Staff Hotline Operator

Title: Staff Operator

Reports to: Hotline Manager

Location: Remote - the US only

About Trans Lifeline

Trans Lifeline ('TL' for short) is a grassroots hotline and microgrants 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community. At Trans Lifeline, we connect trans and gender expansive people to the community, resources, and support they need to survive and thrive -- building a resilient trans community through trans-led direct services. By providing care, Trans Lifeline identifies the trans community’s most pressing needs and brings that expertise to the broader movement for LGBTQIA+ equality.

Trans Lifeline is an equal opportunity employer. Transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex people, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, and formerly incarcerated people are important members of our team. It is the policy of Trans Lifeline not to discriminate in the employment of staff, or in the selection of volunteers, on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, financial status or HIV status. Trans Lifeline works affirmatively to build a staff and board that includes people of different races, classes, genders, physical and mental abilities, ages, and sexual orientations. We are here for the entire community of people who identify as trans. We find and celebrate the diversity within our community in our callers, volunteers, and staff.

About the Role

Our Hotline team provides support to trans people across the United States who are in crisis, seeking resources, or simply need a peer to chat with. Our hotline is staffed entirely by trans people who provide anonymous, confidential peer support to trans and questioning callers. Operators are the heart of this work—the backbone of Trans Lifeline. Every call answered is an act of care that strengthens our community and upholds our mission.

This full-time position will work remotely and follows a block schedule consisting of an eight-hour shift, which includes 4 hours of on-call work, a one-hour paid meal break, and 3 hours dedicated to administrative duties and other TL-related tasks. This structured approach ensures a balanced workflow while prioritizing operator well-being and mental health. By providing a predictable schedule and designated time for various responsibilities, this model supports both efficiency and sustainability in daily operations.

This role will be hired alongside 2 other FT staff operators and 1 temporary-hire operator (through 2025), and will undergo training and onboarding in a cohort model.

• Answer calls on the peer support hotline, ensuring quality peer support & maintaining a high answer rate
• Maintain mutual informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality with callers
• Keep accurate, timely, and informative call logs and appropriate call tags
• Communicate and engage virtually with team members using Slack, email and real-time video conferencing platforms like Google Meet and Zoom
• Assist callers in identifying and accessing material resources and community support
• Adhere to peer support model as provided in the hotline operator training, including caller-led conversations, active listening, and supporting diverse trans people
• Support and engage volunteers and fellow staff operators
• Be punctual and reliable for shifts, meetings, and timekeeping
• Manage high pressure situations while maintaining empathy & appropriate boundaries
• Available for four weekday (Monday-Friday) shifts every week between 10am - 6pm PST / 1pm - 9pm EST

• Trans and non-binary people are strongly encouraged to apply
• Available to work late nights depending on time zone
• Located in the United States
• 18 years old or older
• Ability to work remotely, including using technology (including text and video chat), and access to a private, quiet workspace with reliable internet access.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, as the position requires frequent phone conversations
• Willingness to participate in initial and ongoing mandatory training as a trainee and potentially as an educator
• Philosophy compatible with Trans Lifeline’s values, especially never calling emergency services without informed consent
• Peer support framework: trauma-informed harm reduction approach; commitment to callers’ autonomy & self-determination
• Cultural humility: the ability to honor, center, and trust the experiences of people facing marginalizations different than one’s own
• This role does not require formal education or certifications. The organization provides extensive mandatory training to all staff and volunteer hotline operators before they start on the line.

• Experience setting strong boundaries and limits
• Consistently communicates needs with team members and organizational leadership
• Comfortable speaking with and building rapport with many different kinds of people of different ages / contexts
• Can provide a calm and warm neutral tone with callers and is able to attune & match a caller’s vibe and register
• Strong knowledge of potential resources or methods for digging up resources both official and unofficial
• Willingness to engage directly and respectfully in conflict without necessarily escalating or holding onto past disagreements
• Reliability in showing up every day and coordinating coverage for time off
• Are well-resourced (is a part of strong support networks, follows a self-care and resiliency practice, etc)
• Passionate about community (has lived experience dealing with people in crisis whatever that looks like in their community)
• Direct service experience makes up a significant portion of their career fabric
• Has worked in a virtual, remote space before
• Emotional intelligence (self-aware about growth edges and able to work well with others)
• Self-directed (able to look up resources independently, manages their time well, takes a certain amount of initiative in solving problems)

• Please note: **These dates accompanied with two asterisks are subject to shift by up to about one week. We wanted to offer a high-level overview of the expected pacing for this hiring process overall
• Thursday, March 6th: The posting goes live
• Wednesday, March 12th at 10am Pacific/noon CT/1pm EST: Application window opens for self-tape and resume submissions
• Friday, March 14th by 5pm Pacific: Application window closes (or whenever 100 applications are received, whichever is first)
• **Friday, March 21st: Applicants are notified whether or not they are advancing to the interview stage
• **March 24th - April 3rd: Virtual Interviews take place hosted by the Hiring Manager and People & Culture director
• **Thursday, April 10th: Interviewed candidates are notified whether or not they are advancing to the offer stage
• **Monday, April 14th: Target Start Date
• Please note: We are still actively considering your application if you haven’t heard from us yet. We will respond to all applicants. You can direct inquiries on the hiring process or requests for reasonable accommodation to people@translifeline.org. 

How to Apply

Due to limited team capacity, we will close the application window after receiving the first 100 self-tape submissions. For this reason and in the spirit of fairness, we will not begin accepting application submissions until the following day and time:

Application Window Opens:

Wednesday, March 12th at 10 AM PST | 11 AM MST | 12 PM CT | 1 PM EST

To apply, please submit a 5-minute self-tape (further instructions below) and your resume once the application window opens here on this page on Wednesday, March 12th at 10 am Pacific. Applications received before this time will not be considered.

Why Are We Asking for Self-Tapes?

Meant to replace the written application essays + cover letter stage AND the phone screen stage—our intention behind switching to a process in which applicants submit 5-minute self-tapes rather than complete a traditional application and phone screen was to:

--Simplify the process and reduce the administrative/scheduling burden on internal hiring committee members

--Improve and clarify the candidate experience by better honoring applicants’ time and labor

--Reduce the length of the overall hiring process and streamline it by removing redundant interview stages

--Get a more tangible feel for candidate’s personality and motivations sooner in the process

--Accessibility: By providing interview and self-tape prompts upfront, folks can record their self-tapes over several takes, and plot out their interview responses ahead of time, thus decreasing some of the pressure of real-time interviews where deeply introspective questions are often asked on the spot, without adequate time to process and recall specific experiences.

What Should You Include in Your Self-Tape?

The following prompts are meant as a guide to help you structure the content of your 5-minute self-tape application.

Please begin your self-tape by answering the Introduction prompts, then choose one prompt to answer from each of the remaining sections: 1) Getting to know you, 2) Your Work Experience, and 3) Culture & Values Alignment.

If you would like to tell us about yourself, your relevant work experience, and your values in a different format beyond the prompts provided, we welcome your creativity and authentic self-expression in completing these self-tape applications.

Note: In the 'full name' section of the application form, you should enter the name you go by (you do not need to enter your birth and/or legal name).

When answering each prompt, please respond as thoroughly and authentically as possible to help us learn the most about you and your potential fit for this role and TL.

Self-Tape Prompts

INTRODUCTION:

Name

Pronouns

Where you’re based geographically

GETTING TO KNOW YOU:

What’s one thing that gives you life / gets you from day to day?

OR

How would the people closest to you describe you?

YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE

What are your superpowers? (e.g. can get to the bottom of any problem, enjoy making authentic connections with strangers, super confident public speaker, etc)

OR

You’re building your liberation team. Which fictional characters, real-life heroes, or ancestors are on your team and why?

CULTURE & VALUES ALIGNMENT

What are the best and worst parts of this work, from your experience?

OR

What does ACAB mean to you?