What are the responsibilities and job description for the Basic Needs Specialist position at University of Nebraska at Omaha?
Job Summary:
The Basic Needs Specialist plays a critical role in supporting students’ success by addressing housing and food insecurity and connecting students with essential resources. The Basic Needs Specialist collaborates closely with the DASH Office and TLC to ensure that students, particularly William H. Thompson Scholars, can navigate challenges that threaten their basic needs and academic success.
This position supports the work of the Assistant Director of Basic Needs and Innovation by helping manage internal and external referrals, developing campus-wide initiatives, and directly supporting the Maverick Food Pantry (MFP). Through a trauma-informed approach, the Specialist will design and deliver responsive programming, advise individual students, and help coordinate outreach and training to increase awareness and utilization of basic needs resources. The role is grounded in data-informed practices and a deep commitment to equity, access, and student success.
Primary Focus: Housing, food insecurity, and access to essential resources.
The Thompson Learning Community (TLC) is designed to promote the academic success of UNO students receiving the Susan Thompson Buffett Scholarship. The TLC office is a dynamic area with a great deal of student interaction with 1300 students at UNO. TLC provides Buffett Scholars with a sequence of common courses, special activities, advisement, and other opportunities to connect with faculty and peers during their time at UNO. This office also provides support for the First Year Experience Seminar Planning grant, prioritizing innovative, scalable delivery of essential transitional content, ensuring access to best practices for student success for all incoming first-time students. Additionally, this position works closely with the Durango's Advancement & Support Hub (DASH) on campus.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Higher Education, Public Administration, Human Services, or a related field.
- 2 years of experience in basic needs coordination, student support services, or advising roles.
- Familiarity with food and housing insecurity issues and related campus/community resources.
- Experience working with first-generation, low-income, and historically underserved college student populations.
- Strong communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
- Ability to use data to inform program planning and student support.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Social Work, or related field.
- Experience supervising staff or managing basic needs programs (e.g., food pantry, housing assistance).
- Understanding of trauma-informed practices and holistic student support models.
- Experience teaching or facilitating student success or life skills courses.
- Proficiency in student information systems and case management platforms.
- Bilingual or multilingual proficiency.
Compliance Requirements:
Background Check
About Us:
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to preventing and eliminating discrimination against employees and prospective employees based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. The University of Nebraska at Omaha does not condone or tolerate discrimination. In support of this policy, the University has implemented employment programs to recruit, employ, and promote qualified individuals based solely on their knowledge, skills, abilities and talents. These factors, along with our commitment to recruit, assess and select all candidates/employees using job-related criteria, ensure fairness, equal evaluation, and treatment in our selection decisions and processes.