Regional Ombudsman

The Aging Department of the North Central Texas Council of Governments is seek a part-time Regional Ombudsman. 

The purpose of this position is to provide advocacy for residents living in nursing facilities (NFs) and assisted living facilities (ALFs) through mediation with residents, family members and/or facility staff; monitoring facility operations, providing facility staff training and education; and coordinating with state, regional and local agencies. This is accomplished by conducting NF and ALF visits, assisting complainants over the phone; participating in survey activities; providing training services for volunteer ombudsmen; and conducting staff in-services. 

Other duties include:

• Preparing reports
• Recruiting, training and supervising volunteers
• Screening potential volunteers, setting up and organizing volunteer trainings and participating in resident council meetings
• Developing advocacy plans for facilities
• Participating in cooperative agreement meetings with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's Long-Term Care Regulatory (LTCR) division

Required Skills:

• Work requires frequent and regular contact with others so excellent communication skills are a must.
• Unique interactions may involve contact with others who have learning differences and/or cognitive deficits.
• Additional skills may involve the mediation of disputes and confidentiality of sensitive issues plus evaluating resident and family satisfaction.
• Development of cooperative relationships and utilization of excellent customer service are essential.
• Organization, documentation and reporting are a necessity for this position.  
• Reliable transportation is needed as there is extensive travel. 
• Must obtain certification as a long-term care ombudsman within three months of hire.

This position requires extensive travel to facilities in Kaufman, Ellis and Navarro Counties.  Occasional travel to Arlington and Austin for training.

 Required Education & Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of related work experience. (9 years of equivalent work experience can be considered in lieu of a degree)

Compensation: 

• FLSA: Non-Exempt 
• Starting Salary: $25.96/hour - depending on skills, qualifications and experience.
• This is a part-time position working 30 hours per week.

Officing:  

• This position offers a hybrid work option.    

Benefits: 
We offer a highly competitive package of many desirable benefits to our full-time employees including: 

• Health/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance 
  • We provide an outstanding package of health, dental, vision and life benefits for employees, with the monthly premium paid by NCTCOG 100%. Coverage available for their families and those monthly premiums are shared with NCTCOG. We provide employees with life insurance coverage that is employer paid with a benefit of 2 times the employee’s annual salary. 
• Paid Leave 
  • Paid vacation, sick leave, and personal days are provided as part of the benefit plan, as well as specified holidays. This position also includes a phone allowance. 
• Retirement 
  • NCTCOG participates in a defined contribution plan as an alternative to Social Security. The defined contribution retirement plan provides retirement benefits for all eligible employees. NCTCOG contributes twelve percent (12%) of permanent full-time employees' gross salaries. Participating employees contribute six percent (6%) of gross salary. An employee becomes forty percent (40%) vested in NCTCOG's contributions after three full years of employment. An additional fifteen percent {15%) is vested for each additional year of employment. An employee becomes fully vested after seven years of employment. 
• Work/Life Balance Programs 
  • To help employees and their families meet personal and professional challenges, NCTCOG provides an employee assistance program, prepaid legal services, lunch and learn seminars, alternate work schedules, alternate commute programs, and an on-site gym. 
• Professional Development 
  • NCTCOG is committed to professional development and provides a wide range of training opportunities-both online and traditional classroom sessions. It covers applicable professional development expenses, professional memberships, and licenses, as well as tuition reimbursement 

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer:
NCTCOG is an equal opportunity employer/program. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other classifications covered under federal, state, or local laws. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

Background Check & Drug Testing:
All selected candidates must undergo a pre-employment background check and drug screening. Background checks include national criminal background check, employment history, motor vehicle record check, social security verification, education verification, and other elements as needed. NCTCOG is committed to a safe and drug free workplace and performs pre-employment substance abuse testing. All new hires are required to undergo a drug test which detects the presence of illegal drugs for months prior to testing. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping NCTCOG safe and drug free. In order to receive an offer of employment from NCTCOG, selected candidates must successfully pass the pre-employment background check and drug screening.

E-Verify:
The North Central Texas Council of Governments participates in the federal E-Verify program in order to verify a new employee's authorization to work in the United States. Applicants must be lawfully authorized to work in the U.S.

Job postings are kept open for a minimum of 10 calendar days and may close anytime thereafter at the discretion of the hiring manager.