Desk Clerk (Oak Gardens)

Affordable housing communities carry a specific kind of operational demand that market-rate properties rarely do. Residents often depend on on-site staff for stability and connection in ways that go well beyond the typical landlord-tenant relationship. The Desk Clerk position at Oak Gardens in Menlo Park sits at that intersection: part security function, part community presence, part administrative backbone for the property.

MidPen Housing has operated affordable housing in Northern California since 1970 and manages a portfolio of more than 142 properties serving working families, seniors, and residents with special needs. Oak Gardens is one of those communities, and this role keeps the front of house running on weekend mornings.

What This Role Actually Involves

This is a part-time position: Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Within those hours, you're the primary point of contact for everyone who comes through the door. You'll greet and screen visitors, maintain the daily log and visitor records, monitor the camera system, and keep the lobby and entrance area orderly. When something unusual happens, you write the incident report. When work orders come in, you process them. When the phone rings, you answer it and route it correctly. You'll also post and distribute tenant notices and assist applicants who come in during office hours.

Fair Housing compliance is part of every interaction. MidPen holds its staff to those standards consistently, and the Desk Clerk role is no exception. You'll be expected to handle inquiries from residents, guests, and prospective applicants in a way that reflects those obligations.

Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish is required for this role, not listed as a preference. Given the resident population MidPen serves across the Bay Area, that fluency is a practical necessity from day one.

Skills Required vs. Skills Built Here

You need to bring a high school diploma or GED, at least a year of receptionist or administrative experience, and strong written and verbal communication skills. Basic computer proficiency in Word and Excel is a plus. Flexibility matters too: the role covers varied tasks and you'll shift between them quickly during a shift.

What this role develops is different. Working in an affordable housing community teaches you how property operations function at the resident level. You'll see how incident documentation, visitor protocols, and community policy enforcement connect to broader property management goals. Staff who start in desk clerk or front-of-house roles at mission-driven housing organizations often build toward positions in leasing, resident services coordination, or community management. The documentation habits and resident communication skills you sharpen here transfer directly into those tracks.

Pay ranges from $17.69 to $19.90 per hour based on experience. MidPen offers a benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, a 403(b) retirement plan, paid parental leave, FSA options, an employee education reimbursement program, and paid time off, among other offerings. For a part-time weekend position, that benefits access is worth noting.