Employment Opportunities with 211 Nova Scotia

Position: Community Resource Navigator

Since 2013, 211 Nova Scotia, a non-profit association, has been helping Nova Scotians navigate a complex province wide network of more than 5,000 programs and services available to meet their human and social needs. Visit www.ns.211.ca for additional information regarding our services.

Are you passionate about customer service?
Are you energetic, accountable, and innovative?

211 Nova Scotia has a full time, one year term opportunity for a Community Resource Navigator to join our team in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Working in a modern contact center environment, the Community Resource Navigator is responsible for managing phone calls, emails, texts and on-line chat requests, assessing an individual’s human service needs through probing questions and/or empathetic listening, and making referrals to one or more agencies or programs. Employees must present a professional image and exercise tact and compassion in a manner that respects the mission, vision, and values of 211 Nova Scotia.

Employees must be available to work a minimum of 35 hours per week, 7 hours per day, on a variable shift schedule between the hours of 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday.

Our compensation plan includes competitive remuneration plus group health benefits.

Our Ideal Candidate:

• You are fully bilingual in both the spoken and written English and French languages
• You possess a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences or Human Services, or a related degree, coupled with a minimum of three years relevant experience, in a client service role (or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience)
• Your core strengths include attention to detail with well-developed writing/speaking skills, assessment and communication skills
• You are quality driven, with a desire to truly help others
• You have a proven ability to multi-task, which, in our environment, involves making accurate assessments from sensitive information, performing on-line searches, and entering data, all while conversing with the caller
• Through work experience, or as a volunteer, you’ve demonstrated a desire and ability to help those in need, preferably through skills in empathetic listening and compassionate inquiry
• You are known to be flexible and willing to stretch into new skill areas and work opportunities.
• You are able to respond to new work demands on short notice, including working extended hours to accommodate hours of operation.

Do you see yourself as part of our team? Then we want to hear from you!

Our Association is committed to ensuring diversity through equitable participation of Aboriginal persons, African Canadians and other racially visible persons, persons with disabilities, and women in positions where they are under-represented. We value the representation of citizens of all ages. All applicants who are members of an employment equity group are encouraged to self-identify.

Please submit a cover letter highlighting your qualifications for this role, along with your resume, via email, to Hiring Manager at employment@ns.211.ca.

We thank all applicants in advance for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
 

Job Description:

Job Title: Community Resource Navigator
Job Location: Dartmouth
Report to: Director, Service Delivery, 211 Nova Scotia
Status: One year full time TERM

Job Summary: Under the supervision of the Director, Service Delivery, and in accordance with approved operations policy, the Community Resource Navigator is responsible for responding to incoming queries by telephone, email, text and chat and assessing the individual’s human service needs, and referring the caller to one or more service agencies or programs. This could include making outbound and follow-up contacts as assigned. As a front line contact with the public, the employee is expected to present a professional image and exercise tact and compassion in a manner that is consistent with the mission vision and values of 211 Nova Scotia.

Responsibilities:

1. In a contact center environment, respond to queries from individuals seeking information and assistance to help address and resolve their human service needs (this may include returning calls from individuals who have left a message and/or contacted 211 via the website or through text or chat). Interview clients to fully assess their situation, search the proprietary resource database and other sources to determine what assistance may be available, and provide clients with agency contact and/or supplemental information based on either expressed or implied need. Advocate for clients when necessary by contacting the agency directly. Record detailed query information in computerized contact transaction database. Provide crisis support and intervention as necessary.

2. Conduct follow-up to identified individuals to provide assisted referral or to measure satisfaction with the quality of service provided, or by services rendered by the referred agency or program.

3. Meet or exceed established contact quality and center standards. Attain and maintain professional certification through the exam for Certified Information and Referral Specialist (CIRS) offered by the national Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS).

4. Collaborate with other staff on projects and special assignments, as well as represent the 211 information and referral services association in meetings, workshops, committees and conferences as requested. As a quality assurance ambassador for 211 Nova Scotia , the specialist may perform outreach education and /or attend meetings with service agencies or partners as required

5. On an as required basis, assists in the maintenance and validation of resource data by direct entry of information into the database or through engagement and dialogue with service providers

6. Performs and participates in system testing and successfully completes any required training to fulfil these and other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

7. Other duties that may be assigned from time to time

Required Skills:

• Proven desire and ability to help those in need through effective application of empathetic listening skills
• Computer proficiency (MS Word and Excel as a minimum), including well developed key boarding skills – a minimum of 40 words per minute
• Multi-tasking – must be able to make accurate assessments from sensitive information provided, perform on-line searches and enter data while speaking with the caller
• Quality driven and detail oriented with a desire to strive continuously for greater customer service excellence. Seeks out and is responsive to performance feedback.
• Self directed and capable of working equally well independently or in a team environment
• Flexible and willing to stretch into new skill areas and work opportunities and to respond to new work demands on short notice including working extended hours to accommodate hours of operation.
• Ability to work well under pressure, problem solve and manage stressful situations
• Bilingualism (French and English) in both the oral and written forms is an asset of the position.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field including but not limited to human or social services and a minimum of three years related experience, preferably in a client service role. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in the not for profit or volunteer community service sector will be considered an asset.

Hours of Work:

The operational hours of 211 Nova Scotia will be sixty (60) hours per week beginning no earlier than 8 am and ending no later than 8 pm on Monday to Friday. The regular scheduled working hours for team members shall be thirty-five (35) hours per week, seven (7) continuous hours per day beginning no earlier than eight a.m. (8:00 a.m.) and ending no later than eight p.m. (8:00p.m.), Monday to Friday, with a one (1) hour unpaid lunch period, two (2) paid breaks, one of fifteen (15) minutes duration in the first half of the shift and one of fifteen (15) minutes duration in the second half of the shift.

Other:

In keeping with our customer service centred culture, it may be necessary from time to time, to require employees to work extended hours beyond their normally scheduled shifts. While management will always take into account the need for an appropriate work life balance, it is also expected that employees will plan accordingly, and be able to respond to a request to work extra shifts, on reasonably short notice.