Social and Community Service Managers
Additional Information
Duties
A typical day for a manager of social or community services would look like this:
- Identification of activities and services required by the community and other stakeholders should be a priority.
- The responsibility of overseeing the administrative parts of initiatives in order to achieve stakeholder expectations.
- Use statistics to evaluate the success of programs.
- Suggestions for program and service improvements.
- Outreach activities should be planned and managed in order to raise awareness of the initiatives.
- Funding proposals should be written.
Managers of social and community services operate in a wide range of settings. A number of these groups focus on a certain population, such as children, the homeless, the elderly and the veterans. Those who work with specific issues, such as substance misuse, mental health issues, and long-term hunger, are also available.
Managers of social and community service organizations are frequently tasked with demonstrating the efficacy of the initiatives they oversee. Because they want to know how their initiatives affect the community or their target audience, they gather data and statistics. Administrators and donors are often required to see this information. Using evaluations, they may also find ways to enhance their programs, such as by offering mentorship and assessments for their employees.
Social and community service managers are responsible for recruiting, hiring, and training new employees, regardless of the size of the organization. Staff members such as social workers are also under their supervision. Some of the duties of the employees they supervise may also fall to them.
Managers of social and community services in major organizations typically perform a variety of specialized tasks. For example, they may be responsible for executing only a single program in an organization and reporting to the agency's higher management. Instead, they are tasked with implementing and supervising the initiatives that have been designed by administrators, elected authorities, or any other stakeholder.
Managers of social and community affairs in small businesses sometimes have many tasks. They represent their group in public speaking engagements or in community-wide committees; supervise programs and implement them; manage finances; and assist raise cash and interact with possible contributors.
Education
Bachelor's degrees in social work and similar fields are often required to work in social and community service management roles. However, a master's degree is also required for some occupations.
Experience in the Workplace
As a social and community service manager, experience is normally required, especially for individuals with a bachelor's degree. Working as a social worker, drug abuse counselor, or a similar position can provide this experience.
Qualities that are critical to success
Critical thinking abilities. Managers of social and community services must be able to analyze and interpret data in order to provide their organization with strategic direction. To be effective, they must be able to keep track of and evaluate current efforts and come up with new ones.
Confidence in your ability to communicate. Community service managers must be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Because of their involvement in community engagement, managers with prior public speaking experience are an asset.
The ability to manage people. They spend a large amount of time managing finances and reacting to various concerns in the social and community service field.
The ability to solve problems. Managers of social and community service organizations must be able to deal with difficulties connected to clients, employees, and the organization as a whole.
The ability to manage your time. Managers of social and community services typically have to juggle a large number of responsibilities in a short amount of time.
Pay
The median annual wage for social and community service managers was $78,240 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $50,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $129,820.
Job Projections
Employment of social and community service managers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations.