Full Time Text Line Shift Supervisor

Application Deadline: 12 January 2026

Department: Crisis Services

Location: Oakland, CA

Compensation: $28.00 / hour

Description

Position Title: Text Line Shift Supervisor
Reports To: Text Line Program Coordinators and Program Manager
Location: Eligible for remote work after initial training. Must permanently reside in California and be able to commute to office located in North Oakland. Must attend training on-site when specified by the training team.
Schedule: Full-time 32 hours per week, 32 of which are direct service hours on text/chats and up to 8 hours of agency meetings and events. Non-exempt. Shift Schedule and Training Schedule can be found here. [https://docs.google.com/document/d/13u7M1eydvrw0NgyIba5T6ALWkpKLSBZarbSK6JenEbM/edit?tab=t.0]
Pay: $28 per hour base pay with shift differentials (up to $5 per hour) for evening, weekend, and overnight shifts
Benefits: Employees who work more than 20hrs/week are eligible for medical, dental, and retirement plans.

Crisis Support Services of Alameda County (www.crisissupport.org), a non-profit community mental health agency, is seeking Text Line Counselors to fill daytime, evening, overnight and weekend shifts. Full time hours are 30-40 hours/week depending on a match in staff availability and program scheduling needs. The position is supporting CSS 988 capacity building.

This position is best suited for people who enjoy thinking on their feet, collaborating with local behavioral health agencies, and connecting with people from diverse backgrounds. Join our team of dedicated staff and volunteers to help people in crisis be informed of life-saving resources in our community.

Position Summary
The Text Line Shift Supervisor position answers texts through both the 24/7 Local Alameda County Text Line and 988 Lifeline to provide crisis intervention, information, and referral services and to meet the needs of the community. Our goal is that, through active listening and motivational interviewing, we draw upon the texters’ strength, resilience, and natural support systems to cope with difficult emotions and life situations.
The Text Line Shift Supervisor will also need to provide training, supervision, and consultation to Text Line Counselors, volunteers and interns. When providing crisis support and feedback, the Text Line Shift Supervisor will adhere to the highest possible ethical standards, and comply with program policy and procedures. You must also be open for picking up emergency fill-in shifts.

Supervision/Direction Received
This position reports to the Text Line Program Coordinators and Program Manager for supervision meetings. This position is required to receive a minimum of 60 minutes of individual supervision per month and at minimum 1.5 hour of group supervision per week. All staff are also highly encouraged to attend remote staff meetings 2nd and 4th Wednesdays 9:30AM-10:45AM.



Role & Responsibilities

Typical Duties:

Answer the 24-hour local text line and lifeline

• Answer chats/texts via Alameda County Text Line and 988 Lifeline
• Assess all texters and chat visitors for suicide risk
• Provide outreach support to high risk contacts via phone call and text
• Triage sessions on our 24 hour local text line
• Document every contact/interaction in a timely manner
• Provide resources to texters and chat visitors as appropriate
  

Shift Management and Build Connection on Shift

• Maintain confidentiality of other counselors and text/chat visitors
• Consult and complete any mandated reporting duties in a timely manner
• Coordinate referrals to emergency services when necessary
• Communicate all relevant information to the next shift supervisor
• Provide basic technical support to Text Line supervisees
• Help foster an environment of dignity and respect
• Comfortable multi-tasking and toggling various communication tools and platforms (e.g., email, chat via system platforms) to maintain seamless interaction with shiftmates and text/chat visitors
• Actively engage with teammates during shift and utilize consultation as required
• Accurately document staff hours in timesheets and MAA sheets
• Other duties as assigned
  

Volunteer and Intern Management

• Monitor supervisees’ sessions and review contact note documentation to provide feedback in a timely manner
• Consistently provide consultation and supervision to Text Line supervisees through a hybrid work format
• Manage workflow for Text Team volunteer counselors and interns by delegating and triaging text sessions as needed
• Track volunteer and intern progress and performance
• Review volunteer and intern contact notes and transcripts for quality assurance
• Provide shadow shift training via Google classroom to incoming Text Line counselors as assigned
  

Personal and Professional Development

• Participate in continuing education and monthly individual supervision as required
• Actively participate in weekly group supervision and other program meetings as required
  

Other Duties

• Establish rapport with and build productive relationships with texters/chat visitors in crisis
• Display confidence and composure in crisis and mandated reporting situations
• Communicate effectively and compassionately with volunteers, staff, and texters/chat visitors in a hybrid work format
• Work collaboratively with others and accept constructive feedback
• Work independently using creativity and resourcefulness
• Recognize and demonstrate the values that diversity and culture bring to an organization
  

Level of Authority

• Recommend blocking texters who are using abusive, aggressive, or disruptive behavior on our Local Text Line, in accordance with written limit setting policy
• Recommend breaking confidentiality for mandated reporting (consultation is mandatory) - The agencies you can break confidentiality with include CPS, APS, Ombudsman
• Recommend breaking confidentiality for imminent risk (consultation is mandatory) - another crisis line or community mental health agency, local law enforcement agency or a texter’s family member
• Provide training, supervisory support, and consultation to volunteers and interns
  
  

Skills & Qualifications

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• Knowledge of suicide assessment and collaborative safety planning via text/chat
• Ability to provide training, constructive feedback, and supervision to volunteers and interns in a mental health setting
• Report to their direct supervisor any important information related to quality control and volunteer support
• Knowledge of processes for mandated reporting and documentation procedures
• Knowledge of how to enact emergency procedures, support volunteers through emergency procedures, provide outreach, and fulfill documentation procedures

Qualifications

• Comfortable with learning new technology, multi-tasking and toggling across multiple technology platforms
• One year of mental health work experience required.
• One year of supervisory experience strongly preferred.
• One year of crisis line text or phone counseling experience preferred - including completion of crisis line training.
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with an associate's or bachelor’s degree in a social science or closely-related field is preferred. This may be substituted for comparable work experience.

Additional Requirements

• Must complete Background Check (DoJ) and LiveScan
• Must live within a 100 mile radius of Oakland, CA 94609
• Must be able to commute onsite to fulfill the role's onsite requirements
• Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (Fully vaccinated is defined as having received both initial doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine OR the single dose of the Jansen vaccine.) Or have a valid religious or medical exemption.
• Must have access to a secure internet connection (If secure, you should see a padlock next to the wifi symbol), a computer with camera (for remote meetings), a mobile phone (for multi-factor authentication), and a private space for taking text sessions, making calls, and attending meetings. Or be able to work fully onsite to accommodate any of these needs.
  
  
  
  

Mission & Values

Agency Mission
To reach out and offer support to people of all ages and backgrounds during times of crisis, to work to prevent the suicide of those who are actively suicidal, and to offer hope and caring during times of hopelessness.

Agency Values
We care, from the inside out. With open hearts and minds, we build connections and remain committed to growth to be the best for the people we serve.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement
CSS works toward the elimination of the tragic experience of suicide in Alameda County and this cannot be accomplished without the elimination of racism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of oppression in our community. We acknowledge that dismantling systems of oppression requires active engagement and constant effort. In order to better serve the diverse communities of Alameda County, address the above inequities, and elevate voices and experiences of those directly impacted by suicidal thinking or behaviors.

CSS commits to:

• Encourage and support education, self-reflection, and both personal and professional development for all levels of CSS workforce and governance.
• Develop and provide services that incorporate the wisdom of the communities that CSS serves.
• Advocate for and promote policies that serve the mental health needs of diverse communities within Alameda County with the goal of creating a more robust crisis continuum that is not dependent on law enforcement and correctional facilities.
• Openly request, receive, and utilize feedback provided by community members and partner agencies to develop policies and processes.
• Continuously and critically review CSS policies, practices, and performance to demonstrate adherence to these diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments.
  

Crisis Support Services of Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status. We value the range of life experiences our staff bring with them and are stronger for having staff and volunteers with lived experience of surviving suicidal crises.