Bilingual Consumer Resource Specialist

Job Details

Job Location:

Rhode Island Parent Information Network - Warwick, RI 02888

Position Type:
Full Time

Job Posting

RIPIN deploys a peer model to support people with special healthcare and education needs across the whole lifespan. Founded in 1991 by a group of parents of children with special needs, RIPIN continues to be peer‑led: a majority of our board and more than three‑fourths of our staff are parents or caretakers of loved ones with special needs. RIPIN’s peer professionals now help more than 45,000 Rhode Islanders every year navigate healthcare, schools, and other support systems.

The Consumer Resource Specialist will provide comprehensive phone and in‑person supports to families and individuals navigating state/federal health insurance regulations. The role ensures families and individuals are supported in a responsive and timely manner, focusing on providing consumers and their families with information, resources, guidance, and assistance using a peer‑to‑peer support model.

• Provide daily telephone support to families, community members, and consumers regarding health insurance matters, offering information, resources, support, and problem‑solving to assist families in working together with private and public entities. Provide wraparound case management and advocacy to consumers with complex needs.
• Assist consumers in understanding and accessing informal and formal dispute resolution options and procedural safeguards in health and education. Document any grievances, assist in the coordination and submission of grievances as required by funding sources and/or other public and private agencies, and refer consumers to additional services or agencies as needed.
• Collaborate with RIPIN staff to continuously develop, assess, and implement outreach plans for call center programs to ensure seamless service delivery and avoid duplication of services. Continuously develop, assess, and implement program awareness campaigns to generate consumer utilization of call center resources.
• Accept other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

• Advanced knowledge of health insurance systems in RI and other human service systems supporting individuals with disabilities and/or special healthcare needs.
• High level of interpersonal skills and excellent communication skills to interact on a professional level with diverse stakeholders, including parents and professionals.
• Ability to convey complex information in a clear and understandable manner.
• Fluency (speaking, reading, and writing) in English and Spanish required.

• High school diploma/GED required;
  Associates degree or bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Education, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Personal experience navigating social, healthcare, and/or education systems and services for self or family member highly desired.
• Experience working with and outreaching to diverse populations.
• Experience organizing and/or delivering outreach/public awareness campaigns, workshops, and community information sessions.

• Regularly required to talk or hear.
• Regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hand to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls, and reach with hands and arms.
• Regularly required to climb stairs, reach, stretch, stand and bend.
• Required to have the ability to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Required to remain at their station for prolonged periods of time.

• Primary work location is a climate‑controlled indoor office environment; may also require visits in private homes, climbing up to three flights of stairs, and community locations.
• Flexibility for travel related to job requirements.
• Willingness and ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.
• Provide own reliable transportation with proof of valid driver’s license and RI auto insurance requirements.

RIPIN provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

This description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the employee a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations required of his/her position. As the nature of the Agency’s work changes, so too may the essential functions of this position.