What does a human services manager do?
Human services managers are management professionals who are responsible for managing a team of human services workers that offer support to families, the elderly, the poor, and others in need. These managers must integrate services provided by all human services programs by suggesting new policies and procedures. They should assist with child abuse investigations when referred by social workers through collaboration with government representatives. Human services managers are also required to meet state and federal compliance goals and program requirements so that they can manage excellent service delivery systems.
Human services manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real human services manager resumes:
- Manage all programs operations in accordance with HRA and industry regulations, agency policies and HIPAA guidelines.
- Act as a liaison between clients, guardians, medical facilities resolving financial issues and questions regarding Medicaid cases.
- Calculate budgets in reference to Medicaid programs
- Monitor and ensure proper payroll setup including coordination of common paymaster with university paycheck to ensure savings on FICA taxes.
- Identify barriers and challenges that veterans are facing and utilize a solution-base approach to effectively resolve issue that threaten housing stability.
Human services manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Human Services Managers are proficient in Human Services, Lean Six Sigma, and Social Work. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Human Services Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Human Services, 20%
Provided on job assistance to Human Services Specialist insuring accuracy and equivalent processes were used throughout call center.
- Lean Six Sigma, 14%
Served on Lean Six Sigma value stream committee for provider onboarding and multiple rapid improvement events.
- Social Work, 11%
Created and supervised social work internship program through a partnership with Arizona State University's School of Social Work
- Social Services, 8%
Assist families in gaining access to needed social services programs in the community.
- Developmental Disabilities, 5%
Assisted 12 consumers with developmental disabilities in a group home (ICF).
- Community Resources, 4%
Assess client situations and provide appropriate information about economic benefits, referrals to community resources and other services.
Most human services managers use their skills in "human services," "lean six sigma," and "social work" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential human services manager responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a human services manager to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Human services managers often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "discharge and placement planning medicaid management including redeterminations and applications for medicaid constant communication with families and residents. "
Compassion. Another essential skill to perform human services manager duties is compassion. Human services managers responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Human services managers also use compassion in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided home visits and worked with dying patients and their families to provide them support and compassion during grieving process. "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for human services managers to perform their duties. For an example of how human services manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a human services manager: "lead monthly interpersonal process groups, including groups for domestic violence survivors or helping clients develop life skills. ".
Organizational skills. For certain human services manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a human services manager rely on this skill, as "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what human services managers do: "conduct organizational studies and evaluations; provide technical assistance. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for human services manager responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of human services managers all the time, as "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." An excerpt from a real human services manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a human services manager does: "document complaints voiced by patients and/or family members and seek adequate resolution. "
Time-management skills. Another skill commonly found on human services manager job descriptions is "time-management skills." It can come up quite often in human services manager duties, since "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day human services manager responsibilities: "managed a caseload of 130 child care facilities in 14 counties, meeting all deadlines for actions needed. "
The three companies that hire the most human services managers are:
- Deloitte77 human services managers jobs
- KPMG LLP46 human services managers jobs
- Guidehouse17 human services managers jobs
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Compare different human services managers
Human services manager vs. Resident assistant
Resident assistants help manage peers or younger students who live in a particular residence hall on campus. They are usually in charge of welcoming fellow students, providing residence hall tours, and helping students cope with their new environment. To help students become more at ease with their environment, resident assistants usually act as buddies. They answer inquiries that the students may have and act as the bridge between the students and the residence hall management. They assist with administrative activities in the residence hall, such as handing out forms for students and ensuring documents are correctly filled out.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, human services manager responsibilities require skills like "human services," "lean six sigma," "social work," and "social services." Meanwhile a typical resident assistant has skills in areas such as "home health," "vital signs," "residential life," and "compassion." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Resident assistants really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $30,623. Comparatively, human services managers tend to make the most money in the professional industry with an average salary of $65,433.resident assistants tend to reach lower levels of education than human services managers. In fact, resident assistants are 20.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Human services manager vs. Activity assistant
Activity assistants are the ones who organize and execute activities in different settings, including recreation centers, camps, cruise ships, and retirement or nursing homes. They design programs to encourage physical activity, increase socialization, deliver continuing education, and provide entertainment. They are also the ones who handle logistics, select and demonstrate activities, maintain proper equipment, and ensure the safety of participants. They can work full-time, part-time, or seasonally in different settings depending on the kind of clients that they cater to.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real human services manager resumes. While human services manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "human services," "lean six sigma," "social work," and "social services," activity assistants use skills like "patients," "home health," "rehabilitation," and "senior care."
Activity assistants earn lower levels of education than human services managers in general. They're 20.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Human services manager vs. Advocate
An advocate is a voice for the voiceless. It is their responsibility to speak on behalf of an individual or a particular cause. Most of the duties will vary depending on the line of organization or duty involved; however, an advocate must have extensive knowledge or background on the subject matter. Furthermore, an advocate must be present at gatherings regarding the cause, assist in the negotiation and mediation processes involving contracts and legal documentation, provide or convey accurate information, and defend what they represent.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a human services manager is likely to be skilled in "human services," "lean six sigma," "social work," and "human capital," while a typical advocate is skilled in "customer service," "cleanliness," "patients," and "crisis intervention."
Advocates earn the best pay in the government industry, where they command an average salary of $40,536. Human services managers earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $65,433.Most advocates achieve a lower degree level compared to human services managers. For example, they're 14.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Human services manager vs. Liaison
A liaison is a middle person responsible for collaborating different institutes, managing professional relationships to create benefiting results that would help a business' meet its goals and objectives. Duties of a liaison include facilitating communications, establishing partnership contract plans and procedures, managing conflicts, providing immediate resolution for concerns, and evaluating collaboration parameters. A liaison must be highly knowledgeable about the subject matters of the represented organization, handling inquiries, and coming up with strategic solutions to make the project successful.
Types of human services manager
Updated January 8, 2025
