Information & Referral Specialist

Springwell, Inc; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation time and holidays

Birthday off

Sick days and personal days

Job summary

Springwell, Inc. is seeking Information and Referral Specialists to assist older adults, caregivers, and people with disabilities by providing accurate referrals and information via phone, email, and in person.

The role focuses on building rapport, understanding needs, and guiding clients to internal Springwell programs and external agencies. The team conducts research to update informational materials and supports Springwell staff with community resources.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and prior social service experience preferred with older adults or individuals with disabilities.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Assess caller needs for services and provide accurate, unbiased information.
• Collaborate with colleagues across departments to support resource needs.
• Maintain and create informational materials for staff, partners, and consumers.
• Update community provider records and research new providers for the database.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Computer navigation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Springwell is seeking compassionate community specialists to provide Referrals to older adults, family caregivers, individuals with disabilities, and community professionals. The specialists gain extensive knowledge of internal Springwell programs as well as the broader service networks available to our consumers. Specialists need excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills in order to provide accurate information tailored to the specific needs of the inquirer.

The compensation for this role is $28.21/hr for a 37.5 hour work-week.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Information and Referral Specialists

Information and Referral Specialists work with consumers over the phone, via email, and in person at the Springwell office. They provide support and consultation to individuals who are seeking assistance navigating services available to them. The Specialists are able to build rapport with both non-professional and professional callers, provide empathy and support, assess needs, and make appropriate referrals to internal Springwell programs and to external agencies. Specialists build an extensive knowledge of providers, agencies, and services available to the community and use their skills to share this knowledge in a way that supports and empowers consumers. The team also conducts research for and makes updates to informational materials that are provided to the community and utilized by Springwell staff.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Assess caller’s need for services and community resources; research options; provide accurate and unbiased information tailored to the caller.
• Collaborate with colleagues in other Springwell departments surrounding their resource needs.
• Maintain existing information sheets used by staff, community partners, and consumers; create new informational materials around topics of interest that are relevant to the Springwell community.
• Update and maintain community provider records in the internal resource database; research new providers for possible inclusion in the database.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree and previous social service experience preferably with older adults, individuals with disabilities and/or providing customer/consumer support
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills
• Ability to learn and navigate internal computer systems
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with co-workers, adapt to changes and problem-solve.

GENEROUS BENEFITS

• 3 weeks of vacation in first year
• Birthday off
• 13 paid holidays
• 3 paid personal days
• 15 paid sick days per year (You can accumulate up to 450hrs/12weeks)
• Health & dental insurance with employer contribution
• Life and long-term disability insurance at no cost to employee
• Flexible Spending Plan
• Employee Assistance Plan
• 401K Retirement Savings Plan w/ employer contribution
• Mileage reimbursement
• Potential flexible work options available after 6 months for many positions such as alternate start time between 8:00 and 9:30 a.m., 4 day work week, 4.5 day work week, hybrid work option
• Employee referral bonuses
• Free parking
• Commitment to promoting from within

ABOUT US

For more than 40 years, Springwell has worked to help ensure that seniors and individuals with disabilities have the village they need and the support that is necessary for them to live at home with dignity and independence.

We are committed to our employees. We are focused on creating a supportive, open environment that values the people who make a difference – each and every member of our staff. We are fiercely committed to creating equal opportunities for all regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, age, language, and physical or mental disabilities.

We believe in and are looking for new staff who embrace:

• Accountability: At every level of the organization we are accountable: to the people we serve, to our funders, to our employees, to community professionals who rely on our support.
• Continuous Quality Improvement: We honor the fact that each of us is human, and we embrace a desire to examine the value and quality of our work and ask how we can provide a higher quality of service.
• Transparency: While we don't claim to be 100% transparent (there are certain things, like salaries and performance evaluations that are private) we continuously strive to be as open as possible.