988 Chat and Text Coordinator

General Information

Position Title

988 Chat and Text Coordinator

Location:

Main Office/ Hybrid

Date

January 17, 2025

Reporting Relationship(s)

Position reports to the 988 Manager

Hours

Tuesday-Saturday 4pm-12am (37.5 hours/week)

FLSA Classification

Non-Exempt

Salary hourly range - $ 28.00 - $ 30.00

General Summary

The 988 Chat and Text Coordinator plays a pivotal role in the service delivery for New York State's 988 chat and text system, ensuring staff are following the policies and procedures outlined by Vibrant and the NYS Office of Mental Health. This position oversees a team of call center staff responsible for providing online crisis counseling to visitors chatting or texting the 988 system. This role involves ensuring efficient operations, maintaining high standards of service, and collaborating with state and national partners to provide comprehensive support. The 988 Chat and Text Coordinator also acts as Shift Supervisor in the call center as needed and functions as an active call center team member to achieve agency and department goals.

Duties And Responsibilities

Team Supervision

• Supervise and support 988 Chat and Text Supervisors and Specialists in responding to chats and texts to the national 988 system, within the primary coverage area of NYS
• Provide training, guidance, and performance evaluations to ensure staff effectiveness and professional growth
• Support the 988 Manager in scheduling shifts and managing staffing levels to ensure adequate coverage
  
  

Operational Oversight

• Monitor NYS 988 chat & text queue to ensure timely and compassionate response
• Work alongside Crisis Services management team and educators to develop and implement trainings, protocols, and procedures to enhance service delivery
• Stay abreast of updates to unified platform and related policies/procedures and report timely updates to staff and on-call team
• Participate in on-call coverage rotation and act as Shift Supervisor when required
• Work with Data Coordinator to maintain accurate statistics and generate reports on the chat & text program's activities and outcomes
  
  

Visitor Support

• Ensure that visitors receive compassionate and respectful service during interactions
• Address escalated visitor concerns and provide solutions in a timely manner
• Collaborate with other services providers to coordinate comprehensive support for visitors
  
  

Community Collaboration

• Participate in Vibrant and NYS OMH 988 chat & text clinical calls and operational meetings
• Coordinate with external crisis network partners to provide additional resources for visitors
• Represent the organization at community meetings and events
  
  

Quality Assurance

• Conduct regular audits of chat & text activities to ensure compliance with policies and standards
• Implement feedback mechanisms to continuously improve service quality
• Attend mandatory staff meetings and participate in Contact provided training, workshops, and continuing education to stay updated in the field
• Perform additional responsibilities as they develop and are assigned
  
  

Education Requirements

Bachelors degree in Mental Health/Human Services field, or related field of study, required.

Previous Experience Requirement

Crisis counseling/mental health experience with a demonstrated ability to effectively manage crises; experience linking people with needed community resources; experience with various computer programs; experience supervising, mentoring and training others

Knowledge and Skills Needed to Perform Effectively in this Position

• Strong empathy, active listening, communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey information clearly and compassionately
• Comfort with conversations related to mental health and suicide and ability to collaboratively explore visitor needs and make community safety net connections
• Ability to work under pressure and handle high volumes while maintaining a calm demeanor
• Proficiency in using computer systems and databases for documentation and resource navigation
• Function autonomously and exercise good judgment and decision-making skills, particularly during crisis situations
• Quickly adjust to rapidly changing situations and environments and demonstrate flexibility in handling various types of crises
• Efficiently manage multiple tasks simultaneously, including answering chats/texts, documenting information, and coordinating with partnering agencies
• Work closely with team members and supervisors to ensure seamless operations
  
  

Additional Requirements

• Successful completion of standardized training program within scheduled timeframe, as determined by Inform USA and American Association of Suicidology accreditation standards
• Completion of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
• Required to pass AAS Crisis Worker and Inform USA Community Resource Specialist certification exams as soon as eligible and meet qualifications to maintain certifications
• Strong attendance and punctuality- able to consistently show up on time and work full scheduled shifts and ability to provide advanced notice for time off requests
• Work schedules are determined based upon call volume trends. This position requires working some holidays and working weekends (most staff work Saturday or Sunday, and some work both days of the weekend).
• This position is designated as essential staff. Essential employees perform work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property. Due to this designation, you will be required to report to work for your regular shift in the event the business office is closed due to an emergency. This is a condition of your employment.
  
  

Physical Dimensions (Job-related physical abilities an individual needs to possess in order to perform the job in a satisfactory manner)

• Sitting at a computer for long periods of time; entering data; listening & speaking clearly on the telephone.
• All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities
  
  

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an 'at will' employment relationship.

Contact Community Services, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.