Office of Housing Stability-NU12-Housing Intake Specialist — File 205034

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Job Description Office of Housing Stability-NU12- Housing Intake Specialist 1 Position Title: Housing Intake Specialist Grade Level: NU12 Department: Office of Housing Stability Date: 01/19/2018 Reports to: Director of Office of Housing Stability FLSA Status: Non-Exempt Statement of Duties Under the direct supervision of the Director of Housing Stability or their designee, the Housing Intake Specialist will be responsible for providing administrative support and client and program assistance. Essential Functions: The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.  Provides customer service to and serves as the primary contact for prospective and current applicants in the Housing Stability programs.  Responsible for data entry and maintenance of client databases to track efforts and outcomes and produce required reports.  Provide information to and answer inquiries from landlords and tenants and other constituents concerning many aspects of landlord and tenant relations, including tenant and landlord rights.  Screen the needs and statuses of at-risk or displaced individuals or families in order for the Office of Housing Stability to determine housing options and to facilitate access to other needed resources or services.  Provide information and referral services to City of Somerville residents and others seeking housing assistance via phone, in-person, by e-mail, at workshops, and through one-on-one counseling. Provideany other program marketing or outreach efforts with the highest level of customer service possible.  Maintain up-to-date information and knowledge regarding tenancy preservation, homelessness prevention and housing placement resources offered by city, state and non- profit agencies.  Help coordinate responses to housing emergencies and assist tenants with finding temporary and/or permanent housing, as directed.  Develop relationships and work with community based agencies, property managers, owners and landlords to facilitate housing placement for at-risk and displaced tenants.  Develop relationships and work with staff from other City departments to coordinate housing and services for at-risk or displaced tenants.  Perform other duties as required by the Director or their designee. Supervision Required Under general direction, employee plans and prioritizes the majority of work independently, in accordance with standard practices and previous training. Employee is expected to solve most problems of detail or unusual situations by adapting methods or interpreting instructions

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Job Description Office of Housing Stability-NU12- Housing Intake Specialist 2 accordingly. Instructions for new assignments or special projects usually consist of statements of desired objectives, deadlines and priorities. Technical and policy problems or changes in procedures are discussed with supervisor. Work is generally reviewed only for technical adequacy, appropriateness of actions or decisions, and conformance with policy or other requirements; the methods used in arriving at the end result are not usually reviewed in detail. Supervisory Responsibility Position does not require the regular supervision of employees, but may supervise the work of volunteers or interns. Accountability The nature of the professional or technical work means that errors in analysis, techniques or recommendations would probably be difficult to detect. Consequences of errors, missed deadlines or poor judgment could result in excessive costs, delay of service delivery, or legal repercussions to the municipality. Judgment The work requires examining, analyzing and evaluating facts and circumstances surrounding individual problems, situations or transactions, and determining actions to be taken within the limits of standard or accepted practices. Guidelines include a large body of policies, practices and precedents which may be complex or conflicting, at times. Judgment is used in analyzing specific situations to determine appropriate actions. Employee is expected to weigh efficiency and relative priorities in conjunction with procedural concerns in decision making. Requires understanding, interpreting and applying federal, state and local regulations. Complexity The work consists of the practical application of a variety of concepts, practices and specialized techniques relating to a professional or technical field. Assignments typically involve evaluation and interpretation of factors, conditions or unusual circumstances; inspecting, testing or evaluating compliance with established standards or criteria; gathering, analyzing and evaluating facts or data using specialized fact finding techniques; or determining the methods to accomplish the work. Nature and Purpose of Personal Contacts Relationships are primarily with co-workers and the public involving frequent explanation, discussion or interpretation of practices, procedures, regulations or guidelines in order to render service, plan or coordinate work efforts, or resolve operating problems. Other regular contacts are with service recipients and employees of outside organizations. More than ordinary courtesy, tact and diplomacy may be required to resolve complaints or deal with hostile, uncooperative or uninformed persons. Confidentiality Employee has regular access to confidential information obtained during the performance of the duties of the position. Recommended Minimum Qualifications

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Job Description Office of Housing Stability-NU12- Housing Intake Specialist 3 Education and Experience: Associate’s Degree and at least three (3) years’ administrative experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Special Requirements:  Job duties may include attending some evening meetings. Knowledge, Abilities and Skill: Knowledge: Some knowledge of and experience with strategies and programs geared toward maintaining and expanding affordable housing opportunities;; strong knowledge of Excel and Microsoft Office suite, knowledge of other design and communication software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and social media applications is preferred; knowledge of and experience with housing income certification process preferred but not required. Abilities: Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with other City departments, state and federal agencies, architects, contractors, developers, owners, supervisors, employees, and the general public; ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail; ability to work as a team member and maintain project timelines; continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality seamless customer service to the public at-large. Skills: This position requires strong skills in oral and written communication; excellent customer service skills. Bi-lingual or multilingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, and/or Haitian-Creole is preferred but not required. Work Environment The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments. Physical and Mental Requirements 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 position’s essential functions. Physical Skills Minimal physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment or photocopy paper (up to 30lbs.). Motor Skills Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Job Description Office of Housing Stability-NU12- Housing Intake Specialist 4 and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers. Visual Skills Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.