Administrative Support Specialist

Job Title

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

Shift: Day

Insurance Benefits: Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage), Dental, Life, Long-term Disability

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC

DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing. Our vision is a community where no person is abandoned, ignored, or experiencing homelessness.

As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 3,000 people each day. Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness.

Job Definition

This position requires a strong interest in providing administrative support for a non-profit agency that specializes in services for those experiencing homelessness, mental health crisis, or currently engage in substance use. The successful candidate will be willing to build skills which specialize in engaging and, at times, deescalating clients in order to provide smooth communication between the client and their care team.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Front Desk & Lobby - Client Interactions:

• Greet agency clients and visitors who enter the office and inform appropriate staff of their arrival.
• Assist in maintaining a comfortable milieu while tolerant of unusual and bizarre client behavior.
• Observe client behaviors inside lobbies and entryways, and intervene when necessary to discourage loitering, fighting, use or sale of drugs and alcohol, and other uncivil or illegal behaviors.
• Provide assistance to homeless individuals and others who are experiencing crises caused by mental illness and/or due to drug/alcohol consumption.
• Provide information about and referral to other services available in the community to homeless people and others in need.
• Ensure cleanliness of lobby area, interview/conference rooms and work area.

Phones/Mail/Office Supplies:

• Answer incoming calls promptly with proper etiquette; route calls to appropriate persons; transfers call to voice mail or take messages as needed. Provide basic information on agency and services as appropriate over the phone.
• Process mail for clients and staff: Accept mail from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and other independent vendors, sort/distribute mail, and enter received client mail into tracking database.
• Order, maintain and dispense office supplies and forms needed by staff.
• Schedule routine maintenance of office machines.

Paperwork:

• Assist program staff to update and maintain current resource lists and information manuals.
• Copy and collate forms and documents of various types for agency staff; monitor and maintain adequate supply of commonly used materials.
• Track company vehicles, maintain MS Outlook reservation calendar, enter any maintenance requests as needed.
• Enter client and service data on mental health program clients; coordinate with mental health program staff to ensure accuracy and completeness of information entered into system.
• Organize, file and/or store source documents for data entered into system, following established procedures for retention or disposal of documents.
• Generate reports from DESC's database and distribute them to appropriate staff.

Non-position specific:

• Participate in staff meetings and in-service trainings, as appropriate.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Excellent typing and keyboard skills and clerical skills/experience.
• Computer skills, including data entry and word processing experience, or related experience with the indicated potential to learn these skills quickly.
• Ability to work independently with a minimum of direct supervision.
• Willingness to be flexible and work cooperatively with co-workers to accomplish all responsibilities of the team.
• Initiative and creativity in problem solving and system development.
• Careful attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds and disciplines.
• Ability to relate effectively to clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behaviors.
• Subscribe to philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs, and of consideration and respect for clients.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit, communicate with other employees, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 40 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace, and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.