What Is a Social and Community Service Manager?

The United States is home to more than 2 million social service professionals. Every day, these counselors, therapists, social workers, and other specialists empower people to overcome struggles that threaten their well-being and sometimes their lives. However, for people to get the help they deserve, talented social and community service managers must oversee the agencies they turn to.

How do these resourceful administrators keep the social service network afloat? Where do they work, and how much do they make? Also, what education and experience do social and community service managers need?

Similar to managers in other industries, social service managers hire and supervise staff, create schedules, and manage budgets. However, overseeing programs and people that help others often comes with some unique duties.

The duties of a social service manager can include the following:

Soliciting donations and writing grant proposals
Facilitating training and licensing opportunities for staff
Collaborating with other social service agencies to serve clients with complex needs
Evaluating the effectiveness of new and ongoing services
Presenting reports to senior management, government officials, the general public, and other stakeholders
Running outreach and public education programs
Ensuring that their organizations follow all legal regulations regarding safety and financial transparency
Performing front-line duties when needed

In small organizations, administrators sometimes handle most or all of these duties, while in larger ones, managers are typically in charge of only a few areas. For example, one manager may oversee staff while another handles the finances.

Social and community service managers can work for private, nonprofit, and government agencies such as:

Child welfare, adoption, and foster care agencies
Housing agencies
Houseless shelters
Domestic violence shelters
Charities
Civil rights advocacy organizations
Hospitals, public health departments, and community health clinics
Senior living communities
Substance use recovery centers
Mental health service providers
Community centers
Schools
Businesses with employee wellness programs

While social service administrators in different agencies share some duties, their responsibilities vary. For example, those working for health departments may oversee public nutrition education campaigns, while their colleagues in advocacy organizations may focus on grant writing and research.

Salary and Job Outlook

Social and community service managers made a median salary of about $77,030 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The highest 10% earned more than $127,500, indicating that management can be a great way for social service providers to increase their earning potential.

The BLS projects employment in social service management to increase by 9% between 2022 and 2032; that’s about 16,000 new jobs added per year — more than three times the growth of the labor force as a whole. The spike is likely due to the growing senior population and an increasing societal focus on mental health and addiction recovery treatment.

Becoming a social service manager requires the right training and experience. While no single formula exists, many professionals follow similar paths.

Step 1: Get a Bachelor’s Degree

Social service management positions typically require a bachelor’s degree. Given how diverse social service agencies are, future social service managers can prepare for their careers by earning a wide range of social service-related degrees.

Students hoping to go into social service administration often earn degrees in:

Social work
Criminal justice
Psychology
Family and consumer sciences
Public health education

Which path a student takes depends on their career goals. For example, students who wish to work with inmates or victims typically study criminal justice. Those hoping to work in disease control, corporate wellness, or similar fields often study public health education.

Step 2: Gain Experience in Entry-Level Roles

On top of requiring a bachelor’s degree, social service management positions typically require experience. After graduation, students often pursue entry-level roles in their field, learn about day-to-day operations, and hone their skills.

Entry-level social and community service roles include the following:

Health, community, and social services assistants
Program coordinators
Community health workers
Health education specialists
Patient support specialists

In some cases, entry-level social service roles don’t require a bachelor’s degree, meaning students can enter the field while pursuing their degrees. Many colleges offer internships, so students can earn credit hours while also gaining hands-on experience.

Step 3: Pursue Management Roles and Keep Developing

The amount of experience required for management positions varies among employers, but many request applicants to have between one and three years of experience. Some professionals apply for promotions through their current employers, while others pivot to new organizations.

After overseeing one aspect of an organization, some social service managers transition to director roles. These high-level administrators typically create organizational policies, oversee multiple departments, and find new research-backed techniques to add to their organizations’ services. Director roles often require a master’s degree and years of management experience.

Help Communities Advocate for Their Well-Being

Many paths can lead to a career as a social and community service manager. If you’re passionate about empowering communities to advocate for their well-being, earning a bachelor’s degree in public health education may be the right path for you.

With classes on human development, psychology, and effective communication, the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Public Health Education program at NCCU Online prepares students to work anywhere, from child welfare offices to multinational corporations. By including courses on health policy assessment and other high-level administrative duties, NCCU Online strives to help students become knowledgeable, ethical leaders.

Whether you’re new to the field or interested in taking your social service career to a new level, learn more about the BS in Public Health Education program at NCCU Online, the well-rounded curriculum, and how you can make the convenient online format fit into your own schedule.

Recommended Readings

What Is a Public Health Nutritionist?

What Can You Do With a Public Health Degree?

How to Measure Health Equity

Sources:

ONet OnLine, Social and Community Service Managers

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Community and Social Service Occupations

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Community Health Workers

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Social and Community Service Managers

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Social and Human Service Assistants