Warmline Peer Manager

Type: Full-Time 

Shifts: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm 

Reports to: Crisis and Support Operations Leadership

Office Location: 224 W. Hill St., Suite 410, Chicago IL; required in-office minimum of 3 days per week. Work from home up to 2 days per week; this is not a work from anywhere role. You must maintain a private, confidential workspace in your home within the Chicago area and be able to attend in-person trainings and meetings at our Chicago office or other designated location as requested. 

Schedule: The hybrid work policy is subject to changes with notice. This role also includes participation in an on-call rotation to ensure urgent administrative and operational needs are addressed promptly. Work schedules are subject to change as necessary to meet the Agency’s and its clients’ needs. Reasonable notice is provided to facilitate personal planning. 

Background: 

Guided by the experiences of those living with mental health conditions and rooted in equity, NAMI Chicago educates to fight stigma and discrimination, fiercely advocates for our community, and shares hope, connection and expertise with people on their mental health journey. NAMI Chicago seeks to fill gaps in Chicago's mental health system, with an intentional emphasis on serving underrepresented populations and breaking down barriers to care. 

Who We Are Looking For: 

The Warmline Peer Manager supports NAMI Chicago’s mission by managing the quality of peer support services the Peer Warmline team provides to help seekers. They value collaboration, mutuality, and the power of lived experience to inspire hope and support others in their recovery journey. Peer support is non-clinical services provided by individuals trained and certified to utilize their own, personal lived experience in recovery from mental health and/or substance use challenges to support other individuals in their journey of recovery from substance use and/or mental health or other behavioral health challenges. These services include offering and receiving help based on shared understanding, respect, and mutual empowerment (IDHS, Peer Recovery Support Services). The Warmline Peer Manager’s primary responsibility is to engage in day-to-day management of team functions and evaluate performance to maintain a high quality of service through training, scheduling, supervision, and quality assurance. 

Essential Functions & Responsibilities: 

• Peer Support Warmline Management: Provide day-to-day supervision of the NAMI Chicago Peer Support Warmline call center team including assigning tasks to supervisors and team members as appropriate. Provide in the moment coaching and problem solving. Serve in an on-call capacity in off duty hours with other managers as needed. 
• Scheduling: Manage the Peer Support Warmline schedule, including the use of a workforce development platform to assess and respond to trends, staffing fluctuations, staff wellness needs, and adequate coverage for predicted volume. Assess time off requests and provide responses to employees. 
• Supervision & Leadership: Provide direct supervision to the Warmline Peer Supervisors including performance management, managing expectations, goal setting, and coaching in supervisory and leadership skills. Coordinate and facilitate people management processes including hiring and performance reviews for the Peer Support Warmline team. 
• Training Design: Determine necessary skills, tools, and techniques that the Warmline Peer Specialists and Supervisors should possess or acquire during onboarding and ongoing while in the role. Create, update, and enhance training content to ensure it aligns with peer support competencies and best practice. Develop training model for onboarding employees including both supervisory and specialist roles. Evaluate training effectiveness and fidelity to Peer Support Warmline programming and NAMI Chicago’s mission and values. Maintain training materials to ensure training content available to staff is current and accurate. 
• Training Implementation: Maintains and implements the onboarding training schedule for new Warmline Peer Specialists and Supervisors during their first 90-days. Implement, organize, and/or facilitate ongoing and annual trainings for existing Peer Support Warmline staff using a variety of modalities in various settings as needed to support programmatic and organizational goals and needs. 
• Quality Improvement: Support the development of quality assurance activities for the Peer Support Warmline. Assist with the collection and assessment of data involving productivity of staff, quality of service provision, and wellness of staff. Implement the quality assurance process of call monitoring and documentation review by Warmline Peer Supervisors. Identify trends to maintain quality of service and utilize data to impact training information. 
• Meeting Facilitation: Lead the Warmline Team Meeting including scheduling, agenda creation, meeting facilitation, and sharing information. Lead the organization of peer review of calls in team and individual settings. 
• Partnership: Participate as a member of the Crisis & Support Operations Management Team, collaborating cross-functionally and supporting other department programs as needed. Collaborate and partner with other department managers and directors in meetings, workgroups, and 1:1 opportunities. Represent NAMI Chicago and the Peer Support Warmline as requested by senior leadership at mental health or behavioral health convenings.  
• Wellness: Cultivate a culture of wellness for the Peer Support Warmline Team. Actively engage in your wellness and communicate support needs as appropriate. Support specialists in understanding and accessing wellness supports. Adhere to the organization’s wellness policies. 
• Warmline Peer Supervisor and Specialist: Serves as a back-up Warmline Peer Supervisor or Warmline Peer Specialist as needed due to call volume or staffing needs. 
• Other Duties: Perform other duties as assigned. 

 Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:  

• Experience with and ability to serve anyone throughout Illinois who contacts the Peer Support Warmline to provide a no-barriers access point for support and education by individuals with lived experience. Exhibit sensitivity and empathy regarding human service issues and project a non-judgmental attitude towards those requiring assistance. Demonstrate the ability to maintain professional boundaries with help seekers and peers. 
• Demonstrate ability to serve underrepresented and vulnerable populations living with mental health conditions and/or substance use, including social minorities, racial/ethnic minorities, youth, young adults, and older adults. 
• Firsthand knowledge/experience living with a mental health condition and utilizing recovery principles. Familiarity with community resources and treatment options for mental health conditions and substance use. 
• Utilizes CRSS and CPRS competencies and code of ethics in decision making and development of programmatic elements. 
• Ability to make real-time rapid assessments of individuals contacting the Peer Support Warmline and the Warmline Peer Specialist and Supervisor’s needs, dexterity in judgement and navigation of a situation, recognition of appropriate utilization of leadership support and self-regulation of response to situations.  
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and ability to navigate client record management tool. Ability to supervise and support remote teams to foster engagement, accountability, and growth. 
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information and show professionalism, reliability, and responsibility. 
• Utilizes a growth mindset in supervisory tasks and connections with the Peer Support Warmline team. 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree preferably in a social service field 
• Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) or Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) credential 
• At least 5 years of experience providing peer support through telephonic or in-person services in a behavioral health or community-based setting with vulnerable populations. 
• At least 2 years of experience in a supervisory role providing training, lead work, and/or people management. 
• Computer Skills: proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, proficiency with Adobe Acrobat, Google Chrome, Windows operating systems, and other software routinely used by NAMI Chicago. 

Welcome Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in a social service field 
• Previous experience at a peer support or social service warmline or hotline 
• Bilingual in Spanish and English 
• Current ASIST or SafeTALK certification  

Available Benefits:

· Company sponsored wellness activities.

· Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits.

· Company sponsored Life and AD&D Insurance and Long-Term Disability.

· 401k Retirement plan.

· Critical Illness Insurance, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Short Term Disability Coverage.

· Generous PTO.

Salary Range: $60,000 - $70,000 per year

NAMI Chicago is an inclusive employer, we welcome and encourage BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Veterans, Differently Abled, Returning Citizens and All Who Are Dedicated to Mental Health to Apply.