Social and Community Service Managers

Summary

Social and community service managers provide direction and leadership to staff who provide a range of services to the public.

Quick Facts: Social and Community Service Managers
2010 Median Pay	$57,950 per year $27.86 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Bachelor’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	1 to 5 years
On-the-job Training	None
Number of Jobs, 2010	134,100
Job Outlook, 2010-20	27% (Faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	35,800

What Social and Community Service Managers Do

Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They direct and lead staff who provide services to the public.

Work Environment

Social and community service managers work for nonprofit organizations, private for-profit social service agencies, and government agencies. Most work full time.

How to Become a Social and Community Service Manager

Social and community service managers need at least a bachelor’s degree and some work experience. However, many employers prefer candidates who have a master’s degree.

Pay

The median annual wage of social and community service managers was $57,950 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of social and community service managers is expected to grow by 27 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. Growth is expected because increases in the aging population, increases in demand for substance abuse treatment, and overall population growth.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of social and community service managers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about social and community service managers by contacting these additional resources.

What Social and Community Service Managers Do About this section

Social and community service managers meet with members of the community and funders to discuss their programs.

Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They direct and lead staff who provide social services to the public.

Duties

Social and community service managers typically do the following:

• Discuss with members of the community what types of programs and services are needed
• Design and oversee programs to meet the needs of the target audience or community
• Create methods to gather information, such as statistics, about the impact of their programs
• Supervise staff, such as social workers, who provide services to clients
• Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of programs
• Suggest and carry out improvements to programs and services
• Develop and manage budgets for programs and organizations
• Get funding for programs though the agency’s budget process or fundraising

Social and community service managers work for a variety of social and human service organizations. The organizations may focus on working with a particular population, such as children, homeless people, or veterans. Other organizations may focus on helping people with particular challenges, such as hunger or joblessness.

Social and community service managers are often expected to show that their programs and services are effective. To do so, they collect statistics and other information to evaluate the impact that programs have in their community or on their target audience. They may be required to report this information to administrators or funders. They may also use evaluations to identify areas that need improvement for the program to be more effective.

Many social and community service managers have supervisory responsibilities. They may recruit, hire, and train new members of staff.

The job duties of social and community service managers vary based on the size of the organization they work for.

In large agencies, managers have more specialized duties. They may be responsible for running only one program in an organization that includes many programs. Social and community service managers report to the agency’s administration or upper management. They usually have less freedom to design programs. Instead, they supervise and carry out programs set up by administrators, elected officials, or other stakeholders.

In small organizations, social and community managers often fill many roles. They represent the organization to the public through speaking engagements or in community-wide committees. They design, carry out, and oversee programs. In small organizations, they may spend a lot of time on administrative tasks, such as managing budgets. They may also spend time raising funds and meeting with potential donors.

Work Environment About this section

Social and community service managers work in a variety of settings, including offices, clinics, hospitals, and shelters.

Social and community service managers held 134,100 jobs in 2010. They work for nonprofit organizations, private for-profit social service companies, and government agencies. Social and community service managers work in a variety of settings, including offices, clinics, hospitals, and shelters.

Some social and community service managers focus on working with a particular population, such as children, homeless people, or veterans; others focus on helping people with particular challenges, such as hunger or joblessness. In 2010, the industries employing the most social and community service managers were as follows:

Some aspects of the work, such as fundraising or balancing budgets, may be stressful, particularly during economic downturns.

Work Schedules

Social and community service managers typically work full time.

How to Become a Social and Community Service Manager About this section

Social and community service managers typically need at least a bachelor’s degree and work experience in a related occupation.

Social and community service managers need at least a bachelor’s degree and some work experience. However, many employers prefer candidates who have a master’s degree.

Education

A bachelor’s degree in social work, urban studies, public administration, or a related field is the minimum requirement. Most employers require those whose highest level of education is a bachelor’s degree to have some work experience as well.

Many employers prefer workers with a master’s degree in social work, public or business administration, public health, or a related field. Coursework in statistics, program management, and policy analysis is helpful.

Work Experience

Work experience is often needed to become a social and community service manager and is essential for those wishing to enter the occupation with a bachelor’s degree. Workers must demonstrate an ability to lead other workers and manage services and programs. They can get this experience by working as a social worker or in a similar occupation. For more information, see the profile on social workers. Lower-level management positions may require only a few years of experience; directors typically have more experience.

Important Qualities

Analytical skills. Managers need to understand and evaluate data and information from a variety of sources.

Communication skills. Working with the community and employees requires effective communication. Managers need to be able to speak and write clearly so others understand them. Public speaking experience is also helpful.

Leadership skills. Social and community service managers must motivate and lead their employees to inspire workers and set the direction of the program. 

Managerial skills. Social and community service managers spend much of their time administering budgets and dealing with personnel issues.

People skills. Managers need to foster good relationships with members of the community and their employees.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of social and community service managers was $57,950 in May 2010. 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 $34,330, and the top 10 percent earned more than $96,920.

In May 2010, the wages of social and community service managers in the industries employing most of the occupation were as follows:

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of social and community service managers is expected to grow by 27 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations.

Growth is due to the needs of an aging population. An increase in the number of older adults will result in growth in demand for social services. Elderly people often need services, such as adult day care and meal delivery. Social and community service managers, who administer programs that provide these services, will likely be needed to meet this increased demand. As a result, employment of social and community service managers is expected to grow fastest in industries serving the elderly, such as home health care services and services for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Services for the elderly and persons with disabilities are included in the individual and family services industry.

In addition, employment growth is expected as more people seek treatment for their addictions and as drug offenders are increasingly being sent to treatment programs rather than to jail. As a result, an increase is expected in demand for social and community service managers who direct treatment programs.

General increases in the population are expected to increase demand for all types of social services—resulting in increased demand for social and community service managers.

Although this occupation is expected to experience growth, it could be limited by budget cuts in state and local governments. Social and human services rely heavily on government funding, and if funding decreases, services may not grow fast enough to meet demand.

From 2010 to 2020, employment growth of social and community service managers in the industries employing most of the occupation is expected to be as follows:

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about social and community service managers, visit

National Association of Social Workers

National Network for Social Work Managers