Employment Opportunities with 211 Nova Scotia

Information and Referral Specialist

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, permanent opportunity for an Information and Referral Specialist to join our team in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Working in a modern contact center environment, the Information and Referral Specialist 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 and retirement benefits.

Our Ideal Candidate:
• 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.
• Being fully bilingual in both the spoken and written English and French languages is an asset

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 - 211 Information and Referral Specialist

Job Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Report to: Director, Service Delivery, 211 Nova Scotia

Status: Permanent Full Time

Job Summary: Under the supervision of the Director, Service Delivery, and in accordance with approved operations policy, the information and referral specialist 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:

• Precise and highly developed written and oral communications skills (English and French)
• 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.
  

Coordinator of Information Services

In 2017, our not-for-profit association, 211 Nova Scotia helped over 300,000 Nova Scotians through our online and contact center services. Our friendly navigators are always on duty, helping people find and access the community based information and services they need, anywhere in the province. We’re looking for a very special someone to join our team and help us deliver quality services.

The Opportunity:

211 Nova Scotia is seeking the services of an experienced information management specialist to take a leadership role in the research, collection and management of information related to community resources across the Province.

As the ideal candidate, you have successfully managed an informational archive and have demonstrated your skills in organizing and categorizing information according to prescribed standards, for ease of retrieval by others. In this role, you will work closely with the non-profit, government and community sector to ensure that our staff and the general public have access to accurate and complete information on community resources. As a senior level “trusted expert” in the subject matter, you will set the bar for service quality in researching and creating new as well as managing existing records. You will assign work to, monitor results and report on the activities of one or two junior information management specialists. With accountability for strategic initiatives designed to enhance operational outcomes through improved information, you will bring an array of time-tested skills, advice and sound knowledge to the table.

You have been responsible for troubleshooting when issues arise related to accessing information and you can demonstrate experience in balancing the challenges that come with achieving prompt issue resolution while building/maintaining strong working relationships with others.

You will have expertise in using tools to analyze and present data. As a minimum these tools would include Microsoft Excel, in which you would be expected to have a very high level of skill and competence.

Your ability to be proactive, self-directed, and results driven will enable you to independently manage all aspects of information services and to stay ahead of issues affecting the organization and guide the organization’s response in a timely fashion.

You have highly developed communications skills that allow you to articulate either in writing or orally, the values of 211 and to tactfully “ask the right questions” to obtain necessary detail which is then clearly and concisely synthesized in an abstract conforming to a defined format and writing style. Excellent English language skills including spelling, grammar and punctuation is required, in addition to proof reading skills necessary to identify and correct errors.

As someone who takes great pride in the value of their work, you are known as a continuous learner, striving to learn new skill sets and to build on your expertise in the management, analysis and reporting of complex data sets. Your desire to contribute to improvements in the standards that govern your sector will serve our association well when you represent us on national working groups and committees.

Qualifications:

As the successful candidate you have a university Degree (Bachelor’s or Master’s) in a related field such as library sciences and a minimum of three years related experience in an information management role. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Your precise and highly developed written and oral communications abilities combine with tact, judgment, and diplomacy to enable you to successfully strive for greater excellence, working either independently or in a team.

You are proficient in current software programs including MS Office, and have developed the innate ability to prioritize workloads and deftly respond to new work demands on short notice.

Experience or demonstrated interest in the not-for-profit sector is an asset as is familiarity with the database standards for the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS)

You must hold a valid driver’s license and have access to a vehicle as travel, especially within the province, may be required.

Please note: Before making a decision to apply for this position, applicants are encouraged to read the complete job description posted below. 

If this position is a match with your interests and experience, please submit your resume and a cover letter highlighting your qualifications for this position via email to 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 - Coordinator of Information Services

Report to: Director Service Delivery

Status: Permanent

Job Summary: Under the general supervision of the Director, Service Delivery, the Coordinator of Information Services is a subject matter expert, responsible for leading the collection, organization and maintenance of a province-wide database of community resources on which the successful delivery of 211 service depends. In addition to overseeing annual maintenance of approximately 10,000 existing database records, the Coordinator independently conducts research and creates new database records according to defined standards for the Information and Referral Sector. In concert with the Director, the Coordinator monitors/reports on the work of and assigns tasks to one or more Information Management Specialists. The Coordinator also analyzes data collected during calls and website searches and creates internal and external reports in response to requests from community partners. As a frontline contact with the public and service agencies, the employee is expected to present a professional image and respond in a manner consistent with the mission vision and values of 211 Nova Scotia.

Responsibilities

• Ensures that all information related to 211 service delivery is managed effectively and in accordance with Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) standards

• Represents the Association on National committees and working groups charged with the development and revision of international 211 database standards or guidelines

• Receives new data, troubleshoots and resolves all manner of data quality issues that arise through regular contact, either pro-active or reactive in nature

• 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

• Creates and distributes reports, either ad-hoc or system generated, internally to 211 management and externally to service agencies, on request or as part of a regular quality assurance process

• Participates in system testing and trouble shooting, and working with vendors to rectify identified issues

• Successfully completes any required training to fulfill these duties

• Other duties as may be assigned from time to time

Core Competencies

Quality Driven – Due to the unique technical skill set involved in this work, a proven track record of self-guided determination in ensuring high quality outcomes is essential.

Analytical Skills – The ability to synthesize or “break down” complex information conceptually and reorganize it into a concise entry or series of entries that accurately reflects the information. Also the ability to use software (Excel, Power BI or others) to extract and present detailed information related to a variety of performance objectives for a non-technical audience

Strong Communication Skills – The ability to articulate either in writing or orally the values of 211 and to tactfully “ask the right questions” to obtain necessary detail which is then clearly and concisely reflected in an abstract which conforms to a defined format and writing style .Excellent English language skills including spelling, grammar and punctuation is required, in addition to proof reading skills necessary to identify and correct errors.

Continuous Learning – To adapt to a sector in which change is ‘the norm” the coordinator is expected to be a continuous learner striving to learn new skill sets and to build on their expertise in the management, analysis and reporting of complex data sets.

Understanding and Interest in the delivery of Human Services – An understanding of the nature of the human services delivery system including differences between public and private sectors, how Government, not for profit and for profit sectors are organized and funded and how these organizations and the sectors they represent relate to one another.

The Work Environment

Persons best suited for a job in this environment will have the following attributes:

• A team player with highly developed interpersonal skills matched by a desire and ability to help those around you

• Computer proficiency (MS Word and Excel as a minimum), including well developed key boarding skills

• Quality driven and detail oriented with a desire to strive continuously for greater customer service excellence

• 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

• Ability to work well under pressure, problem solve and manage stressful situations

Education/Experience

Bachelor’s degree in a related field including but not limited to human or social services with direct emphasis on information management and a minimum of three years related experience, preferably in an information management role. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Assets

The following attributes will be considered as assets in performing the duties of this position:

• Basic knowledge of HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) coding

• Education in or experience with WordPress or other website content management systems.

• Education in or experience manipulating information within Google Analytics

• Education in or experience manipulating information within database structures

• Education in or experience manipulating data within Excel or Power Business Intelligence with an analytical lens

• Demonstrated interest or experience in the not-for-profit or volunteer community service sector

• Bilingualism (French and English) in both the oral and written language

Other

In keeping with our customer service centered 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.