Job description

PROGRAM SPECIALIST
FULL-TIME / NON-EXEMPT
STARTING PAY RATE: $25.00 - $27.56
REQUISITION ID – 48496

Tonight, more than 1,100 young people will sleep in shelters or on the streets of San Francisco. Tomorrow must be different, and Larkin Street Youth Services is building the momentum to end youth homelessness through coordinated prevention efforts, direct services, and research and advocacy. Since 1984, Larkin Street has empowered more than 75,000 youth, ages 12-24, to build a better future. We provide comprehensive engagement, housing, education, employment, and health services to help these young people achieve a permanent pathway out of poverty. Our work is changing lives: three out of four youths who complete our programs exit homelessness. We celebrate diversity, stand for equity, and create pathways for individual and community growth. For more information, visit our website and our Culture Guide.

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POSITION OVERVIEW:*
Reporting to the Program Manager, the Program Specialist screens applications and interviews clients, weekly visits/check-ins with clients and ensures the upkeep of the property, document agreements, and evictions between Larkin Street Youth Services, and clients. They carefully maintain the budget and ensure positive relationships with hotels and Larkin Street Youth Services. The Program Specialist also calculates damages, key deposits, and clean-up after a client exits services. Ensure the client maintains points of engagement while in services.

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ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:*

• To engage successfully with a diverse client population who present with a myriad of issues.
• To handle crisis situations through de-escalation techniques and assist clients as they process social and emotional problems.
• To practice life skills training for youth through modeling, active counseling and motivational interviewing, and facilitation of groups.
• To promote the wellness of the community through a ham reeducation approach.
• To ensure the safety and security of all clients, staff, volunteers, and the facility.
• Maintaining the cleanliness and operations of the facility including preparing and serving meals, cleaning bathrooms, maintaining storage areas, and other tasks assigned by program management.
• To collect client information through intake and assessment, organize that information by entering data into paper-based and electronic-based data systems, and obtain additional information by coordinating with other professional sources.
• To participate in professional development activities to enhance counselor skill levels.
• The Program Specialist will work in conjunction with other staff members and other agencies to ensure the continuum of services for clients.
• The Program Specialist will also act as an advocate and point person to new youth entering the Lark-Inn.

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KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:*

• Demonstrate a commitment to homeless and at-risk youth.
• Show an active interest in the agency’s mission.
• A self-starter with the ability to follow through on tasks.
• Demonstrate organizational skills with reliability and consistency in work performance.
• Exhibit flexibility with a team player mentality.
• Seek out team support and supervision, when appropriate.
• Work with minimal to moderate supervision.
• Demonstrate good judgment with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Maintain a professional demeanor with good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Believe that recovery is a possibility.
• Accurately prioritize tasks with the capability to learn quickly and integrate new learning efficiently.
• Maintain professional standards of performance, demeanor, and appearance at all times.
• Perform tasks and responsibilities in a complete and timely manner, complying with agency policies and standards and conforming to the requirements of this job description.
• Maintain a creative, team-building, cooperative approach to job performance and seek to bring a constructive, problem-solving orientation to all tasks.
• Maintain a focus on the agency’s mission and work to promote the positive individual and social change goals it embodies.
• Exercise discretion and professional judgment at all times keeping with the responsibilities carried personally and by the agency for the care and welfare of staff and the youth whom we serve.
• Actively strive to upgrade professional skills through engaging in appropriate professional training and experience.
• Maintaining the strictest confidentiality.
• Ability to work with a diverse staff and excel in a multicultural environment.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in lieu of the educational qualification.

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EXPERIENCE:*

• 2-3 years of experience working with high-risk youth in a shelter and/or transitional or supportive housing program(s).
• Working knowledge of Harm Reduction and the issues facing homeless youth including substance use, mental health issues, foster care, and juvenile justice systems.
• Valid California driver’s license with a clean DMV record.

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PERKS & BENEFITS:*

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability
• Paid time off (vacation and sick time)
• Paid holidays
• Paid Sabbatical after 5 and 10 years of service
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with employer matching

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This position is represented by SEIU 1021 under a collective bargaining agreement.*

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. For details on how it is applicable to your employment, please click here.

Larkin Street Youth Services is an equal-opportunity employer. Larkin Street Youth Service seeks qualified candidates with an interest in the non-profit sector. We are committed to embracing diversity and consider all applicants for all positions without regard to color, ethnic background, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, HIV/AIDS status, veteran status, or any other legally protected class. We encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply for any open position in which they feel qualified.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $25.00 - $27.56 per hour

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