Regional Homeless Systems Coordinator

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) is a regional association of 24 local governments surrounding our nation's capital, plus area members of the Maryland and Virginia legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. COG is an independent, nonprofit association that brings area leaders together to address major regional issues in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia.

CPS-092024

7/18/2024

Washington, DC

Full-time

Department of Community Planning and Services

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) is seeking a Regional Homeless Systems Coordinator for the Department of Community Planning and Services (DCPS). DCPS is responsible for a wide range of activities, including affordable housing and homelessness programs, regional growth forecasts, land use coordination, economic and demographic research, economic and workforce development, child welfare, and public health. The position will be focused on managing the regional Homeless Services Committee activities and coordinating implementation of the Built for Zero initiative with COG’s participating Continua of Care through COG’s partnership with Community Solutions.

POSITION DESCRIPTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Regional Homeless Systems Coordinator will work with the Housing Program Manager to support all aspects of COG’s collaborative work to prevent and end homelessness in metropolitan Washington, DC. Through COG’s existing committee and its Working Groups structure, the Systems Coordinator will work closely with member jurisdictions to implement Community Solutions’ Built for Zero (BFZ) approach, beginning with the goal to functionally end Veteran homelessness as a region. The Coordinator will participate in all aspects of BFZ work with Community Solutions and advance regional cooperation to guide and inform the COG Homeless Services Committee work plan, focus, and activities to achieve the region’s goal to better align systems of care and improve housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness across the metropolitan Washington region. Categories of key responsibilities follow below:

• Enabling teams across the region to become experts at guiding their own improvement: Educates, coaches, advises, and mentors multi-level stakeholders on performance improvement, data collection and analysis, project management, and change management methodology and techniques.
• Promoting and implementing effective process improvements: Models and uses performance enhancing tools, problem analysis, and measurement practices.
• Using project management tools and principles to define and manage committee work and work products, document and monitor timelines and deliverables, and resolve risks and barriers. 
• Identifying and resolving dependencies and constraints between and across jurisdictions/Continuums of Care by working with local government staff, partners, and management. 
• Assessing resource allocation efficiency and efficacy to support committee efforts and achieve milestones. 
• Establishing and maintaining effective communications with all stakeholders. Anticipates stakeholder needs and quickly responds with appropriate and helpful solutions.
• Identifying improvement opportunities in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) or other data sources by collecting, analyzing and interpreting data to share findings with various audiences including senior leaders.  
• Designing and supporting implementation of infrastructure and systems to enable providers to operate with maximum efficiency, effectiveness and human centered design.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES  

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Knowledge of the principles and practices of homeless services, human services, or social work. The ability to clearly communicate complex technical topics to non-technical audiences through writing and speaking. Strong communication skills, including public speaking, meeting facilitation, and visual presentation; Strong writing skills are required and analytical and critical thinking skills; Ability to develop strategic approaches, particularly for large, multijurisdictional projects involving multiple resources and spanning many months from start to finish; Strong skills in Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Ability to work effectively across departments and agencies and creatively problem solve.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Requires at least 5 years’ experience in homeless services or related human services work. Possession of a bachelor’s degree in human services, social work, public policy, or a related field. Any equivalent combination of experience and training that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities will be considered.

Salary Range:  $73,728 - $105,000 plus exceptional benefits. Salary is dependent upon negotiation and based upon education, training, and experience.