Bilingual Intake Specialist

Purpose: This position acts as the first point of contact for Pima Council on Aging (PCOA) by providing information, assistance, guidance, resources, and triage referrals to appropriate PCOA services and other community agencies on the PCOA Helpline and in person.

Reports To: Intake Supervisor

Category: Full-time, Non-Exempt

Compensation: Dependent upon relevant education, experience, and preferred qualifications.

Schedule, Post of Duty, & Travel Requirements:

• 37.5 hours weekly, primarily Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• This position is located at the Lupu Building (8467 East Broadway, Tucson AZ 85710) or the Katie Building (600 South Country Club Road, Tucson AZ 85716), depending on the need.
• Some remote work may be available.
• Some travel is required between PCOA locations.

Major Duties & Responsibilities:

• Answers the PCOA Helpline, letters, provider referrals, walk-ins, and email inquiries during business hours, triaging inquiries based on urgency, need, and type of assistance.
• Evaluates and assesses callers and speaks with a wide spectrum of members of the community who have a variety of needs involving different levels of support, and provides resources.
• Meets with clients in person who walk in during business hours at both PCOA locations to evaluate and assess for services, listen and answer questions from clients, submit referrals, and provide resources.
• Identifies appropriate referrals to internal departments and communicate with departments as necessary, including urgent referrals.
• Clarifies details of services and eligibility for internal departments to callers and act as point of contact until internal department has contacted client, including reading all previous documentation listed in client's file.
• Conduct initial screening for the in-home services program and follow-up with a more detailed assessment to determine eligibility and placement on the wait list and completes a 90-day follow up call of clients on the waitlist.
• Updates internal Helpline's resource directory and services not listed on the website.
• Keeps accurate and timely client records in the agency database for tracking clients.
• Practices discretion and sensitivity in collection of information related to demographics as appropriate or necessary per AIRS standards and PCOA protocols and procedures.

Essential Functions:

• Attends and actively collaborates with others at all scheduled meetings and trainings.
• Builds and maintains a cooperative working relationship with others.
• Utilizes technical expertise to complete all assigned tasks with an emphasis on quality and timeliness.
• Works independently and collaboratively with others with minimal supervision.
• Performs tasks at a proficient level and handles more difficult, complex, or irregular tasks.
• Ensures that work adheres to local, state, and federal governmental regulations, and other applicable rules and requirements.
• Uses virtual collaboration platforms to perform work as necessary (e.g. Zoom or Teams).

Qualifications:

An equivalent combination of education and experience related to the position may be considered.

• A Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Counseling, or a closely related field; a Master's degree is preferred.
• At least two (2) years of experience in the field of social work, psychology, or related field; three (3) years is preferred.
• At least one (1) year of experience in customer service, including telephone or other help line of experience; two (2) years is preferred.
• At least one (1) year of experience in documentation and data entry; two (2) years is preferred.

Additional Qualifications:

• Bilingual in English and Spanish is preferred.
• Must obtain and maintain AIRS "Community Resources Specialist - Aging/Disabilities" Certification within one (1) year of hire (in-house training provided).
• Must have reliable transportation.
• Must successfully obtain and maintain AZ Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance and Central Registry background clearance.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of local, regional, and national resources for older adults and their caregivers.
• Knowledge of the aging process, issues, and health problems associated with aging and disabilities.
• Skill in critical thinking with the ability to problem solve.
• Skill in using Microsoft Office suite and virtual collaboration platforms.
• Ability to appropriately use, protect, and preserve the confidentiality of information.
• Ability to create, maintain, and enter information in databases with accuracy.
• Ability to demonstrate a commitment to the vision, mission, and values of Pima Council on Aging and its family of non-profit companies.
• Ability to effectively adapt and maintain composure in high-stress situations.
• Ability to effectively communicate with, receive information from, and convey information to others.
• Ability to identify problems, evaluate alternatives, and implement effective solutions.
• Ability to manage time, organize work, set priorities, meet deadlines, and follow up on work assignments with minimal supervision.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, printers, and phone systems.
• Ability to professionally represent the organization and work harmoniously with diverse populations including staff, clients, and providers.
• Ability to triage inquiries based on urgency, need, and type of assistance.

Physical & Environmental Factors:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, walk, stand, and occasionally climb or balance, squat, stoop, twist, turn, push, pull, kneel, crouch, crawl, and reach with hands and arms.
• Hearing requirements include the ability to listen and respond appropriately to conversations in person, virtually, and over phone.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• This position occasionally works remotely and should be able to maintain a quiet, confidential space with appropriate internet connectivity to accomplish duties.
• This position works in an office environment with low noise levels due mostly to office equipment.
• This position frequently must lift and/or move up to ten (10) pounds and infrequently must lift and/or move up to thirty-five (35) pounds.