Community Housing Lead

About Mazí Housing

Mazí Housing supports displaced young men experiencing homelessness in Athens. Our community-based housing gives residents a safe, stable space to build from, and the casework, relationships and community to help each resident move confidently on. Everything we do is driven by two values: creating safety and maximising the choices residents have ahead of them. 

Over five years, we have worked with more than 130 young displaced men navigating life in Greece. We’re a small, hands-on team, and we care deeply about doing this work well. 

About the Role

As Community Housing Lead, you are the core of what Mazí does. Your job is to steward the environments where residents live together. You are responsible for ensuring our apartments and remain safe, predictable and participatory places to live. This means you’re physically present in the apartments when needed, holding clear expectations, facilitating house meetings with skill and warmth, and building trusting relationships with residents 1:1 as well. 

You are at the heart of Mazí’s approach. You work to activate residents’ sense of agency, responsibility and, when needed, accountability for the spaces they share. You find creative ways to do this, because what works for one person or in one apartment won’t always work for another. You are consistent, because residents need to trust that you mean what you say. And you are patient, because this work can be messy, and ‘outcomes’ take time. 

Day to day, you spend your time in the apartments and at Mazí’s community space. This can be a hands-on role: from showing young guys how to clean the kitchen properly, or helping to coordinate food, supplies, and maintenance. But showing someone how to clean is more than building skills, it’s connecting and building trust, and this is a relational role at its core: building working relationships with residents 1:1, facilitating group work in-house or elsewhere, running a nutritional cooking programme with a view to community building. Above all the quieter work of being a reliable, caring adult in a young person’s life. 

This is a bespoke role. It is unlikely you will have done anything quite like it before. We believe it’s part of what makes this role interesting. The most important thing you bring to this role isn’t (necessarily) a qualification. It’s how you are. People know when you walk into a room, not because you’re loud but because they feel comfortable in your presence. 

Responsibilities

Steward safe, predictable environments

• Maintain apartments as safe, welcoming and functioning places to live
• Support residents to understand, shape and uphold shared agreements
• Ensure residents know what is expected of them and what they can expect from others, from induction to programme exit
• Coordinate maintenance, supplies and practical systems that help the environment function reliably
• Support residents to develop the skills and confidence needed to maintain shared living environments

Hold boundaries with care

• Hold clear and consistent expectations in ways that preserve dignity and relationships - the foundation for everything else in this role
• Support residents to understand the impact of their actions on others and the wider community
• Facilitate restorative conversations where appropriate
• Balance support and accountability in ways that strengthen agency rather than dependency
• Help residents develop increasing ownership of both decisions and consequences

Participation and community

• Create opportunities for residents to contribute to community life and influence the environments they share
• Facilitate house meetings that build ownership, accountability and collective problem-solving
• Support residents to develop communication, collaboration and conflict-resolution skills
• Help residents navigate tension and disagreements in ways that strengthen rather than weaken community
• Design and facilitate activities, projects and shared experiences that foster connection, contribution and belonging
• Ensure resident feedback meaningfully influences programme development

Reflecting, learning and strengthening the programme

• Participate actively in team learning processes, bringing reflections and emerging patterns from house life into team discussions
• Bring residents’ voices and experiences into the evolution of our programme, by seeking formal and informal feedback
• Notice and report on on what helps residents take ownership of their environment and what gets in the way
• Test and refine approaches to house meetings, participation, community-building and conflict resolution, to develop how Mazí promotes safety, choice and community

Who we're looking for

You are relational above all else. Your ability to build trust is what makes you effective. You communicate naturally in 1:1 settings, and in groups. When you facilitate a room, you hold it. 

You are a skilled and creative communicator. You know how to run a group session, a house meeting, a difficult conversation. You adapt your approach to the person in front of you: you are not a one-size-fits-all practitioner. 

You hold your ground with warmth. Consistency and clear boundaries are aligned with care and you know how to carry both. Residents will test limits: you’ll meet that with steadiness, not rigidity or resentment. 

You are calm in tension. You have experience de-escalating tension and you don’t rattle easily. You understand that conflict, handled well, can deepen trust. 

You are practical and self-sufficient. You don’t need to be told what needs doing. You are comfortable with the unglamorous work as much as the meaningful moments because you know both are connected.

You are creative and reflective. You think about your practice. You bring ideas. You try new things. When something isn’t working, you try something else. 

You’re a team player. We’re a small team: ego needs to stay at the door. Leadership here means supporting each other as much as it means holding your own space. 

Requirements & Experience

• Proficient in English and Greek: our working language is English, and you will need to communicate with residents, landlords, and partner organisations in Greek
• Background in youth work, social work, community development, or a related field
• Experience facilitating group sessions or workshops, not just 1:1 support
• A calm, assured presence, experienced at de-escalating tension and seeing conflict as an opportunity for understanding
• At least 3 years experience in a project-facing role, in housing, social care, community work, or a similar field
• Working knowledge of the Greek context and the specific challenges faced by displaced people in Greece
• Comfortable with flexible hours and moving between apartments across the city
• Knowledge of additional relevant languages is a genuine asset (Farsi, Dari, Arabic, French, Somali)

What we offer

• Salary of up to €22,000 per year, dependent on experience
• Monthly metro card and staff phone
• The opportunity to shape an evolving organisation: we want you to lead our housing programme, not just deliver it

How to apply

If you don’t feel like you tick every box above, we still want to hear from you, especially if this role feels like a real step forward for you to become the practitioner you’re working to be. 

We strongly encourage you to seek out an informal conversation with a member of our team before applying. It is a good way to get a feel for the role, and to know each other informally. Please call Milo on 0030 694 246 5261.

To apply: please send your CV and a cover letter in English, subject line Community Housing Lead, to [email protected]