Trans Lifeline is a trans-led organization that connects trans people to the community, support, and resources they need to survive and thrive. Trans Lifeline was founded in 2014 as a peer-support crisis hotline. The Hotline was, and still is, the only service in the country in which all operators are transgender. Because of the particularly vulnerable relationship transgender people have with police, it is also the only service in the country with a policy against non-consensual active rescue. Since our founding, Trans Lifeline’s services have grown to match growing need from our community. Our Hotline has evolved from an entirely volunteer-run operation into a comprehensive resource that employs trans people working as paid operators and team leads. Our operators have logged thousands of hours of talk time with trans people in our community, and, with new volunteers signing up all the time, our capacity is only growing. In time, we came to recognize that the epidemic of suicide in the trans community is inextricably tied to the economic justice issues trans people face at alarming rates, and that meaningful emotional support often requires financial support as well. In 2017, Trans Lifeline merged with the Trans Assistance Project, which became our Microgrants program. Microgrants offers low-barrier grants to trans people for legal name changes and updated government identification documents, as well as specialized support for incarcerated and undocumented trans people. While this is a relatively new program, we recently celebrated the disbursal of $100,000 in small grants to trans people - all with a commitment to resist gatekeeping and respectability politics. Trans Lifeline is committed to being a resource that the trans community can continue to rely on for years to come. With your support, we can keep these vital services available to those in our community who need them most.

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.

Role Responsibilities

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

Must-Have Qualifications

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.

Successful Operators at Trans Lifeline Possess a Hodgepodge of These Traits

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)

The Hiring Timeline

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 10th 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 10th 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?

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)

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?

What does ACAB mean to you?

Staff Hotline Operator

Offer summary

Qualifications:

Key responsabilities:

Job description

Required profile

Experience

Other Skills

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