Social services manager vs human service specialist

The differences between social services managers and human service specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a social services manager and a human service specialist. Additionally, a social services manager has an average salary of $55,773, which is higher than the $49,025 average annual salary of a human service specialist.

The top three skills for a social services manager include social work, patients and discharge planning. The most important skills for a human service specialist are mental health, social work, and program eligibility.

Social services manager vs human service specialist overview

	Social Services Manager	Human Service Specialist
Yearly salary	$55,773	$49,025
Hourly rate	$26.81	$23.57
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	162,185	124,752
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

What does a social services manager do?

A social services manager is responsible for handling community programs and activities for societal needs. Social services managers coordinate with different local organizations to strategize techniques in building a safe and peaceful environment for the citizens, as well as identifying resources to provide them with their essentials. They also attend community events and meetings to represent the community and propose ideas for community development. A social services manager supervises the program budgeting, as well as reaching out to potential donors and sponsors for funding purposes.

What does a human service specialist do?

Human services specialists provide a range of social services with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people they serve. They can work for organizations, including housing associations, mental health facilities, rehabilitation centers, residential care homes, and food banks. Most of their duties involve interacting with people and conduct counseling. This job also requires active listening skills to comprehend your clients easily and understand their needs to provide care for people in difficult circumstances.

Social services manager vs human service specialist salary

Social services managers and human service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Social Services Manager	Human Service Specialist
Average salary	$55,773	$49,025
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $81,000	Between $33,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	Hawaii
Best paying company	Cloudflare	Regeneron
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between social services manager and human service specialist education

There are a few differences between a social services manager and a human service specialist in terms of educational background:

	Social Services Manager	Human Service Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	SUNY at Binghamton

Social services manager vs human service specialist demographics

Here are the differences between social services managers' and human service specialists' demographics:

	Social Services Manager	Human Service Specialist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 22.5% Female, 77.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%	Black or African American, 15.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.9% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between social services manager and human service specialist duties and responsibilities

Social services manager example responsibilities.

Manage the MSW staff and coordinate all social service and select patient service activities.
Research community services for patient care and coordinate transportation for patients to external organizations for short and long-term treatment.
Provide case-management for patients in a rehabilitation setting, assisting with referrals to appropriate agencies and resources in their local area.
Assist with Medicaid applications and insurance problems.
Process payroll information in an accurate and timely manner.
Help residents with their advance directives, assist in filing Medicaid applications and file and investigate grievances.

Human service specialist example responsibilities.

Manage the MSW staff and coordinate all social service and select patient service activities.
Establish effective liaisons with community agencies to ensure coordination of services to patients.
Developed/Implement a health education/risk reduction program for HIV/AIDS patients engaging in high-risk behaviors.
Help clients reach self-sufficiency by referring clients to employment and vocational rehabilitation agencies.
Work with employees of local drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers to determine eligibility for inpatients.
Assign as a provider enrollment specialist responsible for credentialing and enrolling new medical providers into the Medicaid provider network.

Social services manager vs human service specialist skills

Common social services manager skills

Social Work, 19%
Patients, 13%
Discharge Planning, 7%
Mental Health, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Psychosocial Assessments, 4%

Common human service specialist skills

Mental Health, 13%
Social Work, 11%
Program Eligibility, 6%
Medicaid, 5%
Social Services, 5%
Community Resources, 5%

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Social Services Manager
Social Services Manager vs Human Service Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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