Community Family Advocates

Manager, Engagement Center
This position will close on May 3, 2026

Background

Allegheny County and CFA are building an Engagement Center team to help adults move from homelessness to housing and advance in the other goals that matter to them.

The Engagement Center in downtown Pittsburgh will be a low-barrier, welcoming place for adults to get the services and advocacy they need—and where they can come inside, get a shower, socialize and “just be.” Some of the clients who come into the Center are staying at an emergency shelter, including the shelter in the building, while others are unsheltered. The building currently is home to a health clinic and a residential program, and it will be a place for community providers to meet their clients and a hub for crucial information.

Summary of Role

The Manager makes the community’s vision for the Engagement Center a reality. This individual ensures the Center’s programs and services work well for clients, the space is welcoming, supportive, safe and clean; and they will continually find ways of improving access to shelter, housing, behavioral health and other social services. The Manager sets the tone for the Center, hires, directs and develops the staff, builds partnerships with other providers/tenants in the building and with neighbors and the community, and leads staff in reaching tangible results and improving the Center’s impact. They make sure the Center’s staff and partners advocate for clients so they are getting the resources they need to progress and meet their goals—with a particular emphasis on finding affordable housing so their stays in shelter are as brief as possible.
 

Ideal Candidate

The Manager of the Engagement Center understands homelessness and its causes and consequences, has a deep desire to support people facing homelessness, and has succeeded in improving homeless systems or running programs that resulted in people moving from crisis to stability and from shelter to housing.

This person is a respected leader. People want to work for and with this individual because they value others’ points of view and believe that the best ideas come from staff, colleagues, and the people they serve. Their high degree of collaboration and communication skills help to “make things happen” for people through programs and systems of care.

The Manager will know a lot about harm reduction, trauma and the systems clients have been part of and may need including: crisis response, homelessness and housing, behavioral health, aging, developmental supports, physical health, and income maintenance/benefits. They read, think, connect- the-dots and find others in government and the community to help—moving energetically and boldly to advocate for and get what clients need. They also have the self-discipline and maturity to guide staff through tough days and maintain a focus on the goals.

Responsibilities

The Manager leads the Engagement Center’s staff in establishing an environment where clients feel welcome and respected, where things work smoothly, and where participants know the support, activities, and services that are available and how to obtain them. This leader ensures that staff and providers embrace the purpose of the Center—and helps to clear the obstacles that may be getting in the way of staff supporting and clients achieving success. The Manager makes sure staff and providers have the information they need to work well together and coordinates schedules and services, including with the Clinic, Shelter and residential programs in the building; and helps Allegheny County Department of Human Services (AC-DHS) in creating a hub of access and information that benefits homeless/housing and other human services. The Manager also builds partnerships with local neighbors, the community more broadly, and institutions in the area.

Specific responsibilities:

• Communicate the vision and purpose of the Center
  • For the Center’s purpose of providing services and support: maintain a focus on housing and devote space for services, support and activities that will help clients take steps to housing
  • For the Center’s purpose of providing drop-in and activities: make certain the offerings in the drop-in and the activities are responsive to clients’ interests so they want to participate
• Manage the Center
  • Set the culture—making sure the Center is well-organized, clean and safe; and that staff treat clients and one another with respect and understanding
  • Build the staff team so they work in concert
  • Recommend to AC-DHS changes to service offerings by the Center or by providers; and to use of the Center’s space, when necessary
  • Make sure each service offered has specific aims and is measuring outcomes
  • Make sure services are delivered well—so clients can depend on providers/staff keeping their schedule and that they will have experienced professionals assisting them
• Manage to the Budget
  • Ensure the program operates within its budget
  • Recommend to AC-DHS transfers among budget line items, when necessary and reasonable; and assist in preparing budget requests and reports
• Create strong partnerships
  • Within the Building:
    •  Ensure all staff and partners know what each other does, if they can refer clients to them, and how to share information. Bring them together regularly to build familiarity/trust and effectiveness
  •  With others in the homeless system
    • Connect the Center staff to shelter, street outreach and other staff—so the Center begins to be a hub for information-sharing to benefit clients
  • With other systems of care
    • Plan new, better systems
  • With AC-DHS and other partners:
    • Work to develop tech solutions that reduce burden on staff, clients and providers (e.g., scheduling systems that connect to client check-in system)
    • Identify opportunities for improving health, safety and results and design new approaches with partners and AC-DHS to design
• Communicate progress
  • Ensure the Center achieves its performance goals, including clients receiving services that assist them in preparing for or obtaining housing and shelter; clients being able to access behavioral health and other human services; client satisfaction; increases in number of clients who participate in volunteer/community activities; and increases in the share of clients who are able to secure the basics they need
  • Celebrate progress with staff and clients
• Report
  • Prepare outcomes reports and communicate to AC-DHS
• Supervise
  • Recruit, select, hire and develop staff
  • Direct site Supervisors and the Volunteer Coordinator. With them:
    • Set performance expectations, Coach, provide regular feedback, and establish staff development opportunities for/with them
  • Conduct performance reviews
• Recommend policies
  • Recommend changes and additions to Center policies; and, with approval, implement policies by providing or securing training for staff and, where applicable, providers
  • Ensure staff (and, where applicable, providers) are implementing policies

Skills and knowledge

Preferred

• Four or more years’ experience in directly providing services to people who are experiencing homelessness and in responding to crises. At least four years in a management position.
• Master’s degree in public administration, social work, public health
• Skill in building cohesive teams
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong understanding of rehabilitation principles, addiction recovery practices, and trauma-informed care and Motivational Interviewing
• If eligible, has earned or is on track to attaining the Certified Recovery Specialist or Certified Family Recovery Specialist credential within six months of hire.

Minimum:

• At least four years of leading a successful health or human services program
• Excellent writing and oral presentation skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Can apply Motivational Interviewing and trauma-informed care to situations that arise; and can explain how you would promote hope, recovery, and wellness in individuals in a low-barrier center
• Can explain how they would determine if the applicants for Supervisory positions have the resourcefulness and energy needed to support and serve clients.
• Has a work history that shows respect for clients and skill in establishing rapport and trust with individuals served coming from diverse life experiences.
• Able to use Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint). Ability to learn the software and computer applications that are integral to the Engagement Center program.
• Maintains highest standards of professional conduct, including maintaining client confidentiality and treating others as one expects to be treated.

Salary and Benefits

Salary range: $80,000 - $85,000

Benefits:

• 18 days of Paid Time Off
• 5 Sick Days
• Health Insurance Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Life Insurance
• Short Term/Long Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Benefit Option Fund

Educational Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services-related field of study

-OR-

Any equivalent combination of education and experience which meets the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Act 33, 34 and FBI clearances.