Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocate (part-time)

Position: Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocate (Part-time)

Department: National Human Trafficking Hotline

FLSA Status: Part-time, Non-Exempt

Reports to: Hotline Supervisor

Direct Reports: None

Date Issued: October 1, 2002

Date Revised: February 1, 2018, October 5, 2021

Location: Washington, DC

 

 

The Mission

Polaris is leading a data-driven social justice movement to fight sex and labor trafficking at the massive scale of the problem – 25 million people worldwide deprived of the freedom to choose how they live and work.

 

 

 

For more than a decade, Polaris has assisted thousands of victims and survivors through the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, helped ensure countless traffickers were held accountable and built the largest known U.S. data set on actual trafficking experiences. With the guidance of survivors, we use that data to improve the way trafficking is identified, how victims and survivors are assisted, and how communities, businesses and governments can prevent human trafficking by transforming the underlying inequities and oppressions that make it possible.

 

 

 

About Opportunity

The Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocate is primarily responsible for responding to all signals (call, text, chat, online tips, and email) on the National Hotline and conducting case follow-up. This primary task occupies 75-100% of the Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocate’s workday. This is a part-time position (working a minimum of 16 hours a week).

 

 

Responsibilities

• Respond to signals from victims and survivors, service providers, law enforcement, government, professionals, and community members in accordance with National Hotline protocols via telephone (primarily), text and chat; Strategize responses to signals, including crisis contacts, requests for referrals, and requests for training and technical assistance, using relevant protocols and databases; Input and maintain clear, concise, and accurate case notes and data gathered from signals; Achieve required Hotline Advocate milestones; Attend required staff and supervisory meetings as detailed in the Advocate Manual; Support the National Hotline Supervision team through the completion of projects that are necessary to National Hotline function, as assigned by a Hotline Supervisor;

• Commitment to the National Human Trafficking Hotline mission and Polaris values; Other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

 

 

This job description provides a summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by individuals in this position.  Incumbents may be asked to perform other tasks not specifically written in this job.

 

Required Qualifications

• Deep passion! Mad skills! Low ego! Ability to respond to signals via telephone, text and chat; Able and willing to work an alternative schedule, including overnight shifts and during holidays and inclement weather when the main office is closed; Demonstrated commitment to innovation and creative problem-solving; Experience, competence, and confidence working independently and as part of a team; Experience working in multicultural environments; Demonstrated passion for social justice, human rights, and gender issues; Practical and/or academic knowledge of the anti-trafficking movement in the United States; Highly professional with excellent interpersonal skills; Strong focus on direct and open communication with the ability to transition easily between diverse communication styles on and off the hotline; Excellent writing and analytical skills; Demonstrated ability to learn new technology systems. Primary systems used are Salesforce and Palantir; Demonstrated appropriate decisiveness and creative problem-solving when making decisions regarding next steps for cases; Ability to follow directions, manage time, work well under pressure, and maintain composure during stressful situations; Comfort and sensitivity when working with survivors of severe forms of exploitation; and Resiliently positive and energetic attitude.

 

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Accredited certificate demonstrating Spanish/English bilingual proficiency.

 

 

 

Communication (changes with position):

 

• Internal: Ability to communicate with supervisors and peers External:  Ability to respond quickly and calmly in alarming situations. Frequent contact with law enforcement, service providers, and government agencies

 

 

 

 

Working Conditions:

 

• High stress environment.

 

 

 

 

Physical Requirements:

 

• Prolonged sitting, chiefly at a computer terminal Occasional bending, stooping and stretching Requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a computer, telephone, calculator, and other office equipment. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to record, prepare, and communicate in writing, in person and by phone.

 

Organization Background

 

 

VALUES: Polaris is grounded in a set of values and organizational beliefs and strives to model and embody these values in all that it does.

 

 

 

We work with humility and a spirit of service. We serve a mission that is bigger than ourselves, and we recognize that we cannot do this work alone. We foster a caring community of mutual support, and we actively pursue collaborations and partnerships to expand our reach.

 

Victims’ and survivors’ experiences ground our efforts. We honor the dignity, agency, and resilience of victims and survivors of slavery, both past and present. We serve, work alongside, and stand in solidarity with those who have been most affected by modern slavery.

 

We strive for inclusion and equity. We engage different perspectives to inform our decisions, actions, and positions. We create opportunities that empower individuals of diverse backgrounds and circumstances. We acknowledge the structural inequities that lead to human trafficking and modern slavery, which drives us to create just and equitable solutions.

 

We approach our work with courage. We promote a culture of inquiry, innovation, risk-taking, and continuous learning. We are resilient and evolve when faced with obstacles or failure. We recognize that what is typical or traditional is not always optimal.

 

We create positive impact and achieve results. We leverage and cultivate the strengths of our staff, and we work with discipline, integrity, and a commitment to excellence. We embrace a measurement culture to track our progress. We view impact holistically, considering multiple sectors and the effects on individuals’ lives, as we pursue systemic and social change to eradicate modern slavery

 

 

 

DIVERSITY STATEMENT:

Polaris designs and implements data-driven strategies to prevent and disrupt human trafficking, and restore freedom to survivors.  Achieving this ambitious goal requires both trafficking-specific systemic interventions and broader cultural and structural shifts that reduce the inequities that lead to human trafficking. While Polaris alone cannot build a more diverse, just, equitable, and inclusive society, both the success of our work and our organizational values require modeling in the workplace the change we want to see in the world.

 

This means cultivating a workforce, organizational culture, and priorities that respect and celebrate a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team made up of individuals with different identities, lived experiences, and backgrounds. Within both our team and across every part of our work, we strive to integrate and elevate the full range of survivor voices.

 

This is a living commitment.  Diversity, equity, and inclusion are values to be manifested daily, in the work we do, the decisions we make, and the way that we treat each other and the people we seek to serve.  This means creating space where staff can be included, heard, valued, and set up for success, and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, best selves to work. We will not check boxes and consider it done. We will push new innovations and different ways of thinking, and treasure the community built and strengthened by each of our contributions.