Family Engagement Coordinator

Overview

Ready for a Life-Changing Career? Join LiveOnNY and Make a Lasting Impact 

LiveOnNY is a federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to honoring, saving, and transforming lives through organ and tissue donation. As a member of our team, you’ll be part of a mission-driven nonprofit organization working alongside more than 100 hospitals to support organ and tissue donors and their families—helping to bring the gift of life to those on the national transplant waitlist. 

Serving a vibrant and diverse population of 13 million across New York City and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Rockland, LiveOnNY is proud to be one of the highest-performing OPOs in the country. Over the past three years, we’ve seen a 70% increase in organ donation—driven by the compassion and generosity of New Yorkers. 

Explore a career where your work truly matters. At LiveOnNY, you’ll grow professionally while helping others live on. 

Family Engagement in organ and tissue donation is a specialized and regulated process that involves approaching families in two distinct scenarios: when First-Person Authorization (FPA), such as a signed donor registry, exists, and when no donor registration is found. In both circumstances, trained Family Engagement Coordinators (FECs) approach and engage potential donor families to explain the donation process, provide donation decision support, and honor the patient’s potential or actual donation decision.

The primary work location is assigned donor hospital sites within LiveOnNY’s service area. Presence at hospital locations is essential and required to execute clinical and operational responsibilities, ensure regulatory compliance, preserve chain-of-custody and documentation integrity, coordinate directly with hospital clinical teams, and represent LiveOnNY in real-time decision environments.

Responsibilities

• Works within established guidelines, exercising independence while adhering to defined regulatory, ethical, and organizational requirements.
• Responds on-site to donor hospitals, including but not limited to intensive care units and emergency departments, to provide compassionate support and advocacy to potential donor families on a 24/7 basis as assigned.
• Follows standardized processes with minimal supervision, using SOPs and regulatory guidance as the primary framework for processes and practice.
• Performs self-directed work within a structured environment, maintaining accountability to supervisory leadership.
• Adheres to SOPs to ensure consistent, high-quality output in their own work and to support quality assurance across peer practice.
• Initiates and leads sensitive mostly in-person, and when directed, telephonic conversations with next-of-kin (NYS AGA) regarding organ and tissue donation, often in high-pressure and emotionally charged situations.
• Independently manages routine and moderately complex family engagement interactions, including elevated emotional situations, potential conflict, and cultural or religious considerations.
• Provides guidance, education, and advocacy for donation options while respecting grief, cultural, religious, and individual family dynamics.
• Applies advanced judgment in assessing family readiness, dynamics, and support needs.
• Facilitates communication and coordination between donor families, LiveOnNY, hospital medical care teams of physicians and nurses, and LiveOnNY clinical and operational teams to ensure a collaborative, coordinated donation process.
• Supports and participates in orientation, training, and skill development of Family Engagement Coordinators as assigned.
• Maintains accurate, timely, and complete documentation of material family interactions, decisions, and authorization outcomes in compliance with federal regulations, CMS requirements, and LiveOnNY policies.
• Works within established guidelines with a high degree of autonomy, exercising advanced judgment while adhering to regulatory and LiveOnNY policy requirements.
• Provides real-time guidance and coaching to peer staff during challenging family engagement interactions.
• Applies advanced regulatory interpretation to support compliant and ethical practice.
• Identifies systemic practice issues and supports quality improvement and training initiatives.
• Identifies best practices and deviations from required practice and escalates appropriately in accordance with LiveOnNY SOPs.
• Participates in essential duties including but not limited to on-call rotations, including nights, weekends, and holidays, and maintains readiness to travel to multiple donor hospitals as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling, registered nurse, or a related field preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience and ability in managing complex family engagement conversations independently.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in OPO, healthcare, crisis counseling, social work, bereavement services, or family advocacy.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to navigate difficult conversations with empathy and professionalism.
• Demonstrated ability to remain calm, supportive, and effective in emotionally charged and emergency settings.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to donor hospitals as required.
• Ability to participate in 24/7 on-call rotations. 

LiveOnNY offers a competitive salary & comprehensive benefits package.

• 403(b) deferred annuity
• Medical/Vision/Dental
• Tuition reimbursement
• Paid time Off
• Pet Insurance
• Life Insurance and Disability plans

Salary Range: $70,142.00-132,773.00 annual salary, dependent on experience, qualifications and role level.