Advocacy & Outreach Specialist

FLSA Status: Non-exempt | Department: Advocacy | Reports to: Coordinator of Advocacy

About the Role

This position is responsible for providing advocacy to victims of sexual violence, conducting outreach to bring awareness to sexual violence, and improving response to victims.

Responsibilities

• Advocacy
  • Provide crisis intervention and advocacy to adolescent and adult victims/survivors during sexual assault forensic evidence collection examinations.
  • Advocate for victims/survivors as they participate in the criminal justice system.
  • Provide personal advocacy to victims/survivors and their family/support system.
  • Coordinate with law enforcement, prosecutors, and other criminal justice system service providers to assist victims/survivors.
• Crisis Intervention
  • Provide information, support, safety planning, and crisis intervention to callers on the 24-hour crisis line during regular business hours.
  • Serve as staff on-call managing the operation of the crisis line and victim advocacy response after regular business hours on occasion throughout the year.
  • Supervise volunteers while on-call.
• Support Groups
  • Conduct a weekly psycho-educational support group for victims/survivors.
  • Ensure all support group activities are appropriately documented.
• Professional and Community Outreach
  • Conduct outreach and professional education activities with criminal justice system partners, social service agencies, faith-based organizations, and other agencies as identified.
  • Provide professional and community education on topics of sexual violence.
  • Act as a representative of MOCSA at various community meetings and events.
  • Assist with training of crisis line and advocacy volunteers, interns, and new staff on crisis line and advocacy procedures as needed.
• Meetings and Program Administration
  • Participate in weekly individual supervision meetings and attend advocacy and crisis line team meetings as required.
  • Ensure all advocacy, crisis line, outreach, and related service activities are documented accurately and within established timelines.
  • Maintain accurate and timely calendar entries, timesheets, mileage reports, and other required administrative records.
  • Provide trauma-informed, strengths, and empowerment-based advocacy meeting a minimum of 45% direct service percentage as reflected in Monthly Activity Reports.

The responsibilities described represent the primary responsibilities of the job. Other responsibilities may be assigned as warranted by business needs. The incumbent is expected to complete all assigned duties. Grant funds may only be used for the provision of approved activities.

Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s Degree in human services, social work, criminal justice, or related field and one year of professional experience or a combined equivalent of education and experience in victim advocacy or community outreach.
  • Demonstrated organizational and interpersonal skills and excellent communication.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Training in sexual or domestic violence victim advocacy and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with community partners, such as law enforcement, prosecutors, and other social service providers strongly desired.
  • Experience working with diverse communities, ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and fluency in Spanish preferred.

Physical and Mental Demands

• Physical Demands

  Work is typically performed in an office environment. While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to:

  • Sit, walk, and stand.
  • Talk or hear, both in person and by telephone.
  • Use hands repetitively to finger, handle, feel, or operate standard office equipment.
  • Reach with hands and arms.
  • Lift up to 25 pounds.
  • Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Mental Demands

  While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to:

  • Use written and oral communication skills.
  • Read and interpret data, information, and documents.
  • Analyze and solve non-routine and complex problems.
  • Use math and mathematical reasoning.
  • Observe and interpret situations.
  • Learn and apply new information or skills.
  • Perform highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks.
  • Work under intensive deadlines with frequent interruptions.
  • Interact with staff, administration, funders, and others encountered in the course of work.

Schedule

This is a full-time position with business hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular evening and occasional weekend work will be required as job duties demand. MOCSA offers flexible scheduling with a hybrid work setting.

Travel

Regular travel throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area to perform advocacy and outreach services.

Benefits

• 15 days of vacation
• 15 paid holidays
• 12 sick days
• Birthday holiday
• Winter break
• 100% employer-sponsored health, dental, vision, life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 2% 403(b) match

Pay

The salary range for this position is $47,500 - $57,000. The base salary range for this role is determined by several factors, including but not limited to education, skills, licensure and certifications, and experience. The upper portion of the salary range is typically reserved for existing employees and/or those with advanced credentials.

At MOCSA, the safety of our team and the individuals we serve is our number one priority. That’s why all offers of employment are contingent on the candidate successfully passing a criminal and child abuse and neglect background check, including fingerprinting.