Job Description

Seasonal Art House Assistant

About Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) is a social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless since 1998. Founded in Austin, Texas, the organization serves its homeless neighbors through three core programs: Truck Ministry, Community First! Village, and Community Works. Often referred to as the most talked about neighborhood in Austin, Community First! Village is a 51-acre master planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. We are now embarking on a new phase of community expansion, adding more than 1400 new neighbors over the next 5-10 years.

About the Role

Mobile Loaves & Fishes is seeking a temporary Art House Assistant to join our team through mid-December. This role is instrumental in fostering a creative, relational, and productive space where neighbors- individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness and now reside at Community First! Village- can explore their artistic talents and earn a dignified income. The Assistant will support studio operations, volunteers, product development, and trust-based relationships with artists and potential artists. It requires strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and a heart for serving alongside individuals who have experienced homelessness.

This is a seasonal, non-exempt position running from July through mid-December. The ideal candidate will work approximately 32-40 hours per week, typically between 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday. While some flexibility is available, attendance is required for key even ts, including MLF pop-up shows (August 23-24 and October 5) and Village of Lights weekends (the first two weekends in December). This position reports to the Art House Manager and is based at Community First! Village, located at 9301 Hog Eye Road, Austin, TX 78724.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Foster a welcoming, relational studio environment by greeting volunteers and neighbors, offering Art House orientation, and maintaining a calm, productive atmosphere.
• Host open studio sessions (Tuesdays 9-12 and 1-4, with potential to expand); guide supply use, support artist projects, uphold policies, and process payments via Square.
• Coach and support volunteers, matching them with tasks that align with their skillsets and offering hands-on instruction in ceramics and jewelry techniques (training provided).
• Maintain and prepare the studio by managing tools, materials, and kilns for ceramics and jewelry production; prepare clay, assist with glaze testing, and ensure cleanliness and safety standards are upheld.
• Handle kiln operations including loading/unloading and studio condition monitoring; report any issues to the Art House Manager.
• Track inventory and financials by submitting receipts, managing supply budgets, preparing market inventory via Microsoft Forms, and handling POS transactions and the cash drawer accurately.
• Facilitate Dignified Income contract work, ensuring quality, tracking deliverables, signing weekly contracts, and celebrating milestones with artists.
• Cultivate ongoing relationships with neighbors, providing encouragement, celebrating birthdays, resolving conflicts with empathy, and offering consistent relational support.
• Support communication and scheduling using tools like Rallyhood , Canva (preferred), signage, and word of mouth to keep neighbors informed and engaged.
• Engage visiting tours by sharing the Art House's mission in a compelling and audience-appropriate way.
• Assist with events and special projects including "Christmas in July," pop-up markets (August 23-24 and October 5), and Village of Lights (first two weekends in December), helping with setup, inventory transport, and event support.
• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge , Skills , Abilities & Princip les

• MLF is a faith-based organization whose ideals and philosophy come directly from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As an organization, we strive to reflect this precept in our communications, both internally and externally .
• Commitment to serving those who have experienced homelessness and personal alignment with MLF's vision, mission, core values, and goals .
• Strong relational and customer service skills
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to multi-task effectively
• Confidence and comfort engaging with people from diverse backgrounds
• Patience and composure in fast-paced, high-interruption environments
• Clear, compassionate, and professional communication skills
• Experience in ceramics, jewelry, or mixed media preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools, including Excel, SharePoint, Outlook, and Teams
• Must have a valid driver's license

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Exposure to certain art materials and chemicals may not be safe for individuals who are pregnant
• Physically able to lift up to 50 lbs. and perform extended periods of work that involves bending , squatting , and/or standing
• Able to stay focused and effective in a high-interruption, fast-paced environment
• Comfortable working around strong odors from art materials and chemicals
• Must wear attire that is professional and presentable but suitable for messy or hands-on work; close-toed shoes are recommended for safety (but not required )
• Must be able to move about all phases of Community First! Village
• Must be able to safely operate a golf cart

MLF VISION

We empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless.

MLF MISSION

We provide food and clothing, cultivate community, and promote dignity to our homeless brothers and sisters in need.

GOALS

• Transform the way people view the stereotype of those who find themselves homeless
• Reconnect the homeless to self, family and community
• Help the chronically homeless rediscover and utilize their God-given talents to do purposeful work
• Connect human to human, heart to heart through the fellowship of food and hospitality
• Inspire people into a lifestyle of abundance by giving their best first

BELIEF STATEMENTS

The vision is supported by belief statements centered on our belief that homelessness is the result of a profound, catastrophic loss of family:

• God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life
• By virtue of being created by God in His image, we are all called to live in community and relationship with Him through each other
• The family is the original cell of social life
• You shall love your neighbor as yourself
• All members of the human family are equal in dignity
• The Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it. Gen 2:15

CORE VALUES

MLF is committed to fostering a culture that prioritizes relational connection. We believe there is opportunity in every aspect of our work to be relational in a highly transactional world. In this culture, transactions are means to relational ends, not the other way around.​

​​This begins with the countercultural love poured out by Jesus Christ and grows as imperfect individuals strive to show this love to each other human-to-human, heart-to-heart.​

​​Each individual's openness to the journey of their own personal growth is essential in building our relational culture, and we believe this culture flourishes as we each continuously strive to more fully embody these four core values:

• Faith: We define Faith as the foundational belief that our world and all our work belong to God. This allows us to engage our work with joy and lightheartedness, knowing that we are not ultimately in control.
• Humility: We define Humility as rightly viewing oneself as a single piece of a grander story. This humility leads to a view of oneself that is neither too high nor too low.
• Generous Spirit: We define a Generous Spirit as a readiness to give more grace, mercy, and hospitality than is necessary or expected. This posture allows us to see others for who they are, not what they do.
• Integrity: We define Integrity as a wholehearted commitment to doing right by God, ourselves, and others. This wholeheartedness shows itself in consistently choosing honesty, responsibility and ownership in all actions and decisions.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

MLF is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen based on ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetics, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation in accordance with federal and state law.

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