Victim Advocate - Grant Funded Position

City-of-Colorado-Springs,-C; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 52,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Colorado Springs is seeking a Victim Advocate to deliver direct, on-call support to crime victims and witnesses. The role involves crisis intervention, needs assessment, referrals, and coordination with justice and community programs to ensure seamless service delivery.

The position emphasizes adherence to the Colorado Victim Rights Act, grant-funded terms, and ongoing collaboration with CSPD and the District Attorney’s Office. Strong communication and teamwork are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a related field.
• One year of full-time, professional experience in a related field; preferably working with victims of a violent crime.
• Possess or obtain and maintain a valid Colorado driver’s license not restricted related to alcohol/drugs or pending charges.
• Preferred: Proficiency in spoken and written Spanish.

Responsibilities

• Provide immediate on-call crisis intervention and emotional support to crime victims on a 24-hour basis.
• Review case reports to identify crime victims and contact them to offer services.
• Provide high-quality follow-up support and referrals across criminal justice and community programs.
• Coordinate services to facilitate a seamless transition for victims.
• Ensure victims are aware of their rights under the Colorado Victim Rights Act.
• Assist victims in applying for crime victim compensation when applicable.
• Provide information and referrals on resources for long-term assistance.
• Inform victims about case status during investigation milestones.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Victim advocacy

Communication

Teamwork

Victims' rights knowledge

Driver's license

Spanish language (desirable)

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

1 year related professional experience

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Access

Outlook

Job description

About the Job:

As a Victim Advocate, you will provide direct services to victims and witnesses encountered by CSPD (Colorado Springs Police Department). You will coordinate crisis intervention for victims of crimes, assess the needs of the victims and witnesses, determine the assistance needed, and provide referral support and follow-up.

This special (at-will) position is grant-funded, and renewal of the grant is anticipated, though continued grant funding cannot be guaranteed.

We're an accredited pay equity employer!

Your starting pay will be within the posted hiring range based on your years of experience and education. As an employee with the City of Colorado Springs, thereis Room to Grow!

See the full potential of growth for this position here: 2026 Salary Schedule

As a Victim Advocate, you will:

• Provide immediate on-call crisis intervention and emotional support to crime victims as needed on a 24-hour basis
• Review case reports to identify crime victims and contact the victims to offer services
• Provide high quality and comprehensive follow-up support services for crime victims
• Coordinate the provision of services with other criminal justice and community-based service programs to facilitate a seamless transition for victims
• Ensure that victims are aware of their rights under the Colorado Victim Rights Act
• Assist victims in applying for crime victim compensation, when applicable
• Provide information and referrals on resources to crime victims for long-term assistance
• Assist with informing victims of the status of their case through the initial phases of the investigation, including the filing of the case by the District Attorney's Office or when a final decision is made by CSPD not to file charges
• Maintain data on victim contacts for tracking and grant reporting purposes
• Assist with grant applications and reports

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Colorado Crime Victim Rights Act and the criminal justice system
• Community resources for crime victims
• Modern office procedures and equipment, including computers and supporting software (especially Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook)
• Proper English usage, grammar, spelling, and punctuation
• Internet usage
• Strong crisis intervention and teamwork skills
• Conduct field work and provide direct, in-person crisis intervention services to victims of violent crime
• Communicate clearly and concisely, verbally and in writing
• Establish and maintain positive and productive working relationships with co-workers and with internal and external partners
• Cope with emotional and stressful situations and make sound decisions
• Drive government vehicle at night and during inclement weather

Position requires working on a rotating on-call basis for after hours and weekend callouts.

Work is performed primarily in an office environment with travel to crime scenes and possible exposure to unpleasant crime scene conditions and inclement weather.

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in a related field; preferably criminal justice, behavioral science or social science.
• One year of full-time, professional experience in a related field.; preferably working with victims of a violent crime, including crisis intervention experience or specialized training from a law enforcement agency in victim advocacy
• Possess, or obtain upon hire, and maintain a valid, non-probationary Colorado driver's license not subject to restriction related to alcohol and/or drug violations or pending charges

Education and Experience Equivalency:

One year of relevant work experience may be substituted for one year of required education (OR) one year of academic coursework directly related to this position beyond the minimum requirement may be substituted for one year of required professional experience.

The following qualifications are not required, but they are considered desirable. If you possess any of the preferred qualifications, please include specific details in your application. This information may be used to identify a top group of applicants.

• Proficiency in spoken and written Spanish
• Experience working with victims of violent crime in a criminal justice setting
• Experience that demonstrates a strong knowledge of victims’ rights and the criminal justice system
• Basic Advocate Certification through Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance

Please contact CSPD Human Resources at [e-mail] or 719-444-7446 for any questions about this position.

Pre-employment requirements:

The job offer will be contingent upon successful completion of an extensive background investigation, to include a polygraph examination, extensive background check, fingerprinting, criminal history check, and other pre-employment assessments. The background investigation process commonly takes 6-8 weeks to complete.

Applicants that have used marijuana or CBD products within 3 months from the date of their application submission will not be eligible for hire. More information about the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Marijuana Use Policy can be found here.

Physical Demands:

This position requires the ability to lift up to 20 pounds occasionally, 10 pounds frequently, walking or standing to a significant degree, and possible exposure to unpleasant crime scene conditions.

Environmental Conditions:

• Primary Work Environment - Office with some travel from site to site and possible exposure to extreme weather conditions
• Extreme Temperature - Seasonally
• Wetness and Humidity - Seasonally
• Respiratory Hazards - Never
• Noise and Vibrations - Never
• Physical Hazards - Never
• Mechanical and/or Electrical Hazards - Rarely
• Exposure to Communicable Diseases - Rarely