Youth Crisis Line Team Lead

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: YouthLine Team Lead

Posting Title: Youth Crisis Line Team Lead

Status: Full-Time/Non-exempt, 40 or 32 hours per week

Reports to: YouthLine Managing Supervisor

Location: Portland, OR (working at multiple locations)

Youth Crisis Team Lead Compensation : $24 – 29.17/hour. See breakdown below. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance. Matching 401k, access to professional development funds, short- and long-term disability, licensure supervision at no cost to the employee, PSLF repayment, an employee assistance program, and a free Fitbit. Also, a $2/hr differential for employees who possess a Master's degree in a related field, a 2% differential for employees who live and work from Oregon, and a $1/hr. differential for hours worked in the office when regularly working in the office 3 days per week.

Youth Crisis Line Team Lead Schedule options:

40 hours per week: Will include 1 weekend day in office (Saturday or Sunday) and an optional remote day, includes weekly Flex Time.

32 hours per week: Will include 1 weekend day in office (Saturday or Sunday), benefits eligible, does not include weekly Flex Time.

Youth Crisis Line Team Lead Schedule: Must be available to regularly work between the hours of 12:30pm – 11:30 pm to accommodate the hours of operation for the YouthLine Call Center in Portland. Days of the week TBD but will include at least one weekend day each week. A portion of each shift will be spent supervising youth volunteers and interns, and the remainder of the shift taking contacts via call, text, and chat on the YouthLine help, support, and crisis line.

About YouthLine : YouthLine is a free peer-to-peer help, support, and crisis line for youth ages 10-24. For over 20 years, the YouthLine has helped support the mental wellness of young people, prevent youth suicide, and change culture around mental wellbeing through teen-to-teen mental health support. Teen and young adult volunteers and interns receive extensive training to serve as peer counselors for other youth and are supervised by educated clinicians with extensive crisis experience. The peer experience is critical: youth best understand the experience of their peers because they are living the same experience, uniquely situating them to provide meaningful, impactful support for youth in crisis.

Join us in creating a community where teens can lean on each other, find strength, and discover pathways to healing. Together, we can change lives—one conversation at a time!

Youth Crisis Line Team Lead Position Summary: This position will supervise, assist, and mentor YouthLine Peer Helpers and Coaching Volunteers between the hours of 3:30 PM – 10:30 PM with clinical support from a Master’s level Supervisor. YouthLine Team Leads oversee volunteers and interns answering acute crisis and referral calls, texts, and chats with care and compassion on the YouthLine, assist with quality assurance monitoring, and build community and positive relationships with youth focusing on inclusion and youth development. This position is primarily a mentorship and supportive role for the YouthLine youth volunteers but will answer crisis contacts daily outside of hours when youth volunteers and interns are present.

Youth Crisis Line Team Lead Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate the culture of Lines for Life by modeling behavior that supports the goals and philosophies of Lines for Life and the YouthLine.
• Provide in person assistance and support to teen peer volunteers with answering calls, texts, and chats on the YouthLine, a teen-to-teen crisis and help line, with compassion in accordance with Lines for Life’s training expectations and scope.
• Consult with YouthLine Supervisors on complex calls, texts, and chats.
• Establish rapport with YouthLine volunteers and callers, and act as a resource of knowledge and systems use for volunteers.
• Collaborate with the Youth Development team on providing ongoing mentoring and development for youth volunteers and interns.
• Maintain YouthLine contact procedures.
• Establish and promote community and inclusiveness between youth volunteers and staff members by creating a welcoming, caring environment
• Implement and follow all protocols and procedures for supporting youth who reach out to the YouthLine help, support, and crisis line.
• Work independently in managing calls, texts, and chats that reach an acuity level that is more appropriate for staff than youth volunteers.
• Troubleshoot and problem-solve various technology issues that arise in the YouthLine call center.
• Answer calls, texts, and chats from youth contacts daily outside of hours when youth volunteers and interns are not present.
• Identify appropriate, available resources that can be provided to contacts and support the efforts of the YouthLine.
• Attend weekly and monthly meetings including, but not limited to: weekly individual supervision, weekly clinical supervision, bi-weekly Operations staff meetings, monthly YouthLine all-staff meetings, and monthly Lines for Life staff meetings.
• Complete Flex Times tasks weekly when not supervising or taking contacts on the help, support, and crisis line.
• Performs other duties, such as call center cleaning and light maintenance, and administrative and organizational tasks as needed.

Youth Crisis Line Team Lead Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related social sciences field or ability to meet Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA) qualifications through a combination of training, education, and experience (
• Crisis Intervention Experience preferred and ability to attend YouthLine Trainings and an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) if not already completed.
• Experience working with youth, including having the ability to establish rapport and mentor youth.
• Consistently maintain boundaries with teen volunteers.
• Proficient with a web-based computer environment, including the ability to use Office 365, text and chat software, multi-line phone systems, and electronic health records.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to mentor youth.
• Ability to multi-task and handle stress.
• Must be available to regularly work from the Portland office between the hours of 12:30pm – 11:30 pm. This position will work 5 or 4 days per week, but the days may vary based on the scheduling needs.

This is a union position with a step progression based upon years of service at Lines for Life, and below is the current step scale:

Compensation Information:

<3 years: $24.00

3-5 years: $25.20

5-7 years: $26.46

7-10 years: $27.78

>10 years: $29.17

*$2 increase per hour for Masters in a related field, $1 per hour for LPC/LCSW or similar credentials.

Lines for Life offers a great benefits package valued at over $14,750 per year, which includes $11,400 in premium coverage for employee health, vision and dental coverage, full coverage of short and long-term disability and life insurance premiums; a competitive paid time off package; a matching 401K plan equivalent to 3% of the annual salary during the first 2 years of employment after passing the match eligibility date; as well as a flexible spending plan; an employee assistance program; a free Fitbit; public service loan forgiveness (PSLF) employment certification; and eligibility to participate in an extracurricular professional development program after 6 months of employment.

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.

EEO: Lines for Life strives to create a diverse, inclusive environment to better represent the communities that we serve. We are an equal opportunity employer. Lines for Life shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. However, it shall not be a violation of this clause for Lines for Life to extend a publicly announced preference in employment to Indians living on or near an Indian reservation, in connection with employment opportunities on or near an Indian reservation, as permitted by 41 CFR 60-1.5.

All Lines for Life employees must be approved to work by the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Background Check Unit. Background checks are completed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.

About the Organization: Lines for Life is a regional non-profit that is dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide. We offer help and hope to individuals and communities and promote mental health for all. Our work addresses a spectrum of needs that include intervention, prevention, and advocacy. We educate, train, and advocate to prevent issues of substance abuse, mental illness, and thoughts of suicide from reaching crisis levels. But when a crisis arises or support is needed, we are available 24/7/365 to intervene with personalized help.