Job Description

About YWCA South Hampton Roads
YWCA South Hampton Roads (YWCA SHR) is the oldest and largest multicultural women’s organization in the world. YWCA SHR is dedicated to the fullness of its mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

Serving approximately 8,000 individuals each year, YWCA SHR is a source of strength, courage and empowerment for women and families facing crisis. We are a community catalyst for meaningful change and the advocate for shaping vital impact through quality services responding to the critical needs of survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence. YWCA SHR works across racial, gender, religious and social lines with organizations-partners in all sectors to educate about disparities, advocate for change and provide resources and tools to dismantle oppressive systems.

YWCA SHR is in the midst of a rapid transformation from a well-established direct service provider for women and families facing crisis to an organization working at the intersection of eliminating racism, empowering women and standing up for social justice, helping families and strengthening our community.

About the Position

Under the general supervision of the Chief Impact & Operating Officer, the Director of Survivor Advocacy & Crisis Response provides strategic leadership for YWCA South Hampton Roads’ counseling, 24/7 crisis hotline, and victim advocacy services. This role ensures survivors receive comprehensive, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive support that promotes healing, empowerment, safety, and long-term stability.

This leader oversees clinical services, counseling, 24/7 crisis hotline, and victim advocacy programs while advancing service quality, ethical practice, and survivor-centered care.

Essential Duties

Program Leadership & Operational Oversight

• Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for counseling services, 24/7 crisis hotline operations, victim advocacy, legal advocacy, and supportive survivor services.
• Ensure the delivery of trauma-informed, survivor-centered, culturally responsive, and equity-driven services that promote safety, healing, empowerment, and long-term stability.
• Oversee program planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement efforts across all survivor advocacy and support programs.
• Develop, implement, and monitor policies, procedures, and best practices related to counseling services, crisis intervention, advocacy, confidentiality, and participant care.
• Monitor program utilization, service outcomes, hotline responsiveness, participant engagement, and overall program effectiveness.
• Ensure alignment of services and programming with organizational mission, strategic priorities, and evolving community needs.

Staff Leadership & Team Development

• Provide leadership, supervision, and support to clinicians, victim advocates, hotline staff, and program managers.
• Foster a collaborative, trauma-informed, and accountable workplace culture that supports professional growth, inclusion, and staff well-being.
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, training, scheduling, performance management, and staff development initiatives.
• Provide reflective supervision, coaching, and clinical-informed guidance to staff serving survivors impacted by trauma and violence.
• Promote staff resilience, retention, and sustainability through supportive leadership and wellness-centered practices.

Service Quality, Compliance & Risk Management

• Oversee service documentation, participant records, hotline documentation, and outcome tracking to ensure quality and accountability.
• Ensure compliance with HIPAA, VAWA confidentiality requirements, ethical standards, accreditation standards where applicable, and all grant and funding requirements.
• Lead quality assurance and program monitoring activities to strengthen service delivery, participant experience, and program effectiveness.
• Utilize participant feedback, data analysis, and outcome measurement to evaluate services and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate with leadership, finance, and grants teams to support audits, reporting requirements, and contract compliance.

Community Engagement & Systems Coordination

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with courts, healthcare providers, schools, law enforcement, social service agencies, and victim service organizations.
• Represent the organization in community coalitions, coordinated response teams, and advocacy initiatives related to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.
• Strengthen coordinated community responses and referral systems to improve survivor access to supportive services and resources.
• Identify opportunities for program growth, partnership development, and enhanced survivor support services within the community.
• Provide DART/SART trainings to partners (DART = Domestic Assault Response Team, SART = Sexual Assault Response Team)

Strategic Leadership

• Support innovation in counseling access, advocacy models, and crisis response services.
• Contribute to grant writing, reporting, and organizational impact storytelling.

Additional Duties

• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

Minimum Requirements

Education and Experience

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Public Health, Nonprofit Management, or related field (or equivalent lived/professional experience).
• Minimum 5 years in nonprofit leadership roles with direct supervision responsibilities.
• Deep knowledge of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trauma-informed advocacy.
• Proven experience with program management, grant compliance, and community-based services.
• Commitment to racial and gender equity and YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.

Preferred

• Experience in clinical counseling or therapeutic program oversight, victim advocacy or survivor services, case management program leadership, or trauma-informed behavioral health or social services systems
• Bilingual (Spanish/English or other high-need languages) a plus.

Other Requirements

• Must be 18 years of age
• Must complete the training programs of YWCA SHR
• Must complete a successful background check

Skills and Competencies

• Demonstrate knowledge of interpersonal violence and a strong commitment to ending violence against women, men, and children.
• Non-judgmental attitude, sensitive to confidential information.
• Must be able to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and respond to participants in a professional and reassuring manner.
• Demonstrate ability to act as an advocate on behalf of clients with a working knowledge of legal, medical, and social service systems.
• Must be able to function as a team with other co-workers.
• Ability to work well with people of various ethnic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both orally and in writing.
• Must complete the training programs of the YWCA SHR.
• Must have excellent driving record and have a valid driver’s license; certificate of insurance from an insurance carrier licensed in the State of Virginia.
• Requires willingness to work and travel alone.
• Travel is required and access to reliable transportation is essential.

CORE VALUES

The Director of Survivor Advocacy & Crisis Response is expected to model the YWCA SHR Core Values:

• Compassion
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Ownership
• Responsibility
• Empowerment

WORKING CONDITIONS: Work is performed in a typical office environment with a high standard of confidentiality. A typical work week is M-F 9:00am-5:00pm. Frequent travel between multiple YWCA sites in Hampton Roads is required.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This position is responsible for the oversight of all 24/7 crisis hotlines, emergency shelter, counseling, case management, housing stabilization programs, interns, and volunteers. This includes general coaching and mentoring, goal creation and tracking, timesheet review, new staff onboarding, performance reviews, and training as necessary.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Ability to travel in varying weather conditions.
• Must have the use of sensory skills in order to effectively communicate and interact with other employees and the public through the use of the telephone and personal contact as normally defined by the ability to see, read, talk, hear, handle or feel objects and controls
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to:
• Frequently walk, use hands to finger, climb a ladder, handle or feel objects, tools or controls and talks or hears
• Often required to stand and sit; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, bend, squat or crawl
• Ability to lift and carry up to 60 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus
• The noise level in the work environment is moderately loud
• Physical capability to effectively use and operate various items of office related equipment, such as but not limited to, a personal computer, calculator, copier and fax machine

COMPENSATION: This position offers a hiring range of $65,000-75,000 that is based on experience and a full benefits packet to include health, vision, and dental insurance, 17 paid holidays, vacation, sick leave, retirement and other benefits. We actively welcome all candidates from a wide range of backgrounds who have the skills to fulfill this role – regardless of compensation history. This is a full-time, exempt position.

START TIMEFRAME: Position will be open until filled. Interested applicants are requested to submit an online application at ywca-shr.org to include a cover letter, and resume.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) REQUIREMENTS: YWCA SHR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires YWCA SHR to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.