988 Senior Manager

Type: Full-Time

Reports to: Director of Crisis & Support Operations

Shift: This position requires schedule flexibility to support the needs of the program. While the primary work hours will generally align with standard business hours the individual in this role should anticipate also working during program operational hours as needed.

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 program or organization needs/ Reasonable notice is provided to facilitate personal planning.

Office Location: Hybrid position. Must be based in the Chicago area and available to work in-office a minimum of 3 days per week. Work outside of the state of Illinois is limited to five (5) calendar days per year(subject to change).

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 has operated a 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call center as part of the national network for the past two years providing comprehensive crisis coverage to Cook County residents. Our team of over 30 crisis counselors and specialists works remotely and currently answers calls between 4 pm and 8 am. Growth of the program to a 24/7 operation is a potential shift in the near future.

Who We Are Looking For:

The Senior Manager of 988 contributes to NAMI Chicagos overall mission by serving as the primary leader of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Center ensuring the program delivers safe clinically sound and responsive crisis services. The role drives consistent high-quality outcomes through ensuring program integrity. The 988 Senior Manger works with leadership to implement program initiatives workforce development and data analysis and reporting.

The 988 Senior Manager is responsible for regulatory and contractual compliance tracking advancing operational and quality improvements and upholding alignment with the 988 Lifeline framework and clinical best practices. The 988 Senior Manager fosters a trauma-informed inclusive and equitable environment that supports and prioritizes staff wellbeing and high-quality caller experience. This position requires strong program and people management skills flexible thinking advanced clinical and behavioral-health expertise and ability to guide a large diverse mostly remote team through growth refinement and continuous improvement.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities:

Program and Workforce Leadership

• Oversee the structure workflows and staffing model of 988; identify future needs and plan proactively for program growth innovation and sustainability.
• Aid in establishing program wide goals priorities and performance expectations
• Guide program enhancement efforts including policy updates operational standards and clinical best practices.
• Serve as the senior leader representing 988 at internal leadership tables and cross departmental planning meetings utilizing a collaborative approach to ensure program needs and insights inform organizational operations and strategy.
• Foster a supportive equitable and accountable culture across the entire 988 team.
• Provide leadership coaching and supervision to Managers and Supervisors.
• Lead hiring workforce planning and role design as the program evolves.
• Partner with the Managers to identify gaps and set training direction.
• Support with escalated personnel issues grievances and performance concerns

Oversight of Program Management & Daily Operations

• Provide direct supervision to program leadership offering coaching professional development and program adherence. Engage in employee performance evaluation and goal setting.
• Monitor daily operational performance through reports escalations and meetings with the Managers and Supervisors; intervene at a systems level to resolve barriers.
• Ensure workflows staffing and processes support high-quality trauma-informed culturally responsive crisis support.
• Keep a pulse on team dynamics wellness and staffing trends guiding the Managers and Supervisors in implementing solutions. Ensure fidelity to NAMI Chicagos values and the vision for 988 as a non-punitive space for connection and community.

Quality Assurance Compliance & Accreditation Oversight

• Oversee the programs quality and compliance framework ensuring all standards from regulatory entities are met; direct the Managers on areas requiring deeper analysis retraining or workflow revision.
• Review QA trends call audit summaries performance dashboards and staff wellness indicators; elevate findings to leadership with recommendations.
• Serve as liaison with regulatory/contractual bodies for escalated issues reporting and alignment processes.
• Ensure robust documentation incident review practices and compliance reporting systems are in place and executed consistently by the 988 team.

Data Evaluation & Reporting Leadership

• Ensure data integrity and strong analytical practices program wide partner with data teams on evaluation frameworks and reporting.
• Review program metrics performance dashboards and outcome analyses to guide decision making.
• Use data to identify systemic challenges propose strategic improvements and monitor progress over time.
• Provide program updates and reports to the Director executive leadership Board committees and funders as needed.

Budget Oversight & Contract Stewardship

• Monitor day-to-day operations to ensure financial stewardship of the 988 program budget(s) ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and grant requirements.
• Ensure programmatic compliance with contract expectations deliverables and timelines.
• Serve as a liaison with state and technical assistance partners around funding compliance and operational requirements.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Education: Masters Degree in psychology counseling social work or related field is required. LCSW or LCPC strongly preferred.
• Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) per Illinois Administrative Code required.
• 5 years of progressive leadership experience in behavioral health crisis services or related fields including both people and program management.
• Proven success in leading managing and motivating multilayered teams including effective communication wellness and accountability.
• Demonstrated leadership in grant-funded program management large-scale service delivery or systems-level crisis response.

Essential Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Expertise in designing and delivering engaging trauma-informed training programs grounded in crisis intervention and suicide prevention best practices.
• Strong leadership skills with proven ability to coach and support staff in alignment with NAMI Chicagos mission and values.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills for diverse audiences across multiple modalities.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex situations make ethical decisions and remain calm and adaptable in high-pressure evolving environments.
• Advanced organizational skills including prioritization boundary setting delegation time management multitasking and independent problem-solving in dynamic settings.
• Deep empathy and cultural humility with a commitment to serving underrepresented and vulnerable populations and fostering an inclusive environment across race ethnicity culture sexual orientation and gender.
• Familiarity with Chicagoland mental health services and community resources.
• Proficiency with technology and virtual learning platforms coupled with strong self-awareness and dedication to personal and team wellness.

Other Information

Welcomed Qualifications:

• Previous experience at a suicide and crisis hotline; completed Lifeline Training program.
• Previous experience with a call center or 24/7 operational structure.
• Certification in crisis intervention or suicide prevention.
• Strong computer and technology skills. You will be working across several different platforms simultaneously and a strong foundation will make adjusting and troubleshooting platforms easier.
• Current ASIST or SafeTALK or SafeTALK Facilitator certification (In house SafeTALK training provided quarterly)

Working Conditions:

This role while hybrid supports a home-based team and may involve sitting for extended periods and using telephone and computer equipment. The role involves extended periods of looking at digital device screens. The demanding nature of this work requires prioritizing self-care and being an advocate for your own wellbeing. This role requires a degree of flexibility with your availability and time.

Home Office Requirements:

Must have a private confidential space to work from in your home that is free of distractions for the duration of your shift. Must be able to work over a private secure password-protected internet connection with a minimum speed of 300 Mbps (10 Mbps upload).

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: 68000 - 78000