Careers

Description:

JOB DESCRIPTION

Open Arms is hiring a full-time Family Connector to provide resource navigation support for Open Arms families. This position is focused on serving the African-American/Black and Spanish-speaking/Latine communities, however we welcome families from all communities. We are looking for a compassionate individual who enjoys working with Open Arms Families and other community members, making warm connections to culturally relevant resources. The Family Connector strengthens pregnant and parenting families by connecting folks to essential and relevant resources including food, housing, and other basic needs, rental and utility assistance, health and medical insurance, provider resources, transportation, parenting support, and more. 

To align with Open Arms’ community-based service model and to provide the best care possible, we prioritize applicants who are of and from the focus communities to provide culturally relevant support, which includes bridging language and culture. For this position focused on multiple communities, fluency in English is required and fluency in Spanish is highly desirable. The ideal candidate should be familiar with community organizations and resources available for the focus communities. 

The Family Connector will join the Family Support Services Team, which is comprised of a program Director, program Administrator and Lead, Intake Coordinators, and a Latine-focused Family Connector. This position is part of the Help Me Grow King County Family Connection program. Open Arms’ Family Support Services team is a central hub that holds the intake and referral process, supports clients with resources, and develops and strengthens community-resource partnerships. 

The Family Connector will frequently meet with families individually and help providers with essential items. Therefore, this person must be able to have a consistent and reliable schedule generally Mondays – Fridays, 9am-5pm (some flexibility is available within this timeframe) and must have access to reliable transportation for family meetings and for picking up and dropping off program supplies. This position must be extremely comfortable working online and in person and must be highly people oriented, working constantly with families and with colleagues within Open Arms and at partner organizations. 

• Conduct individual meetings directly with families, doulas, and lactation support peer counselors to determine the resource and referral needs for enrolled families 
• Research, identify, and compile resources and referrals tailored for each family’s needs  
• Support with warm connections, systems navigation, and the coordination of tangible resources and referrals for Open Arms families, and other non-enrolled families as needed 
• Maintain regular contact with enrolled families, maintaining a caseload of 7-10 families 
• Maintain up-to-date case notes and other data entry for each contact and interaction in our Apricot database 
• Track and distribute resources, such as “Barrier Buster” funds, to Open Arms families 
• Support weekly Thursday Resource pick-ups in-person at El Centro De La Raza offices, including preparation and distribution of baby items and resource information to providers, enrolled families, and walk-in community members
• Support with planning, implementing and attending program-specific events, Community Connection events, Resource Roundtables and tabling events.  
• Support the Family Support Services team in exploring opportunities for resource partnerships and in maintaining existing partnerships around community resources.  
• Contribute to a comprehensive list of resources organized by needs and demographics. Keep information in the database up to date with light data entry.  
• Gather information and create educational materials and communications pieces that can be shared with Open Arms Providers, families, and other partner organizations. 
• Recognize, assess, and share successes and challenges with connecting families to community resources and communicate those to the Family Support Services Director and Help Me Grow network.  
• Support the coordination, preparation, pick-up and delivery of baby items from our community partner, Westside Baby, as well as other locations (Wellspring, community donations, etc.) as needed 
• Engage in ongoing learning and professional development by attending relevant trainings, conferences, workshops, etc. 
• Occasional night or weekend work for events or meetings. Advance notice will be provided.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Approximately 1 year of demonstrated, successful work experience in providing community-resource connection for families (resources, referrals, support planning, services management, advocacy support) 
• Fluency in English is required, fluency in Spanish is highly desirable. This position will be focused on serving the Latine and African-American/Black communities and will serve families from all communities.
• Highly people-oriented and collaborative with strong interpersonal and communication skills over the phone, through email, and face-to-face. 
• Demonstrated success and passion for community-based work including professional references and examples of community-based work with the focus communities 
• Ability to develop positive relationships with families, doulas, providers, organizations, and staff as well as partner and other community organizations 
• Well-versed in providing culturally responsive and community-based services
• Able to provide unbiased guidance and collaboration to families and colleagues
• Ability to plan, coordinate, and organize work projects solo and as a team 
• Ability to meet program deadlines and expectations
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail, follow up, and task management to manage caseload of families
• Comfort with change and adapting to new structures and systems 
• Ability to maintain confidential and sensitive information 
• Passion for and commitment to the mission of Open Arms and community-based work.
• Experience in working with a diverse staff and with communities of color, especially working with the position’s focus communities. 
• Strong racial, disability, gender and economic justice framework 
• Commitment to anti-oppression and de-colonization work with a focus on racial equity and reproductive justice, specific to birth justice.
• Aptitude for solving problems with creativity and resourcefulness 
• Have basic computer skills including sending emails, editing documents, and attaching files to emails using Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel, Outlook and Word. Applicant is not required to be an expert on these tools but must be able to use these tools on their own to manage daily work and without requiring foundational training. 
• Experience with cloud-based applications such as Microsoft OneDrive and databases. Applicant is not required to be an expert on these tools.
• Comfort with light data entry  
• Additional work experience in birth work or early childhood care is a plus, but not required. 
• COVID-19 proof of full vaccination, booster after January 2022, or medical or religious exemption request is required for in-person work.
• Background check and professional reference checks required
• Proof of eligibility to work as an employee in the U.S. and a Washington state resident.
• Valid Washington State Driver’s License and reliable transportation with current automobile insurance. This position requires frequent driving