Position Summary: The Level I Contact Center Advocate provides world-class, trauma informed customer service to individuals contacting House of Ruth Maryland via our 24/7 crisis hotline, or online chat. The Level I Contact Center Advocate is part of the Contact Center team, and is responsible for ensuring that every contact – both victims and community members supporting victims - are offered the support, information, referral, crisis intervention counseling, and safety planning consistent with HRM standards.

When individuals contact HRM, they present as scared, hopeful, worried, angry, concerned, and hurt. The Level I Contact Center Advocate assesses each victim’s situation relative to lethality and service needs to provide appropriate referrals. The Level I Contact Center Advocate is a creative, energetic problem solver who exercises initiative to help each contact, and is a skilled professional with excellent crisis intervention and customer services skills. The Advocate is responsible for developing an excellent working relationship with other HRM programs and its staff, to ensure the timely, effective and seamless provision of services.

Standard Schedule:  This position is a full time member of the Contact Center team and is considered an essential staff position, required to work in weather emergencies and holidays as needed. Contact Center staff are expected to be flexible, with up to 25% adjustment from regular work schedules at times to cover essential crisis services.

Primary Responsibilities: 

•       Primarily responsible for providing excellent customer service and trauma-informed live responses to incoming calls, chats, and walk-in        contacts during designated shifts.

•        Ensures that all communications are answered in a timely manner, with minimal or no abandonment.

•        Provide crisis intervention, safety planning, resource referral, and proactive advocacy to victims, as well as their families, friends and             the community in general

•         Attends internal and external meetings and trainings to ensure up to date understanding of agency and community resources and                      response strategies.

•        Communicates openly and honestly, working as a team with other staff, and demonstrating a positive, solution oriented attitude when             working with contacts and colleagues.

•        Works with Contact Center Manager to ensure all Contact Center resources are accurate and up to date; specifically, with program                    partners and external vendors.

•        Provides compassion, support, patience, information and referral to all victims, families, friends, professionals, donors, and other                     individual contacts during designated shifts.

•        Perform timely data entry related to each contact, as well as other administrative tasks as-needed for essential Contact Center or site               functions. This may include filing call reports, organizing call center spaces, responding to voicemails, etc. 

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time

House of Ruth Maryland 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, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws

Experience/ Requirements:

•        High School Diploma/GED

•        One year paid or voluntary experience in either call center, customer service, retail, hospitality or work with vulnerable populations                 required.  Phone or chat based experience highly preferred.

•          Demonstrated ability to work quickly and calmly in a crisis required.

•          Demonstrated ability to make decisions which de-escalate conflict and/or resolve a crisis effectively required.

•          Excellent oral and written interpersonal skills with a strong ability to relate to a diverse range of individuals including victims,                         children, donors, business leaders, human service providers.  Particular emphasis on communication over the telephone and                             computer.

•         Demonstrated ability to work independently and juggle multiple competing tasks and timelines required.

•         Must pass Criminal Background Check.

Highly Preferred:

•      Knowledge and understanding of intimate partner violence. 

•      Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish

•      Knowledge of local human services programs/ agencies and housing resources

•    Knowledge or ability to learn database management systems.