Family Services Associate – Family Room
About the role
About Us
At Ronald McDonald House® British Columbia and Yukon, we envision a province where families stay close to their sick children. Today, 2 out of 3 Canadians live in a city or town without a children’s hospital. Our Mission is to give sick children the healing power of being together with family.
As a champion of family-centered care, we enable access to children’s hospitals by providing families with sick children accommodation, meals, and wellness programs that support their emotional and physical well-being.
Since opening our first 13-bedroom House in Vancouver in 1983, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon has continued to grow to meet the rising need for support. In 2014, we opened the Heather House, a 73-bedroom House on the grounds of BC Children’s Hospital, along with a Ronald McDonald House Family Room inside Surrey Memorial Hospital. In 2025, we expanded once again, opening new Family Rooms at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, and the University Hospital of Northern BC in Prince George, bringing comfort, care, and a place to rest to families throughout the province.
With the demand for services increasing, we are planning for even greater impact through expansion with a second House. The new Willow House is intentionally designed for comfort, connection, and wellness, and will offer families more space, more support and more ways to stay together during the toughest times. We aim to double our capacity and impact across BC and Yukon over the next five years, ensuring even more families can stay close when it matters most.
Our team is the backbone of this mission; serving families, supporting volunteers and donors, and helping spread awareness every single day.
About The Role
The Ronald McDonald House Family Room is a rest and respite space within Surrey Memorial Hospital for families with children receiving treatment. With four guest rooms, laundry facilities, full kitchen, and a welcoming lounge, the space is a refuge for parents, siblings, and patients to step away from the medical environment and focus on being a family.
This role engages with families, staff, visitors, and donors which requires the ability to interact in a thoughtful, energized, and forward-thinking manner. A preferred candidate is a multifaceted person who is self-confident, motivated, and able to work independently while being supported by volunteers. Reporting to the Family Room Manager, the Family Room Assoc helps maintain day to day operations and the services Ronald McDonald House BC and Yukon provides to families at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Key Responsibilities
Reception
Greet and welcome visitors to the Surrey Family Room to ensure a welcoming and seamless entry for visitors and guests who stay overnight. Organize daily administrative operations, volunteer support and conduct housekeeping duties. Receive all incoming phone calls and answer questions, remembering that every call may be that of a donor or family in need. Greet all visitors to Surrey Family Room. Provide orientation of the Family Room to all guests and visitors to ensure compliance with policies. Liaise with families, social workers, housekeeping staff, hospital representatives, donors and others. Orient new families to the Family Room and sleeping rooms as per orientation procedures.
Administration
Support and supervise volunteers. Ensure security of Family Room and liaise with hospital security regarding any concerns. Provide clerical assistance as needed and maintain filing system. Respond to emergencies in a timely manner and complete related incident reports for review by the Senior Director, Family Services and Family Room Manager. Adhere to safety and emergency procedures.
Qualifications
Experience working with families or those in emotional or crisis situations Experience in front line reception or customer service Experience with light housekeeping and physically able to perform light duties including bed making, and furniture arrangement Diploma or post-secondary education in Social Services, Community Recreation or relevant field. Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office (Teams, Word and Excel). Additional languages is an asset.
Core Competencies & Skills
Mission & Values Alignment: Demonstrates commitment to the mission and values of RMH BC & Yukon in daily work and decision-making. Professionalism & Representation: Represents the organization with a positive, respectful, and professional approach in all interactions. Collaboration & Relationship Building: Works effectively and inclusively alongside staff, volunteers, donors, and families, contributing to a supportive team environment. Communication: Communicates clearly and respectfully with a range of audiences, adapting style as needed. Accountability & Reliability: Takes ownership of responsibilities, follows through on commitments, and contributes to team and organizational goals. Interpersonal / Service-Oriented: Compassionate and caring with the drive to provide a high-quality level of service to the families we meet Operational: Ability to prioritize, multi-task, achieve deadlines and the ability to work independently.
Role Expectations
This role operates in a family-centred environment supporting individuals navigating medical experiences. This position is a minimum of 16 hours a week with the potential to pick up additional hours, must be available for evenings and weekends. Successful candidate is required to have an annual flu shot to work in Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Screening Requirement
As part of our commitment to providing a safe and supportive environment for the families we serve, successful candidates must complete a Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Check and reference check as a condition of employment.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences and encourage those who may require accommodations to reach out at any stage of the recruitment process.
Disclaimer
This job description is intended to outline the general nature and key responsibilities of the role. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Duties may evolve over time to meet the needs of the organization.
Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon reserves the right to modify or assign other responsibilities as required.
Please visit our careers page to see more job opportunities.