Social and Community Service Managers: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more

Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They manage workers who provide social services to the public.

What do Social and Community Service Managers do?

Social and community service managers typically do the following:

• Work with community members and other stakeholders to identify necessary programs and services
• Oversee administrative aspects of programs to meet the objectives of the stakeholders
• Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of programs
• Suggest and implement improvements to programs and services
• Plan and manage outreach activities to advocate for increased awareness of programs
• Write proposals for social services funding

Social and community service managers work for a variety of social and human service organizations. Some of these organizations focus on working with a particular demographic, such as children, people who are homeless, older adults, or veterans. Others focus on helping people with particular challenges, such as substance abuse, mental health needs, chronic hunger, and long-term unemployment.

Social and community service managers are often expected to show that their programs and services are effective. They collect statistics and other information to evaluate the impact their programs have on the community or their target audience. They are usually required to report this information to administrators or funders. They may also use evaluations to identify opportunities to improve their programs, such as providing mentorship and assessments for their staff.

Although the specific job duties of social and community service managers may vary with the size of the organization, most managers must recruit, hire, and train new staff members. They also supervise staff, such as social workers, who provide services directly to clients. Additionally, they may perform some of the services of the workers they oversee.

In large agencies, social and community service managers tend to have specialized duties. They may be responsible for running only one program in an organization and reporting to the agencys upper management. They usually do not design programs but instead supervise and implement programs set up by administrators, elected officials, or other stakeholders.

In small organizations, social and community managers often have many roles. They represent their organization through public speaking engagements or in communitywide committees; they oversee programs and execute their implementations; they spend time on administrative tasks, such as managing budgets; and they also help with raising funds and meeting with potential donors.