Survivor Advocacy Director-Waco

Unbound Now is ending human trafficking by identifying victims, supporting survivors, seeking justice, and leading system change. We are motivated by our faith in Jesus and work each day as individuals driven by hope, oriented towards service, and committed to excellence. To learn more about our values, please read our Statement of Faith.

Job Title: Director of Survivor Advocacy

Job Location: Local office, on-site

Job Status: Full-time, Grant-supported, with plans to seek continuation

Job Summary: The primary functions of the Director of Survivor Advocacy are to provide leadership and supervision for the local regional advocacy team; ensure effective advocate training and excellence in service delivery; develop and maintain strong relationships with law enforcement, state child welfare agencies (DFPS), care coordinators, service partners, and other referral sources; monitor intake of new clients; manage local office advocacy operations; and ensure timely and accurate documentation, data collection, and regional reporting for grant and state contract compliance.

Compensation: Annual salary

Benefits: Unbound Now is proud to offer a premier benefits package that prioritizes the health and financial security of our team members and their families:

100% Employer-Paid Health Insurance: We cover 100% of medical premiums for both the employee and their family.

Employer-Paid Life Insurance: Fully covered for the employee at no cost.

Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with a 3% salary match (eligible after 90 days; 1-year vesting).

Dental & Vision: Comprehensive plans available at the employee’s expense.

Schedule/Availability: Generally Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Weekends, evenings, and holidays as needed. Frequent back-up/supervisory call. Anticipated 45–50-hour workweek. Active on-site presence required at the local office.

Working conditions: Work is performed in standard office settings, hospital/court environments, partner agency facilities, service-provider sites, or other professional business environments. Extensive work is conducted within the community, including high-vulnerability locations. Duties occasionally require exposure to weather extremes, hazardous environments, noise, fumes, odors, bodily fluids, and high-stress situations.

Travel: Frequent travel within the immediate local area and occasional in-state or out-of-state travel required for partner meetings, crisis response, survivor transportation backup, court accompaniment, or professional training.

Job Responsibilities

Supervisory & Direct Advocacy Leadership:

Maintain a strong line of communication with Unbound Now's Survivor Advocacy Program Director regarding regional Survivor Advocacy Program issues, programmatic developments, and advocacy services.

Meet regularly with other Unbound Now Directors of Survivor Advocacy and advocacy leadership for peer support, collaboration, and project alignment.

In coordination with the Survivor Advocacy Program Director, Regional Director, and HR Department, recruit, screen, hire, train, engage, supervise, and retain Advocates, Program Support Specialists, Lead Advocates (where applicable), interns, and volunteers. Pursue high staff retention by actively supporting emotional/supervisory needs, shouldering advocate responsibilities during high-demand or emergency periods, and encouraging participation in the monthly advocate resilience group.

Conduct annual performance reviews for all regional advocacy personnel in coordination with the Survivor Advocacy Program Director, if needed, and the HR Department.

Rotate supervisory on-call coverage to support advocates responding on scene during all hours of the night. Maintain the regional office survivor advocacy calendar, including on-call schedules, time-off schedules, and weekly advocacy team meetings.

Ensure immediate crisis intervention, ongoing relational advocacy, case management, and emotional support are provided to survivors of human trafficking (both CSEY Youth and Adult Labor). Ensure case management is relationship-based, trauma-responsive, and survivor-centered.

Model, train, and evaluate advocates on conveying a service-oriented philosophy—ensuring warmth, helpfulness, warm handoffs, resourcefulness, and help for individuals even when ineligible for Unbound Now scope.

Set clear policy and protocol expectations, assess advocate skill sets, provide on-the-job training, and model desired behaviors.

Conduct individual advocate supervision at least every other week in person (virtual/phone supervision restricted to once every 30 days maximum). Ensure clinical/case supervision occurs within one week of any care coordination team meeting where an assigned client was staffed. Document all supervision sessions in a maintained supervision file for each advocate, incorporating Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Stages of Change terminology.

Audit and verify advocate contact cadences with survivors (confirming bi-weekly in-town contacts, monthly out-of-town contacts, and routine safety plan updates). Contact youth/clients once a month and parents/guardians once a month, document contact, confirm advocate-reported contact records, and document confirmation. Meet with survivors both during and upon completion of service to assess their sense of safety and care within the program.

Administrative, Compliance & Operational Governance:

Monitor compliance with Unbound Now policies, procedures, state agency requirements (including DFPS MOUs), CSEY Minimum Standards, and, if applicable, the Adult Labor standards in coordination with the Survivor Advocacy Program Director.

Audit and review documentation of all advocates to be within 72 hours of client interactions (at least twice a month formally with assistance from the specific Program Coordinators, Lead Advocates, or Support Specialists) and document the completion of the review. Ensure full team adherence to entering timely, accurate data into the case management software system.

Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with local DFPS, law enforcement agencies, care coordinators, service partners, MDTs, local task forces/coalitions, and the regional advisor for the Governor's Child Sex Trafficking Team (CSTT) to ensure rapid victim identification and seamless referral pathways. Actively seek formal and informal feedback from state and community service partners.

Schedule and document all required onboarding and ongoing trainings for advocates, volunteers, and interns. Provide training, support, and supervision in the implementation of the OHTS tool. Schedule and facilitate weekly advocacy team meetings and staffings.

Guide advocates through statutory mandatory reporting obligations and handle escalated red-flag or inappropriate behaviors and policy violations. Respond appropriately and immediately to allegations of abuse, including youth-to-youth sexual activity, adhering strictly to protocol:

Take all allegations seriously.

Respond immediately—if there is reason to believe behavior is abusive, report to law enforcement and child welfare authorities (DFPS).

Report to the Regional Director and Survivor Advocacy Program Director immediately.

Collect information, as appropriate.

Develop and document the response and corrective action plan.

Determine and meet the needs of the alleged victim.

Prevent further access by the alleged perpetrator.

Develop local survivor advocacy budgets and spending protocols with the Survivor Advocacy Program Director and ensure team budget compliance.

Review regional programmatic data for grant and state contract reports, ensure completion of monthly DFPS reports, assist with quarterly reporting, and assist in setting goals and providing data for future DFPS contract and grant funding applications.

Act as local Card Manager to review team spend weekly, assess policy adherence, and follow all Ramp Monthly C