Family Support Specialist/NICU - Austin, TX

Hand to Hold•Austin, TX

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Hand to Hold® is a national non-profit organization that provides compassionate in-person and virtual support to NICU and bereaved parents before, during and after a NICU stay. All programs are designed with the emotional, physical and social needs of NICU families to help them feel more secure during a highly stressful time. This early intervention mental health support is available at no cost to NICU families across the United States. As a Best Place for Working Parents® business for three consecutive years (2024-2025), our dynamic, growing organization seeks a NICU Family Support Specialist to join our team in Austin, TX. Reporting to the Hospital Partner Program Manager, under the general direction of the Program Director, this person will play a vital role in helping to bring the 3-year strategic plan to life for Hand to Hold®. We are dedicated to hiring a diverse workforce that reflects the diverse families that we support through our mission. We are thought leaders and change makers. We are always learning, developing, and evolving to champion a world where all NICU families thrive. One in seven babies born in the US spends time in the NICU. Bring your talents to our growing team to help ensure that all NICU families have a hand to hold.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional work experience required.
Personal experience with a child in the NICU/PICU or a bereavement experience is required: must be a NICU/PICU parent or have had a perinatal bereavement experience with your child.
Certification in peer support by the State of Texas, or willingness to complete peer support training (virtual or in person) within the first 90 days, as well as completion of state certification process.
Proof of vaccinations and other supporting documentation for hospital credentialing processes.
Awareness of mental health challenges NICU parents face and willingness to complete appropriate training in this area, as well as ongoing education on racial and ethnic disparities, trauma-informed care, and other relevant instruction, both online and in person.
Ability to provide culturally competent support and education in English to diverse groups of people, including Hispanic/Latinx, subcontinent Asian, Asian and Black families.
Willingness to learn and abide by best practices in peer support.
Ability to work both independently and on teams.
Ability to think proactively, address problems creatively, and take initiative appropriately.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism as an ambassador for the organization.
Demonstrated excellence in organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated competence with a variety of office tools, including virtual communication and meetings, time scheduling, video conferencing, organizational and project management, and CRM technology.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in English and Spanish is preferred but not required.
Work or internship experience in health care, early childhood intervention, or maternal health care programs is preferred, but not required.

Responsibilities

Provides bedside support and encouragement to families during their antepartum and/or NICU stay.
Identifies and provides timely and effective peer psycho-social support and interventions for families either directly or through referrals.
Disburses Hand to Hold® resources and NICU Milestone beads to parents and families.
Plans, prepares for and facilitates in-person support groups using Hand to Hold’s custom support group curriculum.
Provides bereavement resources for families who have experienced a loss in the NICU.
Transport materials (including parent bags and resources, event materials, etc) required in the NICU from Hand to Hold’s office, or other locations, as needed.
Helps families identify and access medical and therapeutic services in their community.
Serves as liaison between Hand to Hold® and hospital NICU staff.
Tracks and reports program data within program timelines to collect demographic information and to measure the impact, satisfaction, and overall effectiveness of each program component.
Contributes to Hand to Hold’s educational content, training, manuals, curricula, and other writing projects as needed.
Rotates or performs shifts at other local area hospitals as needed.
Helps to recruit volunteers and peer mentors.
Submits weekly and monthly reports – timesheets, expense reports – in a timely fashion.
Participates, facilitates, and/or assists at Hand to Hold® events as required.
Attends all assigned meetings for Hand to Hold® either virtually or in person.
Performs other duties as assigned.