Front Desk Coverage - Night Shift

DESC; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dental

Life Insurance

Long-term Disability

Medical (no premiums/payroll ded.)

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

ORCA card subsidy

Paid Time Off (34 days per year)

Retirement Plan

Job summary

DESC in Seattle is seeking a Front Desk Coverage (Night Shift) to support Birch Grove's permanent housing project. You will greet residents, coordinate with clinical and maintenance staff, monitor security, and assist with medication distribution and daily operations.

The role emphasizes customer service, de-escalation, and collaboration within a unionized environment, with duties spanning building operations and safety.

Qualifications

• Basic understanding of homelessness and its adult population.
• Ability to communicate effectively with staff from diverse backgrounds.
• Able to handle challenging behaviors with empathy and professionalism.
• Commitment to cooperative, respectful service across programs.

Responsibilities

• Greet residents and providers, coordinate services, and manage lobby flow.
• Monitor security systems, enforce project rules, and assist with unit technician tasks.
• Distribute medications and support meal service during shifts.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and welcoming building environment.
• Record significant events in daily logs and participate in staff trainings.

Skills

Customer service

De-escalation

Teamwork

Communication

Homelessness awareness

Education

BA degree in social or behavioral science

Job description

Front Desk Coverage - Night Shift

Seattle, WA (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2821+NE+123rd+St+Seattle+WA+USA+98125) •Birch Grove

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Days Off: Sunday, Monday

Shift: Night

Shift Differential: $1.00 per hour in addition to hourly wage

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs,19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Birch Grove will be DESC's 20th permanent supportive housing site that will include 120 units of affordable housing in Seattle's Lake City neighborhood. This vital project will provide stable, supportive housing and 24/7 on-site services for single adults living with disabilities and experiencing chronic homelessness. The community will also feature welcoming indoor and outdoor common spaces.

JOB DEFINITION

The Front Desk Coverage role is for individuals with excellent customer service orientation. FD coverage assists with respectfully meeting and greeting internal and external providers and building staff in the coordination of services to residents including but not limited to: managing common spaces in the building, maintain safety and security by monitoring all general access areas and enforcing project rules, and supports the unit technician.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in shift briefs and read logs before the start of each shift daily
• Providing milieu coverage support when needed
• Distribute client medication and serve food on shift
• Operate all functions in lobby office, including checking visitors in and out, answering telephones and monitoring security systems
• Create a healthy and welcoming environment for residents which includes maintaining the general cleanliness of grounds and common areas in adherence to project rules and regulations
• Conduct regular outside perimeter walk-throughs and trash/debris pick up when on shift. Enforcing good neighbor policy by ensuring individuals are not loitering outside of the building and on the property premises.
• Greet emergency responders
• Check in tenant visitors and ensure guests adhere to visitor policy and procedures.
• Work cooperatively with clinical and maintenance staff sited at the project and with visiting providers; refer residents to clinical and other relevant programming as necessary
• Write significant events involving residents and building operations activities in a daily log.
• Manage all building operations in the absence of other project and clinical staff as assigned
• Proactively intervene in crises using de-escalation skills, respond to emergencies, and initiate action as required, including contact and collaborating with emergency response systems
• Assist with other property management functions as assigned
• Assist with medication distribution
• Initiate appropriate response to maintenance requests
• Write significant events involving residents and building operations activities in a daily log; read log daily
• Participate in staff meetings and all required staff trainings
• Assist with maintaining a hygienic living environment including but not limited to participating with in unit prep for pest inspections, and trash room clean up while on shift
• Assist with other property management functions as assigned

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Basic understanding of homelessness and various characteristics of homeless adult population.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds.
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behaviors.
• Subscription to philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for clients.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• BA degree in social or behavioral science.
• Residential property management experience.
• Experience with the challenges of mental illness and substance use.
• Ability to drive an agency or personal vehicle to conduct agency related business, which requires a current Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

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 essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit, communicate with other employees, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 40 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Salary Description

$32.72 - $36.12 per hour