Operations Assistant / Front Desk Receptionist

Safe & Sound; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Safe & Sound, Inc. in Milwaukee, WI is seeking an Operations Assistant / Front Desk Receptionist to welcome visitors and provide essential administrative support.

You will monitor the front desk, answer phones, route messages, process mail, assist with events, and help with records and scheduling under supervision, with training and increasing independence over time. Ideal candidates have a high school diploma, strong organization, and customer-service skills.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Experience in front desk or customer service preferred.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 apps (Outlook, Word, Excel).

Responsibilities

• Maintain front desk coverage and assist visitors and staff.
• Answer phones, screen inquiries, and route messages.
• Support mail, calendars, events, and basic office tasks.

Skills

Front desk experience

Customer service

Administrative support

Microsoft 365

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft 365

Phone system

Job description

Classification: Full Time / Non-Exempt / Hourly

Pay Range: $20-23/hour, based on experience

ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY

Safe & Sound, Inc. is a comprehensive, community-based response to crime and violence in the City of Milwaukee. Since 1998, Safe & Sound has been dedicated to improving safety in challenged Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. Our three-pronged strategy advances: (1) partnerships with law enforcement, (2) community organizing and (3) youth development. We unite residents, youth, law enforcement and community resources to build safe and empowered neighborhoods.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Operations Assistant / Front Desk Receptionist serves as Safe & Sound’s primary point of welcome and provides dependable administrative and operational support throughout the workday. The position assists visitors, callers, applicants, vendors, renters, community partners, and staff; monitors the front entrance, main phone, general information inbox, and voicemail; and completes routine office, facilities, calendar, event, finance support, and records/documentation tasks under the direction of the Operations & Administrative Coordinator.

A central expectation of this role is proactive use of work time. The employee will receive structured training on recurring duties, systems, procedures, checklists, and an approved task bank. After the training period, the employee is expected to work with increasing independence: checking and completing recurring work without repeated prompting, identifying appropriate tasks during quieter front-desk periods, and asking the supervisor for the next priority when all trained tasks are current. Being stationed at the front desk requires attentiveness, readiness to respond, and productive use of all paid work time.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Front Desk, Visitor Services, and Customer Service | Approximately 40%

• Maintain reliable, on-time front desk coverage during assigned hours; remain attentive and available to visitors, callers, and staff; and promptly alert the supervisor if coverage may be interrupted.
• Answer the video doorbell and main phone promptly and professionally. Screen visitors according to access-control and safety procedures, admit only authorized visitors, and protect confidential information, including staff schedules and presence in the building.
• Welcome approved visitors; ensure they sign in and out; notify the appropriate host; keep visitors in approved areas; escort them when required; and contact the Manager on Duty when the host is unavailable or a situation needs escalation.
• Answer routine questions, take complete messages, complete warm or cold call transfers using the phone system, check the main voicemail, and route follow-up to the correct staff member.
• Follow established procedures for visitors retrieving payment or grant checks, as well as unexpected or upset visitors, media inquiries, complaints, deliveries, safety concerns, fire or medical emergencies, or hazardous conditions outside the building.
• Provide respectful, welcoming, and culturally responsive service to people from varied backgrounds, including residents, partners, funders, applicants, vendors, and community members.

Administrative and Communications Support | Approximately 20%

• Monitor the general Info email inbox and quarantine notices; identify, respond to, route, flag, delete, or report messages according to the organization’s communication-routing guidance.
• Check, date, sort, and distribute physical mail and packages; notify recipients of deliveries; and keep confidential or financial materials secure.
• Update shared calendars, website event listings, visitor information, and other routine records within established timelines after training; review upcoming schedules for conflicts or missing information.
• Support building-use and event-rental administration by responding to routine inquiries, collecting required information, maintaining calendars and records, preparing visitor or room information, and routing approvals, pricing questions, contracts, and exceptions to the supervisor.
• Prepare, format, copy, scan, file, and organize correspondence, forms, packets, meeting materials, onboarding materials, logs, and routine reports; enter information accurately into authorized trackers and systems.
• Provide assigned administrative support for leadership, Human Resources, Board, staff-training, or organizational projects without serving as the primary owner or decision-maker for those functions.

Office, Facilities, Event, and Operations Support | Approximately 25%

• Keep the reception desk, lobby, visitor areas, and frequently used storage or supply areas orderly, professional, and ready for use; straighten and clean the workstation after use.
• Monitor commonly used office and restroom supplies, restock items, maintain accurate inventory information, and place or request approved orders before essential supplies run out.
• Check meeting rooms and common areas for readiness and cleanliness; assist with basic room setups and resets; and promptly report maintenance needs, hazards, technology problems, or building concerns.
• Review upcoming building and room schedules; notify the Manager on Duty, Leadership, cleaners, or other assigned contacts of events and access needs; and help coordinate front-desk break or backup coverage.
• Manage company-van key checkout and return procedures: confirm the reservation and authorized driver, maintain the log, provide the required checkout materials, and confirm completion of return documentation.
• Use daily, weekly, monthly, and event-based checklists; maintain current desk reference materials and standard operating procedures; and suggest practical improvements when a process is unclear or inefficient.

Finance, Procurement, and Check-Pickup Support | Approximately 10%

• Assist with trained, documented accounting-support tasks, including assembling and routing credit card reconciliation packets, organizing invoices and receipts, maintaining logs, and filing completed documentation.
• Securely receive, log, store, and release vendor and Good Neighbor Grant checks according to established verification and signature procedures; contact Operations or the Manager on Duty when required. This position does not have final approval authority for payments, banking, payroll, purchasing, or financial policy.
• Provide Good Neighbor Grant applications to walk-in residents, collect contact information when assistance is requested, and route the request to the appropriate program staff member.

Special Projects and Team Support | Approximately 5%

• Complete assigned special projects, seasonal tasks, records cleanup, process documentation, data entry, or other administrative work that supports organizational operations.
• Cross-train on approved front desk and operations procedures, help maintain continuity when routines change, and perform other related duties as assigned.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

• Reliability and presence. Arrives on time, works the full approved schedule, follows attendance and time-off procedures, and recognizes that dependable front desk coverage is essential to daily operations.
• Proactive task ownership. After training, independently reviews recurring checklists and the approved task bank, completes known work without repeated prompting, and seeks clarification or the next priority before becoming idle.
• Follow-through and timeliness. Tracks commitments, meets established deadlines, closes the loop with affected staff, and communicates early when a task may be delayed.
• Accuracy and confidentiality. Handles visitor information, employee records, checks, keys, financial documents, and internal systems carefully and discreetly.
• Judgment and escalation. Resolves routine matters within training and promptly involves the supervisor, Manager on Duty, or Leadership when a request is unusual, unsafe, sensitive, or outside the position’s authority.
• Professional service. Maintains a calm, helpful, respectful, and solutions-oriented approach, including during interruptions, busy periods, or difficult interactions.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• High school diploma or equivalent and at least one year of relevant reception, customer service, office, or administrative experience; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel, and the ability to learn phone, visitor-access, calendar, website, and internal tracking systems.
• Clear, professional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to take accurate messages and communicate with people who have different needs, backgrounds, and levels of familiarity with the organization.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, and ability to manage recurring responsibilities while responding appropriately to frequent interruptions.
• Ability to follow written procedures, exercise sound judgment, work independently after training, accept feedback, and ask questions before acting outside established authority.
• Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to pass job-related background screening consistent with organizational policy and applicable law.

Preferred

• Experience in a nonprofit, community-serving, public-facing, or mission-driven environment.
• Experience with multi-line phone systems, visitor management, event or room scheduling, facilities support, inventory, Accounts Payable support, or check-handling procedures.
• Familiarity with Milwaukee neighborhoods, community organizations, or resident-serving programs.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• This is an on-site, public-facing position based primarily at the front desk in a busy office and community building. The employee must be able to maintain focus while responding to visitors, calls, messages, staff requests, deliveries, and changing priorities.
• The position regularly uses a computer, telephone, printer/copier, door-entry system, and standard office equipment; involves extended periods of sitting or standing; and requires movement throughout the building.
• The employee may occasionally move office supplies, packages, room materials, or equipment weighing up to approximately 25 pounds.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

POSITION SCOPE

This description identifies the primary duties and expectations of the position but is not an exhaustive list of every task. Safe & Sound may revise responsibilities to meet organizational needs. The position supports, but does not independently own, Human Resources, payroll, banking, accounting approvals, Board administration, purchasing authority, contracts, facilities contracting, or organizational policy decisions unless a specific task has been assigned, documented, and authorized.