Position Description

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Company Mission and Services

Focus Strategies is a national consulting firm based on the West Coast dedicated to helping
communities improve efforts to end homelessness through community-based planning
informed by local data and national best practices. For more than fourteen years, we have
provided consulting to jurisdictional and community leadership in communities across the
country in their efforts to reduce homelessness.

We are dedicated to partnering with communities through strategic consulting and technical
assistance to design and implement housing-focused, equity-informed, and person-centered
solutions that reduce homelessness. We are committed to working with our clients to
understand their community’s need, including the experience and dynamics of homelessness
in the region as well as the unique strengths and challenges of existing strategies. Together,
we partner with our clients to develop programs, map strategic action plans, identify policy
solutions, and evaluate efforts to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.

Our projects include the following types of services for non-profit and governmental clients: 

Systems of care analysis, and research with a focus on systems to end homelessness. 
Community-based system planning with a focus on systems to end homelessness. 
Systems and program evaluation, with a focus on system performance, equity

analyses, and elevation of input from people with lived expertise of homelessness. 
Data collection and analysis services, including integrating multiple datasets,

manipulating Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data and
generating homeless counts. 

Developing strategies to increase access to the housing market for people
experiencing homelessness. 

Increasing the supply of affordable and supportive housing through systems-level
and project-specific development, as well as implementation technical assistance. 

Policy development and analysis.

POSITION SUMMARY

Position: Consultant – Two positions open
Location: (Remote) West Coast, United States
Reports to: One position reports to Director of Consulting, the other to Senior

Consultant. Job duties are the same, project portfolios are different.
Status: Full-time, 40 hours/week, Exempt
Compensation: $85,000-$110,000 depending on relevant experience and skills

Time off & benefits: Paid time off (vacation, sick time, and 10 holidays), 401(k) with 4% salary
match and profit sharing, generous benefits (health, dental, and vision),
flexible spending plans, short and long-term disability insurance, and
$50 per month reimbursement for phone, internet, and office supplies.

Start Date: Open until filled
Contact Info: Lynnette Slaughter, l.slaughter@cascadecareers.com, Cascade Career

and HR Development

CONSULTANT RESPONSIBILITIES AND REQUIREMENTS

Position Overview

The Consultant manages a variety of projects, develops and manages or implements
processes for project development and stakeholder engagement, and develops substantive
analytical, interpretive, and policy content for deliverables, publications, reports, and other
products on behalf of Focus Strategies clients. The successful candidate will have a passion
for ending homelessness; outstanding critical thinking, analytical and interpersonal
communication skills; excellent technical writing skills; and be self-directed and detail
oriented. They should be able to interact with clients and all levels of project teams, provide
timely and accurate analysis, and develop valuable results. The successful candidate will also
have experience developing and implementing homelessness response programs and
systems or housing/homelessness response policy development.

Position Responsibilities

Project Management
• Serve as the project manager for consulting and technical assistance contracts

relating to homelessness response system development and planning under the
direction of the Director of Consulting.

Research and Analysis
• Conduct research and analyses related to homelessness response systems and

programs, identifying key findings, and proposing person-centered, data- and
equity-informed solutions.

• Analyze data from single systems (e.g. homelessness) and multiple disciplines,

• With support from analytics team colleagues, synthesize research findings into

Technical and Policy Writing
• Author Focus Strategies technical documents, publications, and reports, including

developing report outline and structure, drafting content, integrating feedback from
supervisor and client, and producing final content.

Planning and Design
• Deliver a range of planning and design activities to help communities develop

systems and policies to end or reduce homelessness through an equity- and data-
informed lens, including community input processes, data analysis, documentation
of existing and proposed system processes and structures in both in written and
chart form, and best practices research.

Training Development
• Develop training and technical assistance materials for a range of audiences (e.g.

providers, policy makers, funders, professional meetings), tailor materials to client
needs, make presentations and deliver trainings, assess results, and modify over
time to meet needs.

Internal and External Relations
• Work closely and collaboratively with supervisor and company leadership to set

experiencing homelessness to collect and accurately interpret information about
existing systems and possible solutions; Facilitate meetings using mindful and anti-
racist strategies to promote participation and inclusion.

• Make presentations to community stakeholders
• Represent clients in meetings to identify and resolve problems.

Additional Responsibilities
• Actively participate in continuous learning and process and product improvement

Position Requirements

• A passion for ending homelessness.
• A master’s degree in sociology, public policy, social work, or a related field or

substantive leadership or system-level experience in the homelessness response
system.

• Superior technical writing skills.
• Experience developing high quality written analyses of homelessness response

nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expression, socio-
economic backgrounds, religions, ages, English-speaking abilities, immigration
status, and physical abilities in a multicultural environment.

• A commitment to and focus on data-informed public policy.
• Successful track record of developing and executing workplans for complex

Preferred skills and aptitudes
• Bilingual skills (English and Spanish written and oral fluency preferred)

What the Consultant will Gain from Position

• Advanced experience with complex policy, technical, and community issues using a

• Ability to develop innovative solutions and analyses to common and emerging

• Opportunity to deepen skills in program, systems, and policy analysis using data

• Be the lead support to communities working to reduce homelessness
• Opportunity to lead the development of complex plans, evaluations, and reports.
• Experience with consultation for public benefit.
• Increasing responsibility over time.
• Opportunity to be part of an evolving and growing consultation practice.
• Opportunity to work with an expert and dedicated team of professionals in a fast

paced and supportive work environment.

About Our Workplace

Focus Strategies is committed to creating an inclusive workplace with a collaborative team
dedicated towards our mission of helping communities house people experiencing
homelessness. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. In alignment with our company
values, we strive to attract and maintain a workplace that reflects a broad spectrum of
diversity. We strongly encourage employment applications from people who self-identify as
coming from historically marginalized populations and communities who have been most
impacted by homelessness.

We are currently a 12-person firm that operates fully remote with regular phone and video
meetings. Our normal work hours are 8am-5pm Pacific Time. Occasional work outside of
normal hours may be required to meet project deadlines. When public health guidance
allows for travel, this position requires travel to internal meetings, client sites, trainings,
and/or conferences.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit or stand for prolonged periods while working on a computer for 6-8

• Ability to give and receive detailed information through verbal and written

• Ability to use a keyboard, headphones, and operate a computer consistently

• Ability to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures;

• Ability to set up and maintain workspace in home environment with minimal paper file

• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds, including home office computer set up, rare shipping of

TO APPLY

Interested Applicants: Please send your resume, and brief cover letter as one PDF to
l.slaughter@cascadecareers.com. Please include your name and position title in the
document’s electronic name (e.g., Kendra Scott Consultant application.pdf). Position open
until filled.

Cascade Career and HR Development is an independent HR consulting firm, hired to manage
this recruitment on behalf of Focus Strategies. Please direct questions about this posting to
Lynnette at Cascade Career & HR Development.

Application Process Overview:

• Focus Strategies utilizes a multi-phase application process that includes multiple