Bilingual Community Navigator

Are you looking for work that makes a difference? Make lives better by connecting the community to the resources they need - every day.

Our Bilingual Community Navigator provides comprehensive community navigation to inquirers through the 211 line, answers specialty lines related to community navigation, and performs non-clinical assessments in the mental health and substance use fields before dispatching a mobile crisis team.

The Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario (CNEO) is a non-profit, bilingual organization that helps to connect people through multilingual mediated access to community, social, health and government services in their community. CNEO has been operating 211 Services in Eastern Ontario since 2008, and is a partner in the Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response Project as of 2024.

Key activities

Community Navigation (formerly information and referral services)

• Provides comprehensive community navigation to enquirers; responds to inquiries by phone, in writing or in person, in a clear and effective manner;
• Performs non-clinical assessments of the enquirer’s problems and needs;
• Uses the community information database and other resources relevant to the enquirer’s needs to search programs and services;
• Provides the enquirer with community navigation and with information, enabling the enquirer to choose the most appropriate resource(s);
• Assists the enquirer, when necessary, in contacting and using the available service(s);
• Conducts follow-ups to ensure that the enquirer’s needs have been met, when required;
• Contributes to maintaining an accurate and up-to-date resource system, including the internet-based database;
• Deescalates crisis calls, including transfers to 911 or crisis lines when appropriate;
• Collects and maintains statistical data on all navigation enquiries; and completes Illustrative Case studies and advocacy with local and provincial partnerships;
• Works towards personal/family preparedness for potential disasters and other emergencies;
• During the agency’s role in disaster or emergency response situations, may be requested to work shifts and perform roles outside typical duties;
• Obtain and then maintain the Community Resource Specialist (CRS) certification;
• Participates in other community navigation and/or registration initiatives;
• Other administrative duties as required.

Alternate Neighbourhood Response Project

• Works with community partners to support and prioritize calls received for the Alternate Neighbourhood Response (ANCHOR) Program;
• Follows all protocols and procedures when receiving and triaging calls and when using the dispatch portal and systems for the ANCHOR program;
• Supports ANCHOR callers with their needs and conducts a safety risk assessment to determine type and urgency of call;
• Determines plan of action and prioritize needs for ANCHOR calls which may include 911, dispatching mobile crisis van for urgent and non-urgent crises, and/or directing to other services;
• Offers phone supporting while clients await the mobile crises team;
• Provides documentation in case notes that are informative, concise, and clear, including an environmental assessment to assist the Mobile Crisis Team;
• Refers calls to mental health and/or other supports and conducts follow up on calls where information and referrals provided.

Job requirements for this position:

• University or college degree in the social sciences field or equivalent experience of education and community sector experience;
• Fluently bilingual in both official languages (spoken and written) with strong knowledge of French and English grammar/punctuation/spelling;
• Be flexible to work in a rapidly changing environment with varying hours;
• Excellent knowledge of the not-for-profit sector and human services system;
• Excellent knowledge of computer systems, technology and data entry;
• Attention to detail, and the ability to perform repetitive tasks;
• Time management (including punctuality), multitasking and organizational skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Ability to efficiently defuse an escalating situation;
• Ability to communicate without expressing opinions, judgment, stereotypes or prejudices.

Assets for this position:

• Completed the Applied Suicide Intervention Training (ASIST) or Safe Talk Training;
• Completed a Crisis Intervention Training;
• Knowledge and experience of call centre operations

Working Conditions
The Community Navigator will be located in a busy, open area office. When working from home, staff will have to work within a private room where outside noises cannot be heard, and are expected to perform their work as if they were in an office. They will be faced with frequent interruptions and must meet with others on a regular basis.

• Physical Conditions
  The Community Navigator will spend long hours sitting and using office equipment, telephones and computers, which can cause muscle strain.
• Sensory Demands
  The Community Navigator must spend long hours in concentration answering calls in support of the 211 and ANCHOR service which will range from simple requests to crisis calls.
• Mental Demands
  The volume and type of calls received by the 211 service may cause high levels of stress, especially during times of increased community need (e.g. winter holidays, floods, pandemic). The Community Navigator must also meet deadlines associated with their position and serve as a resource for other team members.

Additional Information:

• Only fluently bilingual (English and French) candidates will be considered
• The training period is Mon-Fri 8:30 am-4:30 pm and is paid at $23 per hour. Once training is completed and the employee can satisfactorily answer 211 calls without constant supervision, the pay increases to $26,37 and the employee will then later move into their shift, working a total of 70 hours bi-weekly.
• There are occasional shifts outside regular hours of work to cover vacation or sick leave - for example, a daytime staff may need to occasionally fill a night or weekend shift
• Additional on-call shifts are enforced ($20 to be on call, paid time and a half if called in for the shift)
• Hybrid work arrangement available

Shifts available:

• Daytime weekday: Monday to Friday, five eight-hour shifts falling between 6 am-midnight window - you get a "standing" shift but occasionally cover some weekends and some overnights.
• Daytime weekend coverage 1: two 12-hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday during the daytime, one 10 h shift on Monday during the daytime and one 9 h shift on Tuesday one week during the daytime, off the next Tuesday - hours vary but remain within the "daytime" window as noted above
• Daytime weekend coverage 2: 40 h a week from Wednesday to Sunday, hours to be determined but leaning more on coverage of Saturday/Sunday.
• Overnight: shifts on rotation from 7 pm or 8 pm to 6 am or 7 am - rotation is week one: Sun-Mon, Mon-Tue, Fri-Sat, Sat-Sun / week two: Tue-Wed, Wed-Thu, Thu-Fri.

Please indicate in your cover letter when you are willing to work.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity:

CNEO promotes the principles of diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from members of Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women and non-binary persons, persons of all ethnic origins, religions, sexual orientations, classes, gender identities and expressions.

Accessibility:

CNEO encourages qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those who may need accommodation, to apply to join our staff team. If you require accommodation at any stage of the hiring process, please inform us. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Please send your request to HR through Indeed messages.

CNEO's Hiring Process

• Selection of resumes: When a vacancy opens at CNEO, a posting will be added on Indeed and/or Charity Village and other job search sites. The Director of Operations or delegate will read through applications using a first come-first served approach until enough candidates have been retained for following step.
• Introduction: An introductory message will be sent to candidates to highlight specific requirements of the role and to confirm that the candidate is being retained.
• Telephone Screening: A telephone screening call will be scheduled to evaluate spoken levels of English and French will be scheduled at that point. The screening will include information sharing about CNEO and the role, and will require candidates to tell us about themselves by answering a few short questions. This is a 15 minute call.
• Interview / written test: Candidates who succeed in the Telephone Screening part of the process will be invited to an in-person interview followed by a written test.
• Reference Check: Candidates who are successful in the Interview/Test portion of the process will be informed that we are proceeding to a reference check.
• Job offer: Following a successful reference check, CNEO will extend an offer of employment to the appropriate candidate.
• AI is not used at any level of the hiring process.

We thank all applicants, however, only those candidates to be interviewed will be contacted.