Consultant / Project Lead

CONSULTANT RESPONSIBILITIES AND REQUIREMENTS 

Position Overview 

Focus Strategies consultants are passionate about ending homelessness and have spent at least four years developing and implementing homelessness response programs and systems or in housing/homelessness response policy development. We are trusted to lead communities in reducing homelessness by making strategic shifts that can be high stakes. It’s a serious responsibility and every day we feel like we’re making a difference we are proud of.  

We use outstanding critical thinking, analytical and interpersonal communication skills to manage a variety of projects. We are self-directed and detail oriented in order to create and manage processes for project development and stakeholder engagement. We possess excellent technical writing skills to provide our clients with substantive and accurate analytical, interpretive, and policy content for deliverables, publications, reports, and other products.  

Position Responsibilities 

Knowledge 

• Conduct research and analyses related to homelessness response systems and programs, identifying key findings, and proposing person-centered, data- and equity-informed solutions 

• Analyze data from single systems (e.g. homelessness) and multiple disciplines, including health, mental health, homelessness, and affordable housing  

• With support from analytics team colleagues, synthesize research findings into recommendations for practice 

Delivery 

• Author Focus Strategies technical documents, publications, and reports, including developing report outline and structure, drafting content, integrating feedback from supervisor and client, and producing final content 

• Deliver a range of planning and design activities to help communities develop systems and policies to end or reduce homelessness through an equity- and data-informed lens, including community input processes, data analysis, documentation of existing and proposed system processes and structures in both in written and chart form, and best practices research 

• Develop training and technical assistance materials for a range of audiences (e.g. providers, policy makers, funders, professional meetings), tailor materials to client needs, make presentations and deliver trainings, assess results, and modify over time to meet needs 

• Make presentations to community stakeholders 

Client Management 

• Serve as the project manager for smaller-scale consulting and technical assistance contracts, or support project management on larger/more complex contracts under senior oversight relating to homelessness response system development and planning 

• Engage with diverse communities of clients, partner organizations, and people experiencing homelessness to collect and accurately interpret information about existing systems and possible solutions; Facilitate meetings using mindful and anti-racist strategies to promote participation and inclusion 

• Represent clients in meetings to identify and resolve problems including speaking publicly in formal and informal settings 

Teamwork 

• Work closely and collaboratively with supervisor and company leadership to set priorities, organize project workflow, and provide timely updates 

• Actively participate in continuous learning and process and product improvement efforts with the Focus team 

• Engage in Focus Strategies collective processes (e.g., discussions, readings, committees) to advance equity-informed internal and client work approaches 

• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related tasks as needed 

Position Requirements 

• A passion for ending homelessness with a commitment to data-informed public policy, including advancing equity for marginalized communities 

• A graduate degree in sociology, public policy, social work, or a related field (at least four years of experience in a management role in the homelessness response field may substitute for a graduate degree) 

• At least four years of substantive/system-level experience in homelessness response 

• At least four years of experience developing high-quality written analyses of homelessness response programs, populations, and dynamics  

• Understanding of racism, oppression, and the ways in which systems interplay to cause homelessness and housing instability, and the ability to appropriately engages clients where they are to fluently advance equity throughout the work 

• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expression, socio-economic backgrounds, religions, ages, English-speaking abilities, immigration status, and physical abilities in a multicultural environment 

• Knowledge of nonprofit and government structures (including roles and responsibilities of client partners and their stakeholders) 

• Experience in client/customer support, adjusting materials and approach to meet client/customer needs 

• Demonstrated understanding of interview techniques and meeting/group facilitation 

• Successful track record of developing and executing workplans for complex projects 

• Ability to assess and interpret quantitative and qualitative data about homelessness and homeless programs and systems 

• Strong verbal and analytical skills, superior technical writing skills 

• Flexibility - must be able to work with shifts in priorities on a daily and weekly basis 

• Willingness to do whatever is needed to support projects and staff in accomplishing work 

• Excellent attention to detail and self-directed 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook 

• Flexibility - must be able to work with shifts in priorities on a daily and weekly basis 

• Able to travel occasionally throughout the United States, (most commonly the West Coast) 

Preferred skills and aptitudes 

• Bilingual skills (English and Spanish written and oral fluency preferred) 

• Deep knowledge of the homelessness landscape and common issues; general knowledge about homelessness funding streams; and system design and housing options for communities working to reduce homelessness. 

What the Consultant will Gain from Position 

• Advanced experience with complex policy, technical, and community issues using a systems approach within the field of ending and reducing homelessness 

• Ability to develop innovative solutions and analyses to common and emerging problems related to homelessness response systems of care 

• Opportunity to deepen skills in program, systems, and policy analysis using data and information from multiple sources 

• Be the lead support to communities working to reduce homelessness 

• Opportunity to lead the development of complex plans, evaluations, and reports 

• Experience with consultation for public benefit 

• Increasing responsibility over time  

• Opportunity to be part of an evolving and growing consultation practice 

• Opportunity to work with an expert and dedicated team of professionals in a fast paced and supportive work environment 

About Our Workplace 

Focus Strategies is committed to creating an inclusive workplace with a collaborative team dedicated towards our mission of helping communities house people experiencing homelessness. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. In alignment with our company values, we strive to attract and maintain a workplace that reflects a broad spectrum of diversity. We strongly encourage employment applications from people who self-identify as coming from historically marginalized populations and communities who have been most impacted by homelessness. 

We are a small firm that operates fully remote with regular phone and video meetings. Our normal work hours are 8am-5pm Pacific Time. Occasional work outside of normal hours may be required to meet project deadlines. This position requires travel to internal meetings, client sites, trainings, and/or conferences.