navigators, Case Managers. You will be responsible to learn and manage the communication between different departments, programs, and services, as well as triage, provide information, and assess all inbound client and partner calls. The Program Assistant also performs data-entry into our Salesforce database to help provide communication between the departments.

Is this for You? Are you someone who:

● Is comfortable conducting business over the phone, Zoom, Salesforce, MS Teams, and email

● Passionate about helping people

● Loves to learn

● Strengths in attention to detail

● Can type detailed notes while communicating

● Is comfortable working in a rapidly changing environment

● Is proficient with the computer, especially Salesforce, MS Excel, and MS Word

● Is dependable and motivated

BASIC PURPOSE:

The Program Assistants duties are to provide exceptional customer service and function as a liaison for various communication interfaces. Ultimately, a top-notch Program Assistantshould be a compassionate highly organized individual with a passion for helping people. This includes, but is not limited to, initial fielding of incoming calls, assisting with handling questions, complaints, and inquiries, client de-escalation as necessary, and having a pivotal role in developing and maintaining robust client relationships. This position can be a fast-paced, high-service, high-touch environment. Our business is conducted with integrity, positivity, respectfulness, and in a responsive manner.

An ideal candidate would have:

● A background in customer service, sales, and/or high-volume medical clinic

● Proficiency with computer programs and software applications

● Effective verbal and written communication skills, including speaking Spanish

● Strong organizational skills

● The ability to multitask and be detail-oriented in a fast-paced environment

● A reliable and proactive work ethic

● Sound judgment and decision-making ability

● A positive and energetic attitude with a team-player mindset

● A passion for making people smile

● Dependable -- more reliable than spontaneous

● People-oriented -- enjoys interacting with people and working on group projects

● Adaptable/flexible -- enjoys doing work that requires frequent shifts in direction

● Detail-oriented -- would rather focus on the details of work than the bigger picture

● Achievement-oriented -- enjoys taking on challenges, even if they might fail

● Autonomous/Independent -- enjoys working with little direction

● High stress tolerance -- thrives in a high-pressure environment

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

● Program Assistant – Assist and support several department directors and serve as the knowledge base for everyone that works within these integrated departments.

o Identify and resolve problems in a timely manner, gather and analyze information, and develop alternative solutions

o Manage difficult or emotional customer situations, respond promptly to customer needs and meet commitments

o Provide inbound customer service for IHS clients

o Maintain calendars for up to 5 managers, including: meetings, phone and video conferencing, facilities' booking, contact coordination, travel, external time blocks, etc.

o Ability to work with clients with disabilities, mental illnesses, or challenging behaviors

o Daily schedule planning and management

o Responsible for learning and management of HMIS, Insightly, Salesforce, MS Office, and other data management and communication systems

o Support with new client inquiries/intakes/interviews and new client orientation.

o Collaborate with our program staff about case eligibility. Serve as an information and referral resource for clients seeking services

o Building strong relationships with the IHS team members and applicable agency partners

● Service Coordination – office/phone support

o Answer office phone calls, triage, pre-screen for various IHS programs, resources, and referrals

o Provides the highest quality customer experience and exceeds expectations of all internal and external clients by handling questions, complaints, and inquiries with the highest degree of courtesy and professionalism in a time-sensitive manner via inbound phone calls, voicemail messages, and email.

o Creatively solves customer issues and provides resolutions to the customer’s satisfaction.

o Includes other team members and/or departments as needed when client issues are beyond the Program Assistant’s capabilities.

● Other duties are assigned as needed.

EXPERIENCE:

● 2 years of Office Administrative Experience Preferred

● Self-starter, able to work hybrid remote/field/office and manage own appointments and scheduling

● Able to learn and understand different program requirements and community resources

● Experience working in a high-pressure setting and ability to respond appropriately

● Experience working with people with disabilities, institutionalized, and/or homeless individuals or in a similar role

● Experienced in working with sensitive/confidential client information, HIPAA

● Experienced in maintaining client documentation, sharing client updates and team collaboration

SKILLS AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

● Administrative Skills:

o Hard skills: Proficient Computer Skills, Microsoft Office, Customer Service Software, Typing

o Soft Skills: Excellent written/verbal communication, customer-focused, ability to learn quickly, team player, attention to detail, thorough follow-up, and ability to multitask

o Experience working with low-income, diverse populations including persons impacted by mental illness preferred

o Willing to be trained in Critical Time Intervention and HIPPA compliance

o Monitor educational, training and employment goals

o Community resource networking

o Experienced in maintaining client documentation, sharing client updates and team collaboration

o Must be Bilingual (Spanish)

● Typical Physical Demands:

o Requires prolonged sitting, some bending and stooping.

o Occasional lifting up to 25 pounds.

o Manual dexterity is sufficient to operate a computer keyboard and calculator.

o Requires normal range of hearing and vision.

o Regularly required to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, calculator, and telephone and reach with hands and arms

o Maintain kitchen and office supply inventory; order office supplies as needed within budget

o Keep conference rooms, kitchen, and all communal areas clean and neat

o Prepare outgoing/incoming mail as requested

● Valid California Driver’s License with a dependable vehicle.

At IHS we are people advocates. We recognize that individuals come from all walks of life, have different circumstances, or may even have a disability. Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging is rooted in our core values. The strength of our organization is our employees. Bringing together and supporting different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, and strengths creates a team capable of delivering legendary, lifetime service to our members. We are committed to creating a workplace where all employees, regardless of background, or characteristics, are engaged, feel they belong, and can grow and develop long careers with our organization. We welcome you to apply!

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $18.00 - $24.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Experience:

• Office Administrative: 2 years (Preferred)

Language:

• Spanish (Preferred)

Work Location: In person