Family Support Liaison - Hartford, CT

Come join our team and become part of what the Boston Globe has recognized as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts 2018 - 2024! 

Saving lives through organ and tissue donation is the mission uniting our employees and drives the work we do. 

New England Donor Services (NEDS) coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont and Bermuda. Responsible for one of the largest of the 56 Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) that make up the nation’s donation system, NEDS works with over 200 hospitals and serves nearly 15 million people in our region, screening nearly 55,000 potential donor referrals annually. With approximately $110M in operating revenues, NEDS employs 348 clinical and non-clinical staff members throughout New England and across the country.

Our vision is to be a leader in the development and implementation of strategies to increase the life-saving and life-enhancing gifts of organ and tissue donation through effective relationships with our clinical partners, donor families and the communities we serve.

The Family Support Liaison (FSL) is an empathetic, respectful, and skilled professional dedicated to the NEDS mission of saving and enhancing lives through organ and tissue donation. This position works under the direction of Sr. Director, Family Services. The FSL responds on-site throughout the donor service area to referrals, collaborates with hospital care team, and supports next-of-kin and extended family pre/during/post extubation in a manner that meets NEDS’ mission, vision, and values while best serving Donor Families. 

FOCUS AREAS/ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Receives referrals from Primary Family Coordinator (PFC) or designee, arrives on-site to hospital and collaborates with hospital care team, provides support and guidance to next-of-kin throughout donation process.
• Assess and advocate for religious accommodation needs of Donor Families.
• Guiding Donor Families through the emotional process of grief and loss as family honors the gift of donation.
• During periods where no Donation After Cardiac Death (DCD) support is scheduled, FSL performs duties assigned by PFC or designee.
• Ability to work 18-hour on-call shifts.
• Documents all follow-up into NEDS electronic medical record.
• Participates in required meetings and training.
• Performs other duties as deemed necessary by Senior Director and/or Manager of Family Services.

The FSL will work (12) 18-hour on-call shifts per month from 6:00am - midnight. with weekend and holiday rotation. 

Family Support Liaison will live within a hour radius of Hartford, CT .

• Computer & Application Literacy: Proficiency in Microsoft Office products (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Microsoft Outlook required. Experience with electronic medical records (e.g., Cerner, Epic, Meditech) preferred.

• Interpersonal and Communication Skills:  strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.  Ability to critically think, problem solve, and work productively both independently and as a team participant with both NEDS staff members and hospital partners. Skilled in active listening and proven ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.

• Organization: Is able to successfully prioritize when faced with demands, requests and deadlines.  Effectively handles competing priorities. Is able to distinguish between the crucial and trivial.  Sees the big picture.  Keeps situations in proper perspective.

• Confidentiality: Ability to handle highly confidential information in a professional manner.  High level of judgment and discretion.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree preferred with experience and/or a combination of knowledge, education, training and/or equivalent background as an OPO Family Services and/ or Hospital Development Coordinator.
• Proven competence as determined by Sr. Director, Family Services and/or current supervisor. 
• Chaplaincy, palliative care, hospice, social work background highly preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: 

• BCC, ACC preferred.
• Travel and driving are required for this role, must have a valid drivers license. 

What You’ll Be a Part Of:

You will be part of a team that supports the NEDS mission, to Save and Heal Lives, through the gift of Organ and Tissue Donation.  As an NEDS employee, our benefits include:

• Generous paid time-off program
• Health, Dental, Vision, and Mental Health insurance coverage
• 2x Annual Salary Life Insurance
• Fertility Benefits
• LGBTQIA+ Focused Healthcare Programs
• Flex Spending Account Options
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with Organizational Contributions
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Pet Insurance
• Working Advantage discounts Program.
• Personal career and skill development opportunities

You can also participate in Corporate sponsored events like the annual Blue & Green Walk, Community Volunteering opportunities, Organization-wide team-building outings, and more!

HIRING ALERT: NEDS is actively taking precautions to protect our community, staff and partners during this time of medical emergency due to COVID-19. In order to be employed at NEDS, you must be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19.

When you join New England Donor Services you can expect competitive salaries and a great benefit package. Benefits include a generous paid time off program, BCBS Health and Dental Insurance, Healthcare Reimbursement Account, 2x Annual Salary Life Insurance, Pet Insurance, Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Coverage, 403(b) Retirement Contribution, Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Assistance Program and Discounts through Working Advantage.

New England Donor Services is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diverse candidates to apply to meet the needs of the multicultural and multilingual communities we serve.

Hear from some of our employees at www.neds.org/careers

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.