Team Lead - Wisconsin Lifeline

Family Services; Wisconsin; Remote; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Family Services in Wisconsin seeks a Team Lead to provide real-time shift leadership for the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline program. You will coach Lifeline Counselors, coordinate workflow, and support crisis intervention across phone, chat, and text channels.

Responsibilities include onboarding, performance feedback, and ensuring adherence to policies while maintaining a supportive and accountable team, with hands-on crisis intervention as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Minimum 1 year of experience in crisis intervention, behavioral health, human services, or a related setting.
• Experience providing peer leadership, mentoring, training, coaching, or real-time staff support.
• Experience with 988 services, suicide prevention, crisis contact centers, or high-volume phone/chat/text environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide real-time coaching, mentoring, and constructive feedback to Lifeline Counselors and interns.
• Support onboarding and orientation, including call observation, monitored practice, and shadowing.
• Identify recurring coaching or performance themes and communicate observations for follow-up.
• Model professional communication, accountability, collaboration, sound judgment, and effective crisis intervention practices.
• Provide consultation during high-risk crisis interactions and support escalation per protocols.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Staff leadership

Coaching & mentoring

Communication skills

Documentation & policy adherence

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Preferred: Social Work/Psychology/Related field

Job description

Job Specifics:

• Job Title: Team Lead
• Work Schedule:7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. shift on a 2-2-3 rotating schedule
• Work Location: Remote

Job Summary

The Team Lead provides real-time shift leadership and operational support for the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline program, helping ensure timely, consistent, person-centered crisis services across phone, chat, and text interactions. Working closely with Program Managers, Program Supervisors, Program Coordinators, and the clinical team, the Team Lead serves as an accessible resource to Lifeline Counselors by providing consultation, coaching, workflow coordination, crisis escalation support, and guidance on policies and procedures. The Team Lead monitors day-to-day service needs, supports quality and documentation expectations, assists with onboarding and skill development, and helps maintain a supportive, accountable, and responsive team environment. This is a hands-on lead role and may provide direct crisis intervention services when operational needs require.

Essential Functions

Demonstrate Family Services' Core Values and Behaviors in the work you do while fulfilling Family Services' mission to Protect, Heal and Care. Responsibilities will be performed within Agency policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Shift Leadership & Real-Time Support

• Serve as a primary real-time resource for Lifeline Counselors during assigned shifts, providing consultation, guidance, and decision-making support.
• Maintain active availability throughout the shift to support staff with complex interactions, outside interventions, safety concerns, and operational questions.
• Monitor shift workflow, counselor availability, service demand, and assigned responsibilities to support timely and consistent service delivery.
• Coordinate shift priorities, follow‑up contacts, handoffs, and outstanding operational needs in accordance with program procedures and best practices.
• Escalate clinical, staffing, technology, safety, or operational concerns to the appropriate leadership or clinical resource.

Coaching, Mentoring & Workforce Support

• Provide in-the‑moment coaching, mentoring, and constructive feedback to Lifeline Counselors and interns.
• Support onboarding and orientation, including call observation, monitored practice, shadowing, and reinforcement of program expectations.
• Identify recurring coaching, training, or performance themes and communicate observations to Program Supervisors and Program Managers for follow‑up.
• Model professional communication, accountability, collaboration, sound judgment, and effective crisis intervention practices.

Quality, Documentation & Crisis Practice

• Provide consultation during high-risk, complex, or unusual crisis interactions and support appropriate escalation and intervention.
• Support staff with suicide risk assessment, safety planning, emergency intervention, mandated reporting, and resource coordination within established protocols.
• Coordinate with clinical and leadership teams to reinforce evidence-informed, trauma-informed, safety-oriented, culturally responsive, and person-centered practices.
• Provide direct crisis intervention services by phone, chat, or text when needed to support service levels or operational continuity.

Program Operations & Continuous Improvement

• Support daily staffing coordination, schedule adherence, shift coverage, and workflow adjustments in partnership with program leadership.
• Gather and communicate operational information, trends, and data that support program evaluation, quality improvement, reporting, and workforce planning.
• Assist with maintaining program resources, information and referral tools, procedures, and reference materials.
• Identify workflow or process improvement opportunities and share recommendations with program leadership.
• Support business continuity and operational readiness during high-volume periods, emergencies, technology disruptions, or other unexpected events.

Collaboration & Program Representation

• Work collaboratively with program leadership, clinical staff, and internal partners to support consistent operations.
• Respond professionally and timely to requests for information from clients and community partners within role authority and confidentiality requirements.
• Support outreach and education efforts related to 988 Wisconsin Lifeline and Family Services as assigned.
• Represent the program and Agency at meetings, committees, trainings, or community events as assigned.

Additional Responsibilities: Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support the mission, operational needs, and continuous improvement efforts of Family Services. Essential functions may be modified as business needs evolve.

Qualifications and Requirements

Education

• Required: Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Preferred: Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Human Services, or a related field.

Experience

• Required: Minimum of one (1) year of experience in crisis intervention, behavioral health, human services, or a related setting.
• Required: Demonstrated experience providing peer leadership, mentoring, training, coaching, or real‑time staff support.
• Preferred: Two (2) or more years of crisis intervention or behavioral health experience.
• Preferred: Six (6) months or more of lead worker, supervisory, scheduling, workforce coordination, or quality support experience.
• Preferred: Experience with 988 services, suicide prevention, crisis contact centers, or high-volume phone/chat/text environments.

Skills and Competencies

• Working knowledge of crisis intervention, suicide prevention, risk assessment, safety planning, behavioral health, and community resources.
• Ability to provide calm, effective leadership and make sound decisions in fast‑paced, emotionally complex, and time‑sensitive situations.
• Strong coaching, mentoring, active listening, conflict resolution, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate expectations, feedback, policies, and procedures clearly and respectfully.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, documentation, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to monitor multiple workflows and respond effectively to changing service and staffing needs.
• Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships within and outside the Agency.
• Ability to recognize personal biases, maintain appropriate boundaries, protect confidentiality, and exercise sound judgment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, virtual collaboration tools, scheduling systems, and crisis-service technology or ability to learn required systems.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, cultural humility, and trauma‑informed practices.

Remote Work Eligibility & Requirements

This position may be eligible for remote or hybrid work based on business needs and in accordance with Agency policy. Employees approved for remote work must comply with all Family Services remote work requirements and maintain a work environment that supports confidentiality, availability, productivity, and quality client care.

• Sign and comply with the Family Services Remote Work Agreement and all applicable Agency policies.
• Maintain primary residency within the State of Wisconsin and perform all Wisconsin Lifeline work while physically located within Wisconsin, unless otherwise authorized by the Agency.
• Maintain a private, secure, and distraction‑free workspace that protects confidential client and Agency information.
• Secure and properly dispose of confidential materials in accordance with Agency requirements.
• Maintain reliable high‑speed internet service and the ability to connect Agency equipment directly to the modem or router using an Ethernet connection, when required.
• Meet all technology, cybersecurity, availability, and equipment requirements established by the Agency.