Client Advocate

Position: Client Advocate

Department: Compliance

Reports to: Chief of Compliance

Pay Status: Exempt

Location: Nashua, NH

Do you want to make sustainable change in our community? Harbor Care is seeking a talented and committed Client Advocate to help further our mission.

The Job: The Client Advocate plays a critical role in strengthening Harbor Cares client-centered approach by ensuring that client voices are heard, concerns are addressed, and systemic improvements are implemented across all service lines. This position serves as a neutral, trusted resource for clients while also identifying patterns, risks, and opportunities to improve service delivery, compliance, and client experience. As a newly established function, this role is responsible not only for case-level advocacy, but also for building and operationalizing systems, processes, and feedback loops that enhance organizational accountability, transparency, and quality of care.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The Client Advocate plays a critical role in strengthening client-centered care, improving satisfaction, and ensuring equitable resolution of client and patient concerns. This position is intentionally structured in two phases. Phase 1 (the first 6-9 months) focuses on designing, piloting, and evaluating a Client Advocate function, including policies, workflows, tools, and data systems. Phase 2 focuses on fully carrying out the Client Advocate role as an ongoing operational function embedded within the organization.

This role requires strong systems-thinking, collaboration, and the ability to balance individual advocacy with organizational quality improvement.

• Client Advocacy & Issue Resolution

• Serve as the primary point of contact for client concerns, complaints, and grievances.

• Support clients in understanding their rights and navigating services

• Ensure timely, fair, and trauma-informed resolution of complaints.

• Maintain neutrality, accuracy, and confidentiality while balancing client needs and compliance requirements

• Quality Improvement & Data Monitoring

• Produce regular reports on client satisfaction and complaint data for leadership and program teams.

• Identify trends, root causes, systemic issues/risks, and opportunities for service improvement.

• Partner with leadership and program teams to implement quality improvement initiatives and corrective actions.

• Ensure funder grievance process requirements are followed.

• Systems Building & Process Development

• Design and implement standardized processes across all service lines for:

• Client feedback collection

• Complaint intake and tracking

• Resolution workflows and documentation

• Develop tools (dashboards, reporting structures, escalation protocols) to support organizational learning.

• Support training and education efforts related to client rights, service standards, conflict resolution and de-escalation, and grievance processes.

• Client & Community Engagement

• Maintain ongoing engagement with clients to solicit feedback and improve service delivery.

• Coordinate and facilitate the Community Advisory Council (CAC).

• Ensure client voices meaningfully inform program and policy decisions.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelors degree in social work, public health, human services, healthcare administration, or a related field
• Minimum of 35 years of experience in healthcare, housing, or community-based nonprofit settings
• Experience in client advocacy, quality improvement, complaint or grievance management is strongly preferred.
• Experience working across multiple programs or systems preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing policies, workflows, or program pilots is a plus.
• Strong understanding of trauma-informed, client-centered practices is a plus.
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience, including military service, internships, volunteer work, and non-traditional career paths, may be considered in meeting position requirements.

Preferred Skills & Competencies:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation abilities.
• Experience facilitating groups or advisory councils.
• Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines and departments.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and ethical judgment.
• Comfort working with vulnerable populations and complex systems.

Physical and Work Environment :

• Combination of office, program site visits, and virtual work
• May require travel between Harbor Care locations
• Ability to manage high-sensitivity situations and emotionally complex interactions

Harbor Care is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.