Family Services Associate Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

The Organization:

Ronald McDonald House Washington DC has been serving families in the Greater Washington DC area for over 45 years. Our mission is to provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare. We do this through three core programs - Ronald McDonald House is built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child, helps make this a reality by providing housing, meals, transportation, innovative educational and support programs, and more for our families in need.

Position Summary:

The Guest Services Associate (GSA) serves as an Ambassador of the Ronald McDonald House Washington DC and provides exceptional customer service for all guests, guest families, donors, and visitors who enter the House. The GSA provides administrative support as the first point of contact for the House, answers phone calls, supports family/guest communications, handles mail and deliveries, and help us with other operational duties to keep everything running smoothly. This position reports directly to the DC House Manager.

This position is in-person at the Ronald McDonald House of Washington DC, remote work is not available. Shifts are scheduled as 10:00 am 6:00 pm, Monday thru Friday. A work schedule that meets the needs of the Ronald McDonald House and our families will be designed with the direct supervisor upon hire. However, the ideal candidate must be able to work any day of the week, including evenings, weekends, and some holidays.

Duties and Reponsibilities:

• Provide high level guest services as an Ambassador and Concierge to all visitors and guests who enter the RMH by manning the reception area including front desk, answering and directing phone calls, accepting and processing mail and physical donations, and managing the front desk and visitor entry.

• Support communications with guest families during their entire stay at the RMH as directed by the Associate Director of Family Services. Seek to connect on a deeper customer level by memorizing and ensuring frequent use of patient family names using appropriate salutations.

• Support the Family Services team with collecting referrals from local medical partners who seek to provide their patient families with the resource of an RMH guest room.

• Support in the tracking, entry, and management of patient family information/data into the guest management database.

• Support in the collection of family stories and photographs throughout guest stays as directed by the Associate Director of Family Services and the Marketing & Communications team.

• Welcome and greet all new guest families upon their arrival for registration. Provide communal area tours to ensure guest is comfortable with entry/exit access, general facilities, primary point(s) of contact, etc.

• Address guest families when needed regarding the RMH Guidelines and Expectations they agreed to follow upon their registration for a guest room.

• Escalate guest family issues to the House Operations Manager or Associate Director of Family Services when appropriate intervention is needed with any guest family member.

• Assist guest families with daily needs during their stay and support guest communications for RMH related activities, events, and other related notifications.

• Assist with inspecting, cleaning, and organizing common areas as needed.

• Track communication notes for each shift using the appropriate tools to communicate events from each shift to the House Operations staff covering the following shift.

• Work with contracted vendor services onsite to ensure the RMH is cleaned and maintained appropriately.

• Coordinate the check-in, activity set-up, and check-out process for House volunteers as guided by the Community Engagement team.

• Attend regularly scheduled staff meetings to remain informed about organizational events and practices.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Demonstrate empathy and ability to relate to families in crisis and ensure the confidentiality of guests. 

• Interpersonal Skills: Ability to relate to and effectively communicate with a variety of constituents, including families in crisis.  

• Customer Service Oriented: Exhibits an attitude of service, making every effort to build positive relationships and experiences for staff, visitors and families. Demonstrates a welcoming attitude and sensitivity to the needs of guest families at all times.  

• Problem Solver: Takes initiative, able to multi-task, make decisions and come up with solutions to ensure House Operations run smoothly, even when dealing with emotional topics. Comfortable in a flexible, team-oriented environment.  

• Positive Outlook: Projects a positive demeanor, regardless of changes in working conditions. Is dependable and trustworthy and displays a high level of integrity. 

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalency is required; Associate degree is a plus.

• 1 year of experience in administrative support or related field.

• Nonprofit and/or family services experience a plus.  

• Experience with data entry.   

• Proficiency with Microsoft 365; aptitude for learning new technologies.  

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.  

• Reliable transportation.  

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position requires:  

• A moderate amount of sitting and some walking.

• Spending long hours in front of a computer screen.

• Frequent use of hands and arms to use office equipment, telephone, computer.

• Occasional need to lift and move supplies up to 25 lbs.

• Kneeling/stooping as needed to clean and straighten the office and program spaces.

• Talking and listening to individuals and small groups is a major component of the role.