Contact Center Supervisor

Health Resources in Action, Inc. (HRiA) is a non-profit organization working to improve and reimagine public health. We connect, consult, and collaborate to solve complex challenges of access and equity in our health and social systems. Together with our partners, clients, and collaborators, we create actionable solutions so that all people can thrive.

In 1957, The Medical Foundation (TMF) was created to primarily fund biomedical research in Massachusetts. Since then, we’ve been on a journey of evolution. We changed our name to Health Resources in Action (HRiA) to reflect our impact in the field of public health. Today, HRiA works with individuals, organizations, and communities to drive a policy and systems change approach to advance health and racial equity.

HRiA seeks sustainable solutions for complex problems using an anti-racist approach. We aim to be adaptable and flexible in meeting clients and partners where they are, offering our decades of knowledge and resources to collectively realize our dream of equitable, sustainable health for all. The foundation of this work is centered on our values:

• Health and racial equity by identifying and addressing the root causes of health inequities, intentionally working to shift narratives and power imbalances and disrupt all systems of oppression.
• Leading with heart by demonstrating our passionate commitment to our work, continuously challenging ourselves with humility and vulnerability while pursuing and holding ourselves accountable to our mission.
• Collaboration by intentionally and respectfully leading, partnering, and following to strengthen relationships, uplift different voices and build trust.
• Innovation by driving toward new strategies, questioning norms, and continuously learning and evolving to support the needs of our clients and communities.

HRiA offers exciting, engaging, and challenging employment opportunities for facilitators, trainers, researchers, analysts, policy specialists, grant managers, and more. People come to HRiA because of our commitment to advancing health equity and inspiring work; they stay for our wonderful clients, partners, and dedicated and dynamic staff. With our growing portfolio of high-impact work, person-centered policies, and generous benefits, our team continually invests in making HRiA a great place to work. Our diverse staff of over 270 people hail from 30 states, with a homebase in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood.

Opportunity

We are seeking a full-time Helpline Contact Center Supervisor to join our team on the Oregon Recovery Center Hotline, Massachusetts Substance Use & Problem Gambling Helplines (MA Helpline), the Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances (IL Helpline), the Illinois Problem Gambling Helpline, and the Vermont Helplink (VT Helplink). This is an afternoon/evening and weekend position that will provide supervisory support from 3-11pm during the week and during the day on weekends. This is an exciting opportunity to take on a newly developed position to support substance use treatment access across three states and supervise a diverse team of staff.

Position Description

The Contact Center Supervisors are responsible for handling incoming Helpline inquiries and providing supervisory support to the contact center team. They dedicate some of their time to providing scheduled and as-needed Helpline coverage and manage a functional area of contact center operations. This includes responding to incoming calls, online chats, and SMS text messages from people seeking information about and help with accessing substance use services for themselves, a family member or friend, and/or a client. In this capacity, they assess Helpline users’ needs, determine the most appropriate substance use prevention, treatment, and/or recovery support service options, identify available options (through the Helplines’ databases), and refer callers to those services. They provide accurate information, education, support, and referrals in a non-judgmental, respectful, and culturally competent manner.

About half of their time, Contact Center Supervisors provide supervisory support to the SIS team. Each Supervisor acts as a shift supervisor for SIS while they are working. This includes monitoring SIS consumer interactions, consulting with SIS and intervening during difficult interactions, and addressing any urgent issues as well as supporting the social-emotional wellbeing of staff and fostering their skill-building and professional growth. The Contact Center Supervisor will provide on-going training to SIS through periodic in-service trainings on relevant topics and will assist in the onboarding of new SIS.

Each Supervisor also directly supervises up to six SIS team members. This includes providing bi-weekly supervision, processing timesheets, Contact Center Supervisors are responsible for supporting contact center operations, including managing a 24/7 coverage schedule, and staffing, space, and technology needs. They are the liaisons between the contact center team and information technology (IT) support. The Contact Center Supervisor will also be called upon to contribute expertise to the development of policies, procedures, protocols, and curricula to support the Helplines, and may be engaged in providing this expertise to other HRiA teams and projects focused on substance use, problem gambling, and/or behavioral health equity.

This is a full-time position with a salary in the high-$60k’s to low-$70k’s, based on skills and experience.

Benefits

HRiA offers strong benefits to its employees, including:

• Competitive salaries
• Health insurance
• Retirement plan
• flexible summer hours
• Vacation starting at 4 weeks
• 13 paid holidays, plus office closure time during the last week of December.

Duties & Responsibilities

Management

• Coordinate and implement projects related to contact center operations, including technology, equipment, and space coordination, among others, as assigned
• Work with Helpline Services Senior Management to coordinate Helpline staffing schedules to ensure continuous 24-hour staffing coverage
• Serve as liaison between SIS and other project and organizational teams, to ensure appropriate representation and facilitate team integration
• Foster professional development of supervisees and contribute to team-wide professional development through relevant in-service trainings and developing curricula and educational materials on a range of topics as appropriate
• Contribute to development and maintenance of Helpline policies, procedures, protocols, and curricula
• Supervise up to six SIS
• Participate in on-call rotation
• Contribute to development and maintenance of Helpline policies, procedures, protocols, and curricula
• Collaborate with supervisor and contact center team to develop topics for group supervision and training topics for staff meetings
• Collaborate with Helpline Managers, Supervisors, Managing Director and Associate Director, and other team members on quality improvement processes
• Participate on the Helpline Quality Assurance Team
• Participate in new staff hiring and onboarding processes

Project Work

• Troubleshoot technical contact center issues, serve as liaison to IT support
• Assist with coordination and implementation of on-boarding and professional development activities
• Consult with SIS and intervene on complex or difficult calls/cases
• Assess the needs of Helpline users by telephone, online chat, and SMS texting
• Provide appropriate information and referrals to substance use and related services
• Engage and motivate Helpline users to follow through on referrals by using active listening and motivational interviewing techniques
• Obtain feedback on interactions with Helpline users
• Gather and record data from users in Helpline database
• Verify users’ insurance status, as applicable
• Escalate consumers interactions to Helpline managers as needed
• Represent the Helpline at outreach events, meetings, and/or presentations as needed

Thought Leadership

• Continue to build and develop expertise in substance use disorders, problem gambling, and behavioral health equity
• Suggest ideas/improvements through participation in teams and committees
• Serve as an internal trainer and facilitator for the Helplines team
• Attend and actively participate in Helpline meetings and other activities to develop skills and make suggestions for project enhancements

New Business Development

• Maintain updated resume and bio for use in new business proposals
• Assist with technical components of new business proposals as needed
• Support the team-wide implementation of new business opportunities

Candidate Qualifications

• Minimum five years of related experience (lived or professional) in the fields of Substance Use, Recovery, Problem Gambling, and/or Harm Reduction Services, and management or bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Human Services, or related field in lieu of experience
• Master's degree in social work (including macro macro), clinical or counseling psychology, psychiatric nursing, or other mental health field preferred. Any professional licenses or certifications must be current and maintained.
• Certified Resource Specialist (through AIRS) preferred or willingness to obtain within one year of hire.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to supervise staff.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating meetings, developing training materials, fostering the professional development of others, and making interactive presentations online.
• Strong commitment to health equity, harm reduction, and practices that promote inclusion and reduce stigma.
• Respectful of cultural differences, and values diversity of thought, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• High ethical standard and a willingness to comply with professional expectations.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
• Previous experience with or willingness to learn to use computer for data recording and database searching.
• Demonstrated history of dependability.
• Demonstrated pleasant telephone voice and helpful manner.
• Comfort working in a mostly remote environment, and ability to build relationships primarily via online platforms.
• Ability to adapt to changes in work environment and expectations.
• Customer/consumer focused with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Good computer skills and experience and/or ability to use online systems and databases
• Openness to information that may be different from personal views
• Willingness to work with consumers who may be ambivalent, resistant, impaired or have psychological disorders
• Must be open to providing information about a variety of treatment options and paths to recovery based on a caller’s needs
• Must have high ethical standards and a willingness to comply with professional expectations.
• Two years of recovery from a substance use or gambling disorder, if applicable.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) a plus

Training in addiction, screening, treatment services, and resources are provided. Hours for this position require weekday availability, and the position may include weekend or overnight on-call duties. The VT Helplink is open Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 10:00 pm and weekends and holidays 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. The MA, IL & OR Helplines are open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days a year.

This description is intended to indicate the kinds of work duties that will be required in this position. It is not intended to limit, or in any way modify, the rights of any supervisor to assign, direct, and contract work of staff under his/her supervision. The use of a particular illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties, not mentioned, that are of a similar level or difficulty.

Procedure for Candidacy

To apply, submit your resume and cover letter online.

HRiA is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.

For more information about the organization visit http://www.hria.org.