Manager, Welcome Center Lobby Reception

GLIDE; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

GLIDE in San Francisco is seeking a full-time Manager for the Welcome Center Lobby Reception. This role involves ensuring a welcoming environment for visitors and clients, managing daily lobby operations, and improving the visitor experience. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership and communication skills, with a background in operations management.

The position requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and offers a salary between $75,000 - $85,000 annually, alongside a supportive community-oriented working environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience managing operations, facilities, or lobby reception.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills across diverse communities.
• Experience in implementing operations plans and workflow improvements.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed and inclusive service approaches.

Responsibilities

• Ensure that visitors, clients, and staff are welcomed into a safe environment.
• Manage lobby operations for efficient client flow.
• Support clients as they navigate services at GLIDE.
• Track performance metrics to drive efficiency.
• Ensure lobby safety, cleanliness, and technology functionality.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Interpersonal Skills

Safety Protocols Management

Visitor Management Systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Social Work, Operations Management

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

About Glide

GLIDE is a nationally recognized center for social justice, dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives. Through its integrated comprehensive services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community, GLIDE empowers individuals, families, and children to achieve stability and to thrive. GLIDE is on the forefront of addressing some of society’s most pressing issues, including poverty, housing and homelessness, and racial and social justice. GLIDE’s mission is to create a radically inclusive, just, and loving community mobilized to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty and marginalization.

Position Summary

The Manager for the Welcome Center Lobby Reception is a frontline, hands‑on manager responsible for ensuring that every visitor, client, and staff member is welcomed into a safe, orderly, and radically inclusive environment. This operational leader is responsible for enforcing and continuously improving lobby operations, visitor experience, and mail/delivery coordination, ensuring seamless daily operations and a mission‑aligned service environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Directly supports the welcome center reception, intake, and navigation. This means ensuring that each visitor is treated with grace, care, and deep concern for efficient service. Our clients are often in crisis and need folks who are committed to getting them the best care and services quickly by providing navigation to each visitor.


• Ensure that all clients accessing GLIDE Welcome Center services complete rapid intake registration.


• Manage all daily lobby operations to ensure seamless, efficient, and safe client and visitor flow that embodies GLIDE’s values of respect, inclusion, and compassion; coordinate lobby operations with satellite locations.


• Manage front desk reception and support services, visitor management, vendor check‑ins and check‑outs, mail handling and delivery, delivery and donation routing, field team check‑ins and pickups, et cetera.


• Support clients as they navigate services and wait for appointments at GLIDE; coordinate transportation, warm transfers, and navigation to partner programs.


• Provide lobby support services for GLIDE street teams, including facilitating warm transfers of clients between programs, transportation dispatch, and document intake.


• Track and analyze performance metrics to drive efficiency and improve client experience. Ensure compliance with safety and security procedures, protocols, and corrective actions. Lead Kaizen (continuous improvement) efforts to identify and implement process enhancements.


• Work with the Events Steering Workflow/Committee to plan and execute logistics for all GLIDE events.


• Ensure lobby safety, cleanliness, ADA access, and signage. Document, route, and prioritize necessary improvements to the facilities team through Zendesk and managerial escalation when necessary.


• Supervise reception and visitor displays, notifications, and check‑in stations, ensuring technology systems are functional and user‑friendly. Implement and maintain visitor management technology (e.g., digital kiosks, workflow software).


• Maintain strong partnerships with other GLIDE departments and neighborhood organizations, including Free Meals, Safety, Community Ambassadors, Welcome Center, Journey Home, and Neighborhood Block Groups.


• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Social Work, Operations Management, or related field; or equivalent hands‑on experience; or 5+ years of experience managing operations, facilities, or lobby reception.


• Strong leadership and communication skills with the ability to manage cross‑functional teams.


• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills; adept at building trust across diverse communities.


• Experience implementing operations plans, workflow improvement, and visitor management systems.


• Demonstrated ability to manage safety protocols and emergency procedures.


• Knowledge of trauma‑informed and inclusive service approaches.


• Flexible, compassionate, and grounded leader able to operate effectively in dynamic, community‑centered environments.


• Proficient in the use of a computer, specifically MS Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).


• Familiarity with Kaizen or Lean process improvement methodologies a plus.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work on a computer and see details of objects at close range.


• Ability to hear within a normal range, and communicate effectively (in person, telephone or Zoom).


• Finger dexterity and the ability to use all standard office equipment.


• Sit or stand comfortably; and the ability to navigate throughout office spaces (via elevator or stairs).


• Activities that occur frequently are sitting, standing, walking, and handling materials and supplies.


• Activities that occur occasionally are climbing stairs and manipulating fine objects with your fingers.


• Activities that occur infrequently are bending, squatting, twisting, reaching straight above and below shoulder level, carrying and lifting up to 20‑30 pounds.

Salary

$75,000 - $85,000 a year

Position Type

This is a full‑time (40 hour/week) exempt position.

Work Environment

GLIDE’s buildings are located in the Tenderloin neighborhood. GLIDE maintains an “open door” policy to the community and its clients, who frequently enter and leave the building.