988 Senior Manager

NAMI Chicago • Chicago, IL

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

Guided by the experiences of those living with mental health conditions and rooted in equity, NAMI Chicago educates to fight stigma and discrimination, fiercely advocates for our community, and shares hope, connection and expertise with people on their mental health journey. NAMI Chicago has operated a 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call center as part of the national network for the past two years, providing comprehensive crisis coverage to Cook County residents. Our team of over 30 crisis counselors and specialists works remotely and currently answers calls between 4 pm and 8 am. Growth of the program to a 24/7 operation is a potential shift in the near future. The Senior Manager of 988 contributes to NAMI Chicago’s overall mission by serving as the primary leader of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Center, ensuring the program delivers safe, clinically sound and responsive crisis services. The role drives consistent, high-quality outcomes through ensuring program integrity. The 988 Senior Manger works with leadership to implement program initiatives, workforce development, and data analysis and reporting. The 988 Senior Manager is responsible for regulatory and contractual compliance tracking, advancing operational and quality improvements, and upholding alignment with the 988 Lifeline framework and clinical best practices. The 988 Senior Manager fosters a trauma-informed, inclusive and equitable environment that supports and prioritizes staff wellbeing and high-quality caller experience. This position requires strong program and people management skills, flexible thinking, advanced clinical and behavioral-health expertise, and ability to guide a large, diverse, mostly remote team through growth, refinement and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in psychology, counseling, social work or related field is required. LCSW or LCPC strongly preferred.
• Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) per Illinois Administrative Code required.
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in behavioral health, crisis services or related fields, including both people and program management.
• Proven success in leading, managing and motivating multilayered teams including effective communication, wellness and accountability.
• Demonstrated leadership in grant-funded program management, large-scale service delivery, or systems-level crisis response.
• Expertise in designing and delivering engaging, trauma-informed training programs, grounded in crisis intervention and suicide prevention best practices.
• Strong leadership skills with proven ability to coach and support staff in alignment with NAMI Chicago’s mission and values.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills for diverse audiences across multiple modalities.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex situations, make ethical decisions, and remain calm and adaptable in high-pressure, evolving environments.
• Advanced organizational skills, including prioritization, boundary setting, delegation, time management, multitasking, and independent problem-solving in dynamic settings.
• Deep empathy and cultural humility, with a commitment to serving underrepresented and vulnerable populations and fostering an inclusive environment across race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, and gender.
• Familiarity with Chicagoland mental health services and community resources.
• Proficiency with technology and virtual learning platforms, coupled with strong self-awareness and dedication to personal and team wellness.
• Must have a private, confidential space to work from in your home that is free of distractions for the duration of your shift.
• Must be able to work over a private, secure, password-protected internet connection with a minimum speed of 300 Mbps (10 Mbps upload).

Nice To Haves

• Previous experience at a suicide and crisis hotline; completed Lifeline Training program.
• Previous experience with a call center or 24/7 operational structure.
• Certification in crisis intervention or suicide prevention.
• Strong computer and technology skills.
• You will be working across several different platforms simultaneously and a strong foundation will make adjusting and troubleshooting platforms easier.
• Current ASIST or SafeTALK, or SafeTALK Facilitator certification (In house SafeTALK training provided quarterly)

Responsibilities

• Program and Workforce Leadership Oversee the structure, workflows, and staffing model of 988; identify future needs and plan proactively for program growth, innovation, and sustainability.
• Aid in establishing program wide goals, priorities, and performance expectations
• Guide program enhancement efforts, including policy updates, operational standards, and clinical best practices.
• Serve as the senior leader representing 988 at internal leadership tables and cross departmental planning meetings, utilizing a collaborative approach to ensure program needs and insights inform organizational operations and strategy.
• Foster a supportive, equitable, and accountable culture across the entire 988 team.
• Provide leadership coaching and supervision to Managers and Supervisors.
• Lead hiring, workforce planning, and role design as the program evolves.
• Partner with the Managers to identify gaps and set training direction.
• Support with escalated personnel issues, grievances, and performance concerns
• Oversight of Program Management & Daily Operations Provide direct supervision to program leadership, offering coaching, professional development, and program adherence.
• Engage in employee performance evaluation and goal setting.
• Monitor daily operational performance through reports, escalations, and meetings with the Managers and Supervisors; intervene at a systems level to resolve barriers.
• Ensure workflows, staffing, and processes support high-quality, trauma-informed, culturally responsive crisis support.
• Keep a pulse on team dynamics, wellness, and staffing trends, guiding the Managers and Supervisors in implementing solutions.
• Ensure fidelity to NAMI Chicago’s values and the vision for 988 as a non-punitive space for connection and community.
• Quality Assurance, Compliance & Accreditation Oversight Oversee the program’s quality and compliance framework, ensuring all standards from regulatory entities are met; direct the Managers on areas requiring deeper analysis, retraining, or workflow revision.
• Review QA trends, call audit summaries, performance dashboards, and staff wellness indicators; elevate findings to leadership with recommendations.
• Serve as liaison with regulatory/contractual bodies for escalated issues, reporting and alignment processes.
• Ensure robust documentation, incident review practices, and compliance reporting systems are in place and executed consistently by the 988 team.
• Data, Evaluation & Reporting Leadership Ensure data integrity and strong analytical practices program wide, partner with data teams on evaluation frameworks and reporting.
• Review program metrics, performance dashboards, and outcome analyses to guide decision making.
• Use data to identify systemic challenges, propose strategic improvements, and monitor progress over time.
• Provide program updates and reports to the Director, executive leadership, Board committees, and funders as needed.
• Budget Oversight & Contract Stewardship Monitor day-to-day operations to ensure financial stewardship of the 988 program budget(s), ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and grant requirements.
• Ensure programmatic compliance with contract expectations, deliverables, and timelines.
• Serve as a liaison with state and technical assistance partners around funding, compliance, and operational requirements.

Benefits

• Company sponsored wellness activities.
• Medical, Dental and Vision benefits.
• Company sponsored Life and AD&D Insurance and Long-Term Disability.
• 401k Retirement plan.
• Critical Illness Insurance, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Short Term Disability Coverage.
• Generous PTO.

What This Job Offers

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