Bilingual Client Care Specialist

The Credit Counselling Society; Ottawa; Remote; CAD 45,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Three weeks vacation

CCS days

Sick/Personal Days

Health and dental benefits

Wellness Spending Account

Employer matching pension

Annual bonus upon Client Satisfaction

Educational reimbursements

Bilingual credit (English/French)

Hybrid/remote work option

Culture Club activities

Job summary

The Credit Counselling Society (CCS) seeks a Client Care Specialist fluent in English and French to be the first point of contact for clients seeking financial help. This role supports intake, outreach, and administrative tasks while working an Eastern Time schedule.

It emphasizes empathetic client interactions and accurate information delivery. CCS offers a comprehensive benefits package, generous paid time off, and opportunities for remote or hybrid work within Canada.

Qualifications

• One to two years of customer service experience; call centre experience preferred.
• Availability to work variable shifts 8:00 am–6:00 pm ET with one Saturday per month.
• Professional and empathetic manner; active listening to provide appropriate resources.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; team-oriented and helpful.
• Fluency in both English and French (written and spoken).
• Positive, can-do attitude with ability to adapt under pressure and manage multiple conversations.

Responsibilities

• Handle initial client contact via calls and online inquiries; guide intake process.
• Connect clients with a Credit Counsellor or appropriate resources as needed.
• Perform administrative tasks to support CCS client relationships and outcomes.

Skills

Bilingual English/French

Customer service

Call centre experience

Active listening

Communication

Empathy

Job description

What This Role Involves:

CCS is seeking a Client Care Specialist with fluency in both English and French. The Client Care Specialist is the Credit Counselling Society's (CCS) first point of contact for the clients who call in looking for help with their finances. This particular position will work an Eastern time zone schedule.

This role is an ambassador for the organization, building trust with clients and offering them an empathetic and calming presence during challenging circumstances. You will need to use active listening skills to ensure you are providing the appropriate resources and supports for a client, depending on their specific situation.

In this role, you will use your judgment to determine how to best help the client, easing their concerns and connecting them with a Credit Counsellor when appropriate, or other resources where applicable. Regardless of your background, you will receive training and support to help clients with their initial questions regarding their financial situation.

In addition to clients who call in, we receive a number of online inquiries as well. Part of this role will involve reaching out to clients who have asked us to contact them, to go through the intake process. Your role will also include fulfilling a number of administrative tasks to support their success during their relationship with CCS. Yours is an important role in the client's financial journey!

What We Have To Offer:

The starting salary range for this role is $45,188 – $51,142, which may fluctuate based on geography and previous education and experience.

Plus, we offer an annual salary review process each January, so the successful candidate can expect to receive regular increases to their salary, subject to meeting established performance objectives.

We are proud to qualify as a Great Place to Work! Our employees love the close-knit team environment and the commitment to work-life balance, which includes a 35 hour work week and generous time off provisions! It’s important to us that every member of our team feels safe, supported, and respected at work. Our team has the opportunity to work remotely on a hybrid basis, but even though we aren’t in the same office, we have chat groups and activities supported by our Culture Club, to offer our team the chance to develop relationships and have some fun at work too!

In addition to a great workplace culture, our employee experience and compensation package includes:

• Three weeks vacation to start, plus 3 CCS days to use at your discretion and 6 Sick/Personal Days each year. These benefits will be prorated for your first year of employment.
• A comprehensive health and wellness benefits package, including Prescription Coverage, Extended Health and Dental Coverage, a Health Spending Account, and a Wellness Spending Account. These benefits will be prorated in your first year of employment.
• A long-term savings program with employer matching (up to 5% in the first 5 years of employment, with increases at 5th and 10th anniversaries).
• A $1,000 annual bonus upon the organization achieving our Client Satisfaction goals.
• Educational reimbursements (up to $2,500/year).
• Roles which require a team member to speak both French and English will qualify for a Bilingual Credit, valued at $800 annually and paid on a prorated bi-weekly basis.
• The opportunity to participate in our two-level employee development program and supplemental mentoring relationships to support those interested in furthering their professional growth.
• Celebration of personal and organizational milestones, including a paid day off when moving or getting married, as well as gifts for important events like having a child or celebrating a milestone service anniversary.
• Employee and family assistance program that offers counselling support as well as a wide variety of support resources.

What We Are Looking For:

The successful applicant for this position will bring the following experience and attributes:

• One to two years of customer service experience required; call centre experience preferred.
• Availability to work variable shifts, scheduled between 8:00 am - 6:00 pm (Eastern Time), with a Saturday shift once each month.
• Professional and empathetic manner, demonstrating active listening skills, and the ability to connect with clients and convey information accurately.
• Excellent communication & interpersonal skills, demonstrating a genuine desire to work as part of a team and help people.
• Fluency in both English and French (written and spoken.)
• Positive, can-do attitude and a solution-focused approach, with the ability to adapt to change and work well under pressure. Strong organizational abilities, including the ability to switch between tasks quickly and occasionally manage simultaneous conversations while ensuring attention to detail.

Who We Are:

CCS is an accredited non-profit organization that offers support to clients who are encountering financial challenges. Every year, we change the lives of thousands of people who are looking for help to get their life back.

Our mission, should you choose to accept it: We Help. We Educate. We Give Hope.

CCS is committed to the ongoing development of a safer, respectful and equitable space for employees, clients and stakeholders of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities. Please see our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for more details.

Work Environment:

This is a full time, predominate-remote position (within Canada). Periodic in-person meetings or eventsmay be required, with advance notice. We foster strong team connections through online chat groups and culture-building activities.

At CCS, we do not use AI to screen candidates. We understand that candidates may use generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) to review their application documents, but we ask you to craft your documents and open-text responses personally so we can get to know you better! We reserve the right not to proceed with applications from candidates who submit AI-generated text, or who otherwise use AI tools to support their responses in an interview process.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on the grounds included in the Human Rights Codes of Canada and the provinces we serve, including: status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person, race, country of origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or social standing.

Applications from all qualified individuals are welcome, and successful candidates must be eligible to work in Canada.

Due to the volume of applications received, we will only reach out to candidates who are shortlisted for further consideration. Thank you for your interest!

Keywords: bilingual, customer service, call centre, credit, non-profit, not for profit, banking, finance, administration, great place to work, intake, first contact, inclusive, financial literacy, help, debt help, hybrid, remote, client care, French