Customer Experience (CX) Specialist

The Contingent • Portland, OR

8h • $52,000 - $54,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Contingent is a 501(c)(3) venture nonprofit that launches, scales, and supports initiatives to mobilize communities and empower leaders to create lasting social change. Its work focuses on strengthening support systems for children and families through community partnerships, innovation, and data-informed decision-making.

The Customer Experience (CX) Specialist is a first point of contact for community members, partners, and internal teams. The role guides people through initial engagement with the organization, responds to support requests, connects individuals with appropriate resources, and represents the organization’s mission of inclusion and care. The specialist supports inquiries related to helping children and families impacted by foster care and students pursuing equitable early-career opportunities.

This position combines empathetic customer service, efficient problem-solving, inquiry and lead management, and data maintenance. The specialist works across multiple communication channels and helps improve customer engagement processes in a dynamic, fast-paced organization. The role is full-time, exempt, and hybrid in Portland, Oregon, with a typical schedule split between the office and home. Core collaboration hours are 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Pacific Time. Due to contractual commitments, the position may be scheduled during the organization’s extended end-of-year holiday period, with equivalent time off scheduled outside that period.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent experience.
• At least 3 years of relevant work experience, including internships, volunteer work, or community-based experience in customer service or related fields.
• Strong interpersonal communication, active listening, and time-management skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and public-speaking skills, including experience engaging diverse audiences.
• Ability to work effectively with people from diverse ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Ability to use multicultural intelligence, intentional listening, appreciation, and respect when engaging diverse constituents.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Proficiency with task and project management software.
• Proficiency working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 or an equivalent CRM.
• Willingness to be hands-on in a lean, fast-paced organization with limited administrative support.
• Commitment to The Contingent’s mission and initiatives, including Every Child and The Script.
• Ability to articulate a position on the importance of faith communities engaging with vulnerable children, youth, and families.
• Commitment to serving vulnerable children, youth, and families and the government employees who work with them.
• Commitment to increasing leadership diversity in the communities served.
• Growth mindset and interest in improving processes and program efficiency.
• Adaptability, initiative, receptiveness to constructive feedback, and cultural and emotional intelligence.
• Legally eligible to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual Spanish/English skills; candidates who demonstrate fluency through testing will be compensated for this skill.
• Experience with SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage incoming Help Desk support tickets from internal teams and external customers.
• Prioritize, triage, resolve, track, and close tickets using established workflows, templates, and service-level agreements; escalate complex issues to the appropriate team member.
• Represent all programs across required communication channels, including phone, email, SMS, and chat, using appropriate brand voice and practices.
• Respond to inquiries promptly and accurately, connect customers with appropriate partners, and guide and encourage them through next steps.
• Qualify leads and track inquiries through the engagement pipeline to ensure they receive follow-up.
• Listen empathetically to understand each person’s situation, needs, and motivations, and communicate a clear path forward or appropriate resources using established procedures.
• Research and recommend customer service and engagement strategies for inquiry response and lead nurturing.
• Maintain compassionate, clear, and professional communications using provided templates and scripts.
• Communicate and collaborate with team members to solve problems and establish best practices.
• Enter and update data in the CRM and other tools as new information is gathered.
• Maintain clear, concise contact-record notes, including each instance and method of contact.
• Carry out additional or variable duties as determined by the supervisor.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance, covered 100% for the employee and 80% for spouse and/or dependents.
• 19 paid holidays.
• Additional vacation, sick, bereavement, and parental leave.
• 401(k) with a 5% annual salary match.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level