Systems Improvement Advisor

About Community Solutions:

Community Solutions is a “field catalyst” working to align and mobilize actors, locally and nationally who impact homelessness toward the shared goal of making homelessness rare and brief, everywhere. The organization directly supports more than 140 communities in the U.S. in implementing accountable, community-wide efforts that drive measurable reductions in homelessness. This solutions-focused approach involves rigorous collaboration of public and private efforts, comprehensive, real-time information on those experiencing homelessness and increased access to housing. By 2027, Community Solutions’ network aims to reach a tipping point where homelessness is widely perceived to be solvable and public opinion has measurably shifted to support solutions; reductions in homelessness have been achieved in a diverse and growing array of communities, and solutions-focused policies increasingly drive federal, state and local responses.

Achieving this “tipping point” requires the political will of elected officials, which in turn requires the expectation and support of community leaders.

Position Overview:

Community Solutions (CS) is seeking an experienced, self-motivated, and organized individual to join the energetic, Large Scale Change (LSC) team, as a Systems Improvement Advisor (LSC-SIA). This position will support the formation and sustainability of state and regional level intermediary teams and strategies. Depending on state context, an Intermediary team can be anchored by—or a partnership between—a state agency, hospital system, a regional authority, statewide nonprofit, or others. Our experience demonstrates that, with coaching and support, leaders can act as an intermediary team (also called “backbone”), to vertically align efforts, local-to-state or region, to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. The focus of this work is building an intermediary partner’s staff capability in systems improvement core competencies, leading systems change and cross-agency collaborations, while activating state and regional stakeholders to clear the path for local communities in their work to achieve reductions in homelessness.

The LSC-SIA will also support the LSC team in implementation of two multi-state learning networks:

• System Coordination and Improvement: offering training for staff at the intermediary and local system level, on systems change and quality improvement (also called Improvement Science) as the primary organizing framework for solving homelessness. The goal is to further solidify this as a career path for those working with vulnerable populations.
• State leadership Network: implementation and expansion of a multi-state peer network, supporting leaders of statewide efforts to advance key policies and strategies within CS’s “enabling conditions” framework: Supportive Policy, Shared Public Narrative, Funding & Resources, Housing Supply, Political Will.

This is a 1-year grant-funded position with potential for renewal.

Defining Success for this Position:

A successful LSC-SIA will work closely with the LSC team’s Strategy Lead and Principal to maintain effective coordination between state and regional intermediaries and local communities; refine and improve the LSC Intermediary model; and be the lead and project manager for two or more intermediary partnerships.

The successful LSC-SIA will regularly gather, analyze, and harvest insights from a cohort of local community teams and intermediary partners. The LSC-SIA will support and train our intermediary partner’s staff to convene local teams as a learning cohort, identify barriers, share solutions, and make strategic connections between community needs and state and regional level actions. The LSC-SIA will work closely with state or regional intermediary teams to develop strategy, set goals, and establish staffing infrastructure for a state or region-wide systems improvement network. The overarching goal is to assist partners in advancing key enabling conditions that support sustainable reductions in homelessness: Supportive Policy, Shared Public Narrative, Funding & Resources, Housing Supply, Political Will.

All of these strategies are critical tools for making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. The successful LSC-SIA will be skilled in identifying when each strategy is needed, the conditions for success, and in drawing on the full resources and capacity of Community Solutions teams to implement these strategies. Additionally, a successful LSC-SIA will support teams on site when necessary.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build the will and capacity for sustainable collaboration and systems improvement at scale:

  • Train state and regional partner staff to lead local team coaching and collaboration based on the Built for Zero model, methods, and outcomes (e.g., quality data, improvement science)
  • Support, leverage, and strengthen existing leadership structures and engage new partners where necessary to provide a spectrum of state and/or regional backbone supports, including engagement and support of those with lived experience of homelessness
  • Results-oriented facilitation of teams with multi-sector stakeholders
  • Support vertical integration and coordination between state/regional intermediary teams and local team goals, actions, and priorities
  • Support intermediary team staff in convening local teams as a unique learning cohort, with a goal of enabling sustained work, led by state/regional partners, after CS’s direct coaching ends

• Building upon, and in close coordination with, the work of other CS community-facing teams, leverage the quality improvement process to:

  • Support intermediary partners and local communities to set measurable, timebound homeless reduction goals, with a focus on unsheltered populations and expanded access to housing
  • Design workable, well organized measurement plans and build regularly updated datasets
  • Support intermediary partners and coaches to design and implement tightly scoped improvement projects to drive rapid learning
  • Interpret the results of improvement projects and make decisions about the abandonment, adaptation, or adoption of proposed changes at scale
  • Guide intermediary partners through hands on, collaborative exercises, identifying issues and further goals, based on local needs and preferences

• Surface and clarify specific policy barriers and levers that fall within regional and/or state jurisdiction, control, or influence:

  • Leverage community data to determine resource and capacity gaps
  • Identify the ways in which local and/or state policy may be impeding reductions in homelessness and/or contributing to inequitable outcomes in local systems
  • Design strategies, policies, and investments that clear barriers for local teams and advance the adoption of such at state and/or regional level
  • Support CS Campaign, Communications, and Policy teams with relevant, community-specific information to support implementation of broader CS policy agenda

• Support excellent strategy, execution and culture across the Large Scale Change team and the broader organization:

  • Participate in regular strategic planning and implementation meetings for the Large-Scale Change and other CS team initiatives (e.g, Strategy and Impact, Campaign, Policy and Evaluation)
  • Ensure project scopes, timelines and work plans are always up to date for relevant projects and assignments
  • Participate in organization-wide systems for learning, iteration, knowledge capture and spread
  • Proactively apply an equity lens in all circumstances, seeking to keep both equity and results at the center of team culture and work
  • Clearly communicate shifting needs and key updates to relevant team members, both internally and externally

Professional Experience and Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Three to five years of previous work experience in a professional environment

• Deep content knowledge in at least some of the following areas:

• Housing and homelessness policy;

• Common state and/or regional (e.g., multi-county metro areas) jurisdictional policy, funding, and/or legislative levers that impact housing and homelessness (e.g., Medicaid, Zoning)

• Relationship management of diverse partnerships and collaboratives

• Policy and/or problem-solving related to equity and fair access to housing

• HUD Continuum of Care funding and governance structures;

• A demonstrated ability to achieve results using at least two critical problem-solving competencies:

  • Facilitation of teams toward shared goals
  • Quality improvement (QI) [also known as: improvement science or continuous improvement]

• Strong critical thinking and the ability to engage with complex challenges

• Ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment and demonstrate an ability to shift easily between various responsibilities and partnerships

• Strong project management skills, as evidenced by leading projects to successful and measurable completion

• Detailed organizational and communication skills

• Adaptive project management with rapid context switching

• Experience with facilitation, public speaking, and coaching for improvement

• Passion for justice, equity, ending homelessness, and the belief it is possible

• Demonstrated understanding of structural racism and its impact on communities of color

• Collaborative work ethic and a high tolerance for feedback, direct communication, and proactive conflict resolution

• Skilled at using technology, such as Google Suite (Docs, Slides, Meet, Sheets, Forms), Asana, Slack, Salesforce, Zoom, Civic Roundtable, and others, to manage projects and communications in a fast-paced work environment

• Willingness to travel and meet periodically with states and regions requiring onsite support

• Operate with a high level of autonomy to identify opportunities, needs, and execute strategic initiatives across states and regions

Supervisory Responsibilities:

None.

Software/Apps Used:

Microsoft Office

Google Business Apps (Docs, Sheets, Meet, Slides, Forms)

Asana

Slack

Zoom

Social media software and applications

Salesforce

Mural

Salary Range:

CS offers competitive salaries and benefits packages for every position. The salary range for this position is between $76,634 to $97,921. The actual salary is commensurate with the candidate’s experience.

Work Environment:

The position provides for the flexibility to work from a remote U.S. location without the standard support available at an office. Travel will be required to meet with communities, partners and allies.

Diversity and Inclusion:

We strive for inclusivity and diversity by attracting extraordinary people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We seek to employ an all-star team of people who vary by their race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, age, culture, religion, veteran status, physical and mental abilities. We promote equal opportunity in the recruitment, selection, training, compensation, promotion, and benefits of all employees. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act .