Job Description
Overview
For more than 50 years, Samaritans has provided lifesaving suicide prevention services in Massachusetts. Samaritans’ mission is to prevent suicide and offer hope and support to those affected. Established in Boston by Monica Dickens in 1974, Samaritans follows the principles of befriending, created by Samaritans in the United Kingdom. While Samaritans offices all over the world share a common suicide prevention mission and philosophy, all Samaritans offices operate independently from one another.
In the last 50+ years, their volunteers have answered more than 3 million calls, chats, and texts from people who are struggling. Samaritans has trained more than 6,500 volunteers, provided suicide prevention workshops to 180,000 people, and supported 17,000 suicide loss survivors in their grief journeys.
Samaritans is hiring a Director of Helpline Workforce who, in collaboration with the Senior Director of Crisis Programs, will lead and manage the recruitment, hiring, and supervision of the Crisis Helpline team. This role is vital to ensuring high-quality helpline services, maximizing phone answer rates, and meeting annual qualitative and quantitative goals to fulfill the agency’s lifesaving mission. Reporting to the Senior Director of Crisis Programs, this position is responsible for the oversight, compliance, and active performance management of the Helpline Coordinators, Helpline Operations Coordinator and Shift Supervisors, ensuring full-capacity, 24/7 phone operations.
Samaritans is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to hiring staff who reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. Candidates of color, bilingual, and bicultural candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage, mentor, and conduct performance appraisals for the Helpline Operations Coordinator and Shift Supervisors
- Regularly conduct group and individual supervision meetings to support team development
- Ensure full-capacity, 24/7 crisis center operations by strategically assigning staff and volunteers to shifts based on call volume trends
- Utilize HR best practices in interviewing, assessment, and supportive management to select, retain, and foster open communication with high-performing team members
- Identify staff training needs and implement development programs
- Collaborate with leadership to ensure all procedures adhere to ICH standards and 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline contract standards
- Monitor call center shift compliance for volunteers and staff while ensuring timely and accurate submission of internal and external operational reports
- Cultivate community and engagement among call/text takers, support university interns through evaluations, cover helpline shifts as needed to maintain service continuity, and actively participate in the on-call rotation
Qualifications & Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Human Services, Human Resources, Healthcare Administration, or a related field is required
- 4+ years of mental health and crisis intervention experience; suicide prevention experience preferred
- Proven experience managing large teams in high-stakes environments is required
- Strong background in human resource practices, including hiring, effective supervision, conflict resolution, and disciplinary action
- Familiarity with helpline operations, call center metrics, and the field of suicide prevention preferred
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively in person, via phone, video (Zoom), or email
- Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain strict confidentiality, and handle sensitive information
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required; Salesforce experience preferred
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively to maximize teamwork across the organization