Rape Trauma Services Logo

Advocate

Burlingame, CaliforniaFull-time
$28 - $31.25 hourly
About the Job
Reports to: Deputy Director
Hours: Full Time/Non-Exempt
Workplace: Field/Office
Compensation: $28.00 - $31.25 hourly rate + 5% pay differential for bilingual language fluency
Benefits: Healthcare, vision and dental, 20 accrued PTO days per year plus 14 annual paid holidays, retirement plan

Position Overview
The Advocate position requires an innovative, passionate yet pragmatic individual who will provide crisis intervention and advocacy services to chronically underserved populations, including children at risk of- or identified as- survivors of sexual exploitation, as well as other vulnerable survivors facing systemic, cultural, or linguistic barriers to accessing support. Under the supervision of the Deputy Director, the Advocate will provide phone and in-person crisis response, program coordination and other services throughout San Mateo County.

Job description:
The primary responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to the following:
  • Provide crisis intervention, crisis counseling, advocacy, and accompaniment to survivors of sexual assault.
  • Provide ongoing follow-up services and maintain a caseload of survivors of sexual assault and abuse.
    • This includes, but is not limited to, services to children and youth who have experienced sexual abuse; incarcerated youth and adults; youth who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation (CSE); and adult survivors of human trafficking.
  • Provide medical/legal accompaniment services to survivors of sexual assault, as needed.
  • Answer crisis line calls and meet with walk-in clients during business hours, as needed.
  • Attend Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and Child Family Team (CFT) meetings, as needed.
  • Provide education presentations, workshops, and programming to various sectors of the community including schools and community organizations.
  • Attend weekly team meetings.
  • Maintain a positive, professional working relationship with volunteers, clients, the public, agency staff and community partners at all times.
  • Perform administrative and operational tasks such as copying, stocking informational packets, and sharing office coverage (e.g. answering phones).
  • Adhere to all RTS personnel policies and protocols.
  • Perform other agency responsibilities as needed.

Qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent career experience required.
  • 1 year of experience providing crisis intervention.
  • Must have the ability to establish rapport with diverse groups and individuals.
  • Interest in and commitment to developing or expanding trauma-focused counseling and advocacy skills.
  • Familiarity with San Mateo County and community resources.
  • Passion for working with and empowering survivors.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to listen, clarify, validate, and respectfully challenge.
  • Strong organizational skills, ability to manage multiple tasks.
  • Excellent writing skills.
  • A creative thinker who can translate RTS’ mission, vision, and values to a wide array of audiences.
  • Self-motivated and a team player; ability to work in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
  • Must bring an eager and open-minded attitude, including the ability to problem solve as needed.
  • Must be comfortable working in a small team environment.
  • Willingness to work flexible hours, including some weekend and evening hours to finish projects on time.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PPT), Google Suite and other commonly used applications.
  • Valid California driver’s license, insurance, and reliable access to transportation.

Application Process
Please submit resume or CV and a cover letter via email to careers@rapetraumaservices.org clearly labeled “Attn: Advocate – (YourName)”.

In the required cover letter, please give your thoughts on how sexual trauma affects family systems. Your cover letter must be succinct and not exceed 1 page. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

Position open until filled.

RTS is an Equal Opportunity Employer
We strongly encourage individuals who can represent one or more underserved populations in San Mateo County (e.g., people of color, people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, people with disabilities, immigrants) to apply.

About Rape Trauma Services
Rape Trauma Services (RTS) strives to eliminate all forms of violence, with a special focus on sexual assault and abuse. Our scope of services includes a 24-hour crisis line, counseling, advocacy, accompaniment, and rape and other violence prevention education in schools. We strive to bring all our services to underserved populations.

It is our strong belief that violence must be examined on an individual level (e.g., sexual abuse, rape) as well as a collective level (e.g., genocide, war), and in the context of societal inequities (e.g., sexism, racism, heterosexism). We also believe that violent behaviors by individuals as well as societal inequities perpetrated on a collective level are, at their core, about unhealed effects of trauma and ensuing cycles of violence.

We seek candidates who share our vision and philosophy including core beliefs such as (1) we all have been affected by violence and inequities; (2) healing from the effects of those experiences is a life-long process; and (3) commitment to one’s healing is a key to our well-being, effective relationships with others, a healthy and equitable work environment, and meaningful political change.
About Rape Trauma Services
Rape Trauma Services (RTS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1995 to address the unmet need in San Mateo County for comprehensive services for survivors of sexual violence and other forms of abuse.

The mission of RTS is to eliminate all forms of violence, with a special focus on sexual assault and abuse. Informed by our understanding of traumatic experiences and cycles of violence, we facilitate healing and the prevention of violence through the provision of counseling, advocacy, and education. RTS promotes and adopts policies, practices, and social values rooted in fairness, equity, and inclusiveness. We make our services accessible to all residents by minimizing economic and cultural barriers to participation. Services are free and delivered with linguistic and cultural competence.

The major service components of RTS include the following:
• 24-hour confidential crisis line
• Crisis, Short-term, and Long-term Counseling
• Individual and Group Counseling
• Advocacy & Accompaniment
• Prevention Education, Community Outreach and Professional Training