Bilingual Hotline Relief Advocate, National Domestic Violence Hotline, Austin, TX

Bilingual Hotline Relief Advocate

Posted on: August 5, 2013
Application deadline: October 15, 2013
Posted by: National Domestic Violence Hotline

DESCRIPTION

The Bilingual Hotline Relief Advocate is a member of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) Program Team and is supervised by the Manager of Hotline Services.

The Bilingual Hotline Relief Advocate responds to incoming calls on the NDVH from victims, advocates, general public and service providers and provides crisis intervention, referrals, information and problem solving to all callers.

Due to NDVH's 24/7, 365 days per year operation, the Bilingual Hotline Relief Advocate will be required to work night, weekend, and holidays. This position requires a high level of empathy and sensitivity to all incoming inquiries.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collects demographic information on all calls (including TTY calls), enters caller's needs and options discussed into computer program; documents referrals given to callers; maintains data entry records for worker activity codes.
• Refers unresolved problems between service providers and NDVH callers to Hotline Coordinator.
• Assist Database Manager in keeping the database system updated by reporting all changes to be made in service provider information.
• Participates in any NDVH evaluation efforts.
• Respond to caller's requests for domestic violence materials (i.e. Brochures, flyers, posters, handouts and other promotional materials).
• Assist in overall office maintenance, including answering the phone and maintaining common areas as necessary.

This description only includes essential functions of the job and does not imply that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow and any other job-related instruction and to perform any other job-related duties requested by his or her supervisor or management.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• High school diploma or equivalent required. College degree in social work or related field preferred or equivalent. Professional and personal experience may substitute for educational requirements.
• Nine months experience in direct services to victims of domestic violence or similar human services program. Volunteer experience counts as work experience.
• Willingness to participate in extensive training program.
• Six months experience in providing crisis intervention.
• A minimum of 60% of Hotline Advocate positions requires fluency in conversational Spanish.
• Experience/familiarity with computers. Knowledge of Word for Windows and Access preferred.
• Ability to work shifts which will provide coverage of the NDVH 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, including weekends and holidays.
• Ability to attend required meetings (including, but not limited to, Program Team and Advocate Team meetings), which may be scheduled during hours outside of the Advocate's regular schedule.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high stress situations.
• Ability to work as a team member, providing support and constructive feedback in interpersonal interaction.
• Commitment to feminist and nonviolent perspective and behavior and willingness to work in such an environment.
• Ability to adjust work hours to requirements of the organization including occasional overtime as needed.
• Commitment to concept of local, community, volunteer-based delivery of human services by domestic violence shelters.
• Commitment to NDVH program philosophy.
• Experience with membership/nonprofit organizations.
• Understanding of an empowerment-based advocacy model of services.
• Recognition of the dynamics of domestic violence and societal factors that contribute to the continuation of violence against women and children.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Ability to read, write and converse in English; Spanish preferred.
• Availability to travel overnight occasionally.
• Must have emotional and physical stamina to tolerate prolonged sitting or standing to deal with a variety of stressful situations, including responses to complaints, difficult requests from programs and individuals in crisis, and internal and external interactions, to effectively work long and at times odd hours, while maintaining a sense of humor.
• Works in a normal office environment, except while traveling, with minimum exposure to dust, noise, or temperature extremes. Requires bending, stooping, lifting and carrying objects up to 25 pounds, with or without accommodations.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and minimum level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for the position. The employee will be required to perform any other job-related duties as required by the job objectives, the president, vice president and mission and philosophy of TCFV. This description does not modify any employee's at-will-status and is not a contract for continued employment of any duration.

HOW TO APPLY

Visit www.thehotline.org/jobs and fill out an application (completed in its entirety) and email to employment@tcfv.org or fax to 512-306-9887. A resume without an application will not be accepted.