Manager, Youth Homelessness Systems Improvement (YHSI)

About Lighthouse

Lighthouse MI is a growing non-profit, established in 2019 when Lighthouse of Oakland County and South Oakland Shelter joined forces to offer a stronger collective response to poverty in our Metro Detroit community. With over 80 years of combined experience, Lighthouse serves as a beacon of hope to our neighbors who need it most by offering assistance with emergency basic needs alongside housing programs and supportive services designed to support long-term economic stability. Lighthouse owns and operates Spero Housing Group, a subsidiary non-profit dedicated specifically to developing and operating high-quality, affordable, and supportive housing for persons of low and moderate-income, as well as HandUp, a community and crowdfunding platform serving 100+ homeless service agencies and their clients across the United States.

Position Summary:

The Youth Homelessness Systems Improvement (YHSI) Manager will collaborate to coordinate and manage a newly HUD-funded regional planning effort to transform the homelessness response system for youth and young adults across a 10-county Southeast, Thumb, and Mid-Michigan region. Working with Lighthouse’s Director of Youth Programs, a YHSI steering committee, and a Youth Advisory Board, the Manager is expected to play a significant leadership role in overall YHSI project and budget management, strategic planning implementation, partnership cultivation, continuous quality improvement, and supervision of staff supporting youth leadership efforts. The ideal candidate is a dynamic, thoughtful, and highly organized leader with experience in project management, homelessness systems and services, and youth advocacy.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Coordination and Management:

• Work with the Director to develop and maintain detailed project plans, timelines, budgets, and resource allocation to achieve project deliverables related to five key focus areas: Youth Homelessness Systems Mapping, Racial/Gender Equity Analysis, Needs Assessments, Partnership Building, and Youth Leadership Capacity Building.
• Continuously cultivate and coordinate the YHSI project steering committee and related workgroups toward project objectives.
• Coordinate virtual and in-person meetings, workshops, convenings, and training sessions with stakeholders and partners.
• Facilitate planning of annual regional conferences with an anticipated attendance of 50-100 stakeholders.
• Develop scopes of work and manage procurement and performance of necessary consultants to complete project deliverables.
• Monitor and evaluate project progress, ensuring alignment with objectives and deadlines.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Establish strong relationships with key YHSI stakeholders, including a Youth Advisory Board, housing system leaders, youth providers, and government partners.
• Facilitate regular communication and collaboration among partners, including sharing routine updates on YHSI progress via newsletters, annual reports, and other means.
• Recruit system partners like schools, child welfare, juvenile justice, and other partner agencies that intersect with youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for YHSI project-related inquiries and issues
• Perform annual or as-needed visits to partners and communities participating in the YHSI project.

Resource Management:

• Work with the Director to oversee project budget and financial resources, ensuring efficient and effective use of funds.
• Assist with identifying and pursuing additional funding opportunities to support project initiatives and sustainability.
• Work with the Director and finance team to manage subrecipient and consultant contracts, including activity monitoring, performance, and billing processes.

Data Management and Reporting:

• Work with HMIS and data analyst staff to collect, analyze, and report data related to project outcomes, performance metrics, and system improvements.
• Prepare and present regular progress reports to funders, the YHSI project steering committee and key stakeholders, Continuums of Care, and the community.
• Work with the Director and YHSI steering committee to use data to drive decision-making and inform continuous improvement efforts.

Advocacy:

• Stay informed about best practices, emerging trends, policy developments, and other key information about youth homelessness systems.
• Represent the YHSI project at local, regional, and national meetings and conferences.
• Work to ensure all project activities – including recruitment and representation of partners – are informed by youth voice, culturally competent, and inclusive of populations of youth who are disproportionately impacted by homelessness, including youth who identify as LGBTQ+ and youth of color.

Staff Supervision:

• Provide direct supervision to two part-time Youth Advisory Board Coordinators responsible for working to elevate and authentically engage a diverse group of young people in co-leading YHSI project initiatives.
• Conduct regular one-on-one supervision meetings, review and approve/deny timesheets and time off requests, and annual reviews with direct reports.

General Responsibilities:

• Serve as an active member of the Lighthouse team, including attending Lighthouse staff meetings, leadership meetings, and events and promoting inter-agency collaboration.
• Implement and enforce agency and office policies and values to maintain a safe, client-centered, and inclusive environment for clients, volunteers, and staff.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Lived or professional experience working with people experiencing homelessness or extreme poverty levels in the US.
• Bachelor’s degree from a 4-year accredited college or university in a related field or four years of relevant professional experience.
• 5+ years’ experience in a role directly or indirectly related to human/social services and/or project management.
• 2+ years’ experience in program or project management.
• Knowledge and understanding of the key elements of the homeless response system, including the Continuum of Care, Coordinated Entry, and HMIS.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite and Google Apps
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Strong conflict resolution skills
• An appetite for innovation and creative problem-solving
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends
• Reliable transportation
• Ability to travel occasionally out-of-town and locally/regionally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree from a 4-year accredited college or university in a related field.
• 6+ years’ experience in a role directly or indirectly related to human/social services and/or project management.
• Knowledge of the social services landscape in Oakland County and surrounding areas
• Experience working within systems or services directly related to youth homelessness.
• Experience as an HMIS user or administrator
• Proven ability to work effectively with racially and ethnically diverse clients and teams
• Ability to build consensus and resolve conflict; willingness to have difficult conversations.
• Exceptional communication ability, both written and oral.
• Ability to listen and accept feedback constructively.
• Possess high emotional intelligence skills.
• Unwavering personal integrity.
• Ability to lead in a fast-paced, demanding, constantly changing environment

Excellent benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life, matching 401(k), and more.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this position. It should not be construed as an exhaustive list of all required duties, responsibilities, and skills. Lighthouse is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate against any qualified individual based on race, creed, religion, national origin, color, status as a veteran, gender or gender identity, sex, age, sexual preference or orientation, marital status, disability, income, weight, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume online via JobScore.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, until the position is filled.

No phone or e-mail inquiries, please.