Manager of Crisis Response

POSITION SUMMARY: The Manager of Crisis Response translates Housing Forward's strategy to reduce unsheltered homelessness into coordinated measurable action across Dallas and Collin Counties. This position provides operational leadership for zone-based street response efforts, supervising Zone Coordinators, and ensuring strategies are effectively planned, executed, and monitored. The Manager maintains a comprehensive view of priorities, performance, timelines, barriers, and emerging risks across geographic zones, creating the structure and accountability necessary to advance individuals toward supportive services, treatment, and permanent housing, and achieve sustainable encampment resolution. This role requires a highly organized, independent problem solver who can manage competing priorities, build effective partnerships, and maintain a clear view of the larger strategy. The ideal candidate balances urgency with sound judgment, empowers staff while maintaining accountability, and knows when to act independently, engage partners, or elevate decisions to leadership. The Manager of Crisis Response reports to the Director of Crisis Response and directly supervises up to five Zone Coordinators.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIESZone Strategy and Execution: Oversee coordinated, zone-based strategies to reduce unsheltered homelessness across Dallas and Collin Counties. Maintain a comprehensive understanding of priority encampments, emerging concerns, active response efforts, and progress toward resolution. Work with Zone Coordinators to establish priorities, action plans, and timelines that advance individuals toward shelter and permanent housing. Adjust response strategies and resource priorities based on changing conditions, system capacity, and progress toward outcomes.

Project and Performance Management: Develop and maintain workplans, milestones, performance tracking, and accountability structures to coordinate work across geographic zones. Monitor key outcomes, including shelter and housing placements, rehousing pipeline progress, encampment resolution, outreach activity, and time to resolution. Use quantitative and qualitative data to assess performance, identify trends, and inform operational decisions. Identify gaps in progress and implement corrective actions to keep work on track.

Supervision and Accountability: Supervise up to five Zone Coordinators responsible for coordinating and executing response strategies within assigned geographic areas. Establish clear expectations for staff priorities, deliverables, communication, and performance. Provide coaching, guidance, and support while empowering staff to independently manage day-to-day challenges. Foster a collaborative, solutions-focused team culture that emphasizes urgency, accountability, and consistent follow-through.

Barrier Resolution and Risk Management: Proactively identify and address operational, system-level, partnership, and timeline barriers that may affect response strategies. Facilitate cross-functional problem-solving and connect Zone Coordinators with resources and partners needed to advance work. Exercise independent judgment in resolving challenges and determining when leadership intervention is necessary. Elevate significant risks with clear recommendations, actions taken, and specific decisions or support needed.

Leadership Communication and System Coordination: Provide the Director of Crisis Response with timely, actionable updates on progress, performance, emerging risks, and leadership needs. Synthesize information across zones into clear priorities, recommendations, and performance updates for organizational leadership and external stakeholders. Build and maintain effective partnerships across outreach, shelter, housing, behavioral health, municipalities, public safety, and other system partners to advance shared outcomes. Lead or co-facilitate outreach, encampment, and complex needs of coordination meetings and participate in Crisis Response Team meetings and relevant CoC workgroups. Ensure coordinated response efforts align with organizational priorities, system commitments, and best practices in housing-focused crisis response. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:Project Management and Execution: Demonstrated ability to translate complex strategies into actionable workplans and drive initiatives to meet milestones, timelines, and intended outcomes. Ability to coordinate multiple workstreams, manage dependencies and competing priorities, track progress, and address barriers to delivery. Judgment and Problem-Solving: Ability to anticipate challenges, assess risks, develop practical solutions, and make sound decisions with incomplete information while recognizing when leadership intervention is needed. Managing Up: Ability to proactively communicate progress, emerging risks, competing priorities, and decisions needed from leadership, with clear recommendations and timely escalation to keep initiatives on track. Data and Performance Management: Strong ability to interpret quantitative and qualitative data, monitor outcomes, identify trends, and use findings to inform decisions and improve performance. Staff Leadership and Development: Ability to supervise, coach, and support staff while establishing clear expectations, building accountability, and maintaining a positive and productive team culture. Relationship Building and Influence: Highly relational leadership style with demonstrated ability to build trust, navigate complex partnerships, and drive shared efforts across organizations without direct authority. Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information, tailor messages to different audiences, and provide clear, actionable recommendations. Adaptability and Follow-Through: Ability to remain organized, calm, and focused on solutions in a fast-paced environment while maintaining urgency, flexibility, and consistent follow-through. Relevant Knowledge: Familiarity with homelessness response systems, street outreach, housing programs, coordinated access, and person-centered, housing-focused approaches are strongly preferred.

REQUIREMENTS: 5 Years or more with experience in human services related work or another related field. Must have reliable transportation, valid state-issued driver's license, and car insurance. Please note that local travel is expected to be frequent for this position. Must be flexible to work at different sites as scheduled. Must be able to lift objects that weigh up to 25 lbs.

WORK SCHEDULE: Housing Forward considers normal hours of operation Monday - Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm. Some nights and weekend meetings might be required to meet the needs of partner agencies or to represent Housing Forward at community meetings. Current Housing Forward guidelines state that employees must work at least 3 days per week in the office, but this is subject to change. Housing Locators however are required to work in the field with landlords and property managers to the extent needed to meet unit goals.

COMPENSATION: Housing Forward has a flexible PTO policy for all full-time employees. The office is officially closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, & Christmas Day. Housing Forward has MLK Jr., Juneteenth, and Election Day as Days of Service. This position is eligible for employer-provided benefits including: Housing Forward pays 90% of employee Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance and 50% of Family Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance. Housing Forward provides Basic Life Insurance as well as Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance Housing Forward will provide a laptop. We will additionally provide the applicant with a phone and/or hot spot if needed. For additional questions about the position, please contact Hannah Sims (Director of Crisis Response) hannah.sims@housingforwardntx.org.