Receptionist Front Desk

Summary: The Receptionist, under the direct supervision of the Director o, is the initial point of contact for visitors, new clients, callers and the general public, while providing administrative assistance and support and performing clerical duties as assigned for the agency.

 Primary Responsibilities:

1.            The receptionist’s tasks include to staffing the main reception area and operating the switchboard by responding immediately and cheerfully and providing detailed and legible messages.

2.            Produce and distribute correspondence as directed; assist with mass mailings; maintain, update and distribute staff telephone extension list; and create and maintain files.

3.            Maintain and inventory general office supplies; operate facsimile, copier, FEDEX and postage system; and other general office duties as assigned.

4.            Provide assistance to new clients as assigned and directed, and, as necessary, in obtaining appropriate client documentation and identification.

5.Other duties as assigned by the Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Clinical         Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Personal and Professional Qualifications:

1.            High School diploma with some college courses preferred.

2.            General computer knowledge and typing at least 35-55 wpm, accurate.

3.            Two years secretarial experience or equivalent and general knowledge of standard office equipment and procedures.

4.            Familiarity with case management and intake procedures in a residential substance abuse program setting is desirable but not required.

5.            Excellent time management and interpersonal skills among clients, staff and the public.

6.            Appreciation for the needs of American Indian women and men in recovery, and cultural sensitivity to American Indians.

7.            If in recovery, at least 3 years of continuous sobriety required.

8.            Must meet standards of character under PL 101-630, section 408, Character Investigation, subsection (a) and PL 101-647, section 231, Requirement for Background Check, subsection (c), and agree that employer can contact the last two employers, the sex abuse detective division of local law enforcement and Child Protective Services of the last two counties in which the person has lived or worked to inquire as to the suitability of the person to work with children.

Must agree to abide by the code of ethics established by the Indian Health Service Manual and all policies and procedures of The Friendship House Association of American Indians.

The Friendship House Association of American Indians is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization, established in 1963 to serve American Indians who were relocated from their reservations to the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 1963, Friendship House has served more than 5,500 residential clients and hundreds of youth consumers and provided community-focused events for countless numbers of American Indians. As a cultural center with co-located services and community activities, Friendship House is uniquely poised in the San Francisco Bay area to serve American Indians.

The overarching goal of Friendship House is to promote healing and wellness in the American Indian community by providing a continuum of services that build resiliency to substance abuse. And to strengthen connections to family and community to improve the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being of American Indians across the lifespan.

Friendship House operates three program facilities: the Friendship House American Indian Healing Center, an 80- bed adult men and women residential substance abuse treatment facility located in San Francisco, California; the Friendship House American Indian Lodge, a 9-bed facility for women and their children located in Oakland, California; and the Friendship House Youth Program, an afterschool youth center, located in San Francisco, California.

The Friendship House’s Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program was established to reduce the incidence of alcohol and drug abuse among American Indians through services designed to strengthen the personal conditions which support a substance-free lifestyle. In addition to restoring clients to productive living individuals in their respective communities. Prayer, songs and drum circles, sweat lodge ceremonies, talking circles, Walking the Red Road Medicine Way, and many other traditional methods are integral to the residential treatment program.

While many best practices in the substance abuse treatment field have been proven to work effectively with substance abusers from many backgrounds, few evidence-based practices have been evaluated and proven to work with Native people. We know, based on more than 28 years of tracking our own performance, that American Indians have the best outcomes when Native culture and cultural practices are honored, as well as integrated into our service delivery efforts.