Early Childhood Customer Service Specialist (Staff Wage)

The Pre-School Development Grant Birth-5 (PDG B-5) within the Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia seeks applicants for 2 part-time Customer Service Specialists to join our LinkB5 team. The incumbent will support the Outreach team of the LinkB5 Data Portal by  providing direct hotline (via chat, email, and phone) support to website users. An important aspect of this position is providing efficient, friendly, and actionable customer support to the Portal users, as well as building a complete working knowledge of the User Interface of the website. The ideal candidate has experience working and communicating with preschool-age teachers and/or care providers, as well as experience with multiple software packages and aptitude for learning new technologies. 

The Customer Service Specialist will help conduct daily operations in specialized areas to ensure Outreach interactions meet user needs and the objectives of the LinkB5 project. The incumbent may also assist senior project staff in providing scheduling and onboarding support to temporary employees who staff hotline hours at intervals across the project year. In addition, the ideal candidate will provide logistical support to the senior team members by helping update hotline training and user support materials. 

Role and Responsibilities: 

 The Customer Service Specialist will provide customer support (via chat, email, and phone) to users of the LinkB5 website. In collaboration with senior team members, the incumbent will provide logistical support to LinkB5 users by:  

• Delivering technically accurate and actionable website guidance by phone, chat, and email 
• Remaining responsive and sensitive to user inquiries 
• Collecting user pain points and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 
• Reporting technical bugs encountered by users 
• Logging each user contact within existing project protocols 
• Actively reaching out to senior team members when guidance is needed 

In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned. 

Required Qualifications 

 Bachelors degree and at least two years of specialized customer service experience. 

Preferred Skills 

•  Experience or interest in providing customer support. 
• Familiarity with one or more of the following platforms: ZenDesk or another CMS, Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Drive, Kanban-style project management software, Outlook applications, and Microsoft Teams. 
• Very high attention to detail. 
• Strong desire to learn new skills and abilities and to continuously improve practices. 
• Experience in the education sector, including with young children ages birth to five. 

Compensation Information  

 $20–$25 per hour 

Application Instructions 

Please apply through Workday , and search for Early Childhood Customer Service Specialist or R0057299.  Complete an application online with the following documents: 

•  CV or Resume 
• Cover letter (optional) 

Upload all materials into the resume submission field. Multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission.  

 Applications that do not contain all the required documents will not receive full consideration. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching ‘Find Jobs.’   

For additional information about the position, please contact Moira Johnson, LinkB5 Project Manager, at [email protected] . For questions about the application process, please contact  Jen Krahn at [email protected]. 

This is a wage position which is not eligible for leave or other benefits and is limited to 1500 hours of work in a year. For more information, refer to the Wage Employment link: http://uvapolicy.virginia.edu/policy/HRM-029

The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.  This position will also require an Education Verification

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Experience: At least two years of specialized customer service experience

Licensure: None

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require walking some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The University of Virginia, i ncluding the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.  We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person’s perspectives and lived experiences.  We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.