Deputy Director of Human, Homeless and Family Services Department
ABOUT THE SHEFFIELD ADMINISTRATION
Detroit is entering a historic new chapter under Mayor-Elect Mary Sheffield, the city’s first woman to serve as Mayor. Elected with a decisive mandate, Mayor-Elect Sheffield brings a steady, community-rooted approach to governing—one focused on listening to residents, healing long-standing divides, and delivering meaningful improvements in daily life across every neighborhood. She will take office on January 1, 2026, with a commitment to building a city that lifts every family and expands opportunity for all.
As she forms her administration, Mayor-Elect Sheffield is assembling a talented, diverse team of leaders who bring deep expertise, lived experience, and the courage to put forward bold, innovative ideas that move Detroit forward. Her team will drive a City government grounded in collaboration, equity, transparency, and results. The Sheffield Administration seeks mission-driven individuals who are ready to serve, ready to build, and ready to help shape Detroit’s future.
ABOUT THE OFFICE
The Department of Human, Homeless & Family Services (HHFS) is Detroit’s centralized system for delivering coordinated, dignity-centered support to residents across every neighborhood. The department brings together key household-stability programs—including Homeless Services, Housing Services and Home Repair, Family and Senior Services, Returning Citizens supports, Immigrant and Disability Affairs, Benefits Navigation, and neighborhood-based Resource Hubs—to form an integrated ecosystem that helps Detroiters access the services they need without navigating fragmented systems.
Grounded in equity and community partnership, HHFS works across City departments, County and State agencies, healthcare systems, philanthropic partners, and neighborhood organizations to reduce barriers, strengthen upstream prevention, and address the social determinants of health that shape residents’ daily lives. The department also manages the development of Detroit’s Neighborhood Opportunity & Empowerment Hubs, where cross-agency services are delivered directly in communities to meet residents where they are.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Reporting to the Senior Director of Human, Homeless & Family Services, the Deputy Director serves as the department’s chief operational leader—responsible for ensuring that Detroit’s full network of household-support programs functions cohesively, efficiently, and in alignment with the Mayor’s vision for dignity-centered, resident-focused government.
The Deputy Director oversees day-to-day operations across multiple units reflected in the organizational chart—Homeless Services, Family Services, Senior Services, Home-Repair and Stabilization Supports, Immigration and Disability Affairs, Returning Citizens Services, outreach teams, navigation services, and the Neighborhood Opportunity & Empowerment Hubs. The role ensures that each program area operates with clear standards, timely service delivery, and strong coordination across City, County, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners.
This position plays a central role in translating strategy into action: supporting the launch of new service hubs, strengthening coordinated-entry systems, improving shelter and outreach operations, integrating data and case-management systems, and aligning all household-stability programs under a unified operational framework. The Deputy Director is a hands-on, high-trust leader who builds strong internal systems, supports frontline teams, and ensures that resident voices and experiences shape continuous improvement across the department.
This role will drive the administration’s priorities, including:
Supporting implementation of Detroit’s unified Health, Human Services & Homelessness Prevention governance model
Overseeing coordinated operations for Homeless Services, including outreach, diversion, shelter, and supportive-housing pathways
Strengthening upstream prevention programs addressing housing, income, transportation, health, and digital access
Launching and operationalizing Neighborhood Opportunity & Empowerment Hubs with integrated walk-in services and crisis-response capacity
Improving service delivery for seniors, families, immigrants, returning citizens, and residents with disabilities
Supporting home-repair and home-stabilization programs that help longtime Detroiters remain in their homes
Implementing the City Information Exchange (CIE) and related data-integration tools to enhance coordination and outcomes tracking
Strengthening partnerships with CBOs, healthcare systems, County agencies, philanthropic partners, and faith institutions
Improving customer service standards, transparency, and accountability across all HHFS programsThis description outlines the general nature and key responsibilities of the role and is not intended to be exhaustive; duties, responsibilities, and activities may be modified at the discretion of the Mayor.
Core responsibilities include:
Manage daily operations across HHFS program areas—including Homeless Services, Family Services, Senior Services, Immigrant and Disability Affairs, Returning Citizens Services, Home-Repair Supports, Benefits Navigation, and neighborhood-based Resource Hubs
Supervise program managers and operational leads to ensure consistent performance, compliance, and resident-centered service delivery
Translate strategic priorities into operational plans, workflows, timelines, training plans, and performance standards
Strengthen integrated service pathways connecting housing stabilization, healthcare and behavioral-health supports, home repair, youth and senior services, employment resources, and financial-assistance programs
Oversee cross-agency coordination with the Chief of Health, Human Services & Homelessness Prevention, the COO, philanthropic funders, and County and nonprofit partners
Implement performance-measurement systems tracking resident outcomes, response times, diversion rates, housing placements, and customer-service indicators
Support launch, staffing, and operations of Neighborhood Opportunity & Empowerment Hubs and mobile-service teams
Coordinate crisis-response and multi-agency action for residents with complex needs spanning health, housing, transportation, safety, and income stabilization
Manage internal HR functions, staffing structures, procurement, contracting, and department-wide operations
Represent the department in intergovernmental forums, community meetings, provider convenings, and cross-agency working groups
Ensure all HHFS programs reflect trauma-informed care, dignity, equity, accessibility, and transparency in service delivery
Qualifications:
Significant experience managing human-services, homelessness-response, public-health, or community-based systems in an urban environment
Demonstrated ability to lead large teams, oversee complex operations, and implement cross-agency service-coordination strategies
Strong understanding of social determinants of health, trauma-informed practice, crisis-response models, family-support systems, and housing-stabilization pathways
Experience managing diverse funding streams and multi-program budgets with federal, state, local, and philanthropic compliance requirements
Track record of operational improvement, service-quality enhancement, and implementation of performance-measurement frameworks
Proven partnership-building skills with CBOs, philanthropic institutions, healthcare systems, faith-based organizations, and government partners
Extensive knowledge of Detroit’s neighborhoods, community organizations, and human-services ecosystem strongly preferred
Experience launching or scaling community-centered initiatives with measurable outcomes
Excellent communication, project-management, facilitation, and data-driven decision-making skills
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in a relevant field preferred
Detroit-based candidates and individuals with deep local relationships strongly encouraged to apply
Rate of Pay: $100,000– $180,000 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Benefits: Our goal is to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce by providing generous healthcare and other benefits to eligible employees. Learn more about benefits for City of Detroit employees.
Equal Opportunity in Employment: The Sheffield Administration is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. Even if you do not meet all of the requirements listed above, we encourage you to apply if you believe you have the skills, experience, and expertise necessary to thrive in this role. The City of Detroit is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates of all backgrounds—including those historically underrepresented in municipal government—to apply.