diff --git a/deploy/lambda-scheduled-event.json b/deploy/lambda-scheduled-event.json
index 6783fdb0d..80172f5c8 100644
--- a/deploy/lambda-scheduled-event.json
+++ b/deploy/lambda-scheduled-event.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
-  "command": "processJobsAndMessages",
+  "command": "dispatchProcesses",
   "description": "see docs/DEPLOYING_AWS_LAMBDA.md"
 }
diff --git a/docs/DEPLOYING_AWS_LAMBDA.md b/docs/DEPLOYING_AWS_LAMBDA.md
index 5d5414122..07b7198de 100644
--- a/docs/DEPLOYING_AWS_LAMBDA.md
+++ b/docs/DEPLOYING_AWS_LAMBDA.md
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ NOTES:
 
 ```
 claudia add-scheduled-event --name spoke-job-runner --schedule 'rate(5 minutes)' --event ./deploy/lambda-scheduled-event.json
-
 ```
 
 ## How this works
diff --git a/lambda.js b/lambda.js
index 89846f82b..01620ffe3 100644
--- a/lambda.js
+++ b/lambda.js
@@ -2,35 +2,37 @@
 const AWS = require('aws-sdk')
 const awsServerlessExpress = require('aws-serverless-express')
 const app = require('./build/server/server/index')
-const jobs = require('./build/server/workers/jobs')
+const jobs = require('./build/server/workers/job-processes')
 const server = awsServerlessExpress.createServer(app.default)
 exports.handler = (event, context) => {
-  if (event.command) {
+  if (!event.command) {
+    // default web server stuff
+    return awsServerlessExpress.proxy(server, event, context)
+  } else {
+    // handle a custom command sent as an event
     const functionName = context.functionName
     if (event.command in jobs) {
       const job = jobs[event.command]
       // behavior and arguments documented here:
       // https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/latest/AWS/Lambda.html#invoke-property
-      job({'event': event,
-           'dispatcher': function(dataToSend, callback) {
-             const lambda = AWS.Lambda()
-             return lambda.invoke({
-               FunctionName: functionName,
-               InvocationType: "Event", //asynchronous
-               Payload: JSON.stringify(dataToSend)
-             }, function(err, dataReceived) {
-               if (err) {
-                 console.error('Failed to invoke Lambda job: ', err)
-               }
-               if (callback) {
-                 callback(err, dataReceived)
-               }
-             })
-           }})
+      job(event,
+          function dispatcher(dataToSend, callback) {
+            const lambda = AWS.Lambda()
+            return lambda.invoke({
+              FunctionName: functionName,
+              InvocationType: "Event", //asynchronous
+              Payload: JSON.stringify(dataToSend)
+            }, function(err, dataReceived) {
+              if (err) {
+                console.error('Failed to invoke Lambda job: ', err)
+              }
+              if (callback) {
+                callback(err, dataReceived)
+              }
+            })
+          })
     } else {
       console.error('Unfound command sent as a Lambda event: ' + event.command)
     }
-  } else {
-    return awsServerlessExpress.proxy(server, event, context)
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/server/notifications.js b/src/server/notifications.js
index b21786e45..69c85f892 100644
--- a/src/server/notifications.js
+++ b/src/server/notifications.js
@@ -119,7 +119,12 @@ const setupNewAssignmentNotification = () => (
     })
 )
 
+let notificationObserversSetup = false
+
 export const setupUserNotificationObservers = () => {
-  setupIncomingReplyNotification()
-  setupNewAssignmentNotification()
+  if (!notificationObserversSetup) {
+    notificationObserversSetup = true
+    setupIncomingReplyNotification()
+    setupNewAssignmentNotification()
+  }
 }
diff --git a/src/workers/incoming-message-handler.js b/src/workers/incoming-message-handler.js
index bf3fd9f8f..bc388d83f 100644
--- a/src/workers/incoming-message-handler.js
+++ b/src/workers/incoming-message-handler.js
@@ -1,127 +1,3 @@
-import nexmo from '../server/api/lib/nexmo'
-import twilio from '../server/api/lib/twilio'
-import { saveNewIncomingMessage, getLastMessage } from '../server/api/lib/message-sending'
-import { r } from '../server/models'
-import { log } from '../lib'
+import { handleIncomingMessages } from './job-processes'
 
-const serviceDefault = 'twilio'
-async function sleep(ms = 0) {
-  return new Promise(fn => setTimeout(fn, ms))
-}
-
-async function handleIncomingMessageParts() {
-  const serviceMap = { nexmo, twilio }
-  const messageParts = await r.table('pending_message_part')
-  const messagePartsByService = [
-    {'group': 'nexmo',
-     'reduction': messageParts.filter((m) => (m.service == 'nexmo'))
-    },
-    {'group': 'twilio',
-     'reduction': messageParts.filter((m) => (m.service == 'twilio'))
-    },
-  ]
-  const serviceLength = messagePartsByService.length
-  for (let index = 0; index < serviceLength; index++) {
-    const serviceParts = messagePartsByService[index]
-    const allParts = serviceParts.reduction
-    const allPartsCount = allParts.length
-    if (allPartsCount == 0) {
-      continue
-    }
-    const service = serviceMap[serviceParts.group]
-    const convertMessageParts = service.convertMessagePartsToMessage
-    const messagesToSave = []
-    let messagePartsToDelete = []
-    const concatMessageParts = {}
-    for (let i = 0; i < allPartsCount; i++) {
-      const part = allParts[i]
-      const serviceMessageId = part.service_id
-      const savedCount = await r.table('message')
-        .getAll(serviceMessageId, { index: 'service_id' })
-        .count()
-      const lastMessage = await getLastMessage({
-        contactNumber: part.contact_number,
-        service: serviceDefault
-      })
-      const duplicateMessageToSaveExists = !!messagesToSave.find((message) => message.service_id === serviceMessageId)
-      if (!lastMessage) {
-        log.info('Received message part with no thread to attach to', part)
-        messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
-      } else if (savedCount > 0) {
-        log.info(`Found already saved message matching part service message ID ${part.service_id}`)
-        messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
-      } else if (duplicateMessageToSaveExists) {
-        log.info(`Found duplicate message to be saved matching part service message ID ${part.service_id}`)
-        messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
-      } else {
-        const parentId = part.parent_id
-        if (!parentId) {
-          messagesToSave.push(await convertMessageParts([part]))
-          messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
-        } else {
-          if (part.service !== 'nexmo') {
-            throw new Error('should not have a parent ID for twilio')
-          }
-          const groupKey = [parentId, part.contact_number, part.user_number]
-          const serviceMessage = JSON.parse(part.service_message)
-          if (!concatMessageParts.hasOwnProperty(groupKey)) {
-            const partCount = parseInt(serviceMessage['concat-total'], 10)
-            concatMessageParts[groupKey] = Array(partCount).fill(null)
-          }
-
-          const partIndex = parseInt(serviceMessage['concat-part'], 10) - 1
-          if (concatMessageParts[groupKey][partIndex] !== null) {
-            messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
-          } else {
-            concatMessageParts[groupKey][partIndex] = part
-          }
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    const keys = Object.keys(concatMessageParts)
-    const keyCount = keys.length
-
-    for (let i = 0; i < keyCount; i++) {
-      const groupKey = keys[i]
-      const messageParts = concatMessageParts[groupKey]
-
-      if (messageParts.filter((part) => part === null).length === 0) {
-        messagePartsToDelete = messagePartsToDelete.concat(messageParts)
-        const message = await convertMessageParts(messageParts)
-        messagesToSave.push(message)
-      }
-    }
-
-    const messageCount = messagesToSave.length
-    for (let i = 0; i < messageCount; i++) {
-      log.info('Saving message with service message ID', messagesToSave[i].service_id)
-      await saveNewIncomingMessage(messagesToSave[i])
-    }
-
-    const messageIdsToDelete = messagePartsToDelete.map((m) => m.id)
-    log.info('Deleting message parts', messageIdsToDelete)
-    await r.table('pending_message_part')
-      .getAll(...messageIdsToDelete)
-      .delete()
-  }
-}
-(async () => {
-  while (true) {
-    try {
-      const countPendingMessagePart = await r.knex('pending_message_part')
-      .count('id AS total').then( total => {
-        let totalCount = 0
-        totalCount = total[0].total
-        return totalCount
-      })
-
-      await sleep(500)
-      if(countPendingMessagePart > 0) {
-        await handleIncomingMessageParts()
-      }
-    } catch (ex) {
-      log.error(ex)
-    }
-  }
-})()
+handleIncomingMessages()
diff --git a/src/workers/job-handler.js b/src/workers/job-handler.js
index 54ef96150..811905c6d 100644
--- a/src/workers/job-handler.js
+++ b/src/workers/job-handler.js
@@ -1,54 +1,3 @@
-import { r } from '../server/models'
-import { sleep, getNextJob, updateJob, log } from './lib'
-import { exportCampaign, uploadContacts, assignTexters, createInteractionSteps, sendMessages } from './jobs'
-import { setupUserNotificationObservers } from '../server/notifications'
-
-function jobMap() {
-  return {
-    export: exportCampaign,
-    upload_contacts: uploadContacts,
-    assign_texters: assignTexters,
-    create_interaction_steps: createInteractionSteps,
-    // usually dispatched in three separate processes, not here
-    send_messages: sendMessages
-  }
-}
-
-const JOBS_SAME_PROCESS = !!process.env.JOBS_SAME_PROCESS; //keep semi
-
-export const processJobs = async () => {
-  // eslint-disable-next-line no-constant-condition
-  while (true) {
-    try {
-      if (!JOBS_SAME_PROCESS) {
-        // if this is running as a 'cron-like' task to finish all jobs
-        // and then close, then no need to wait around for the next
-        await sleep(1000)
-      }
-      const job = await getNextJob()
-      if (job) {
-        await (jobMap()[job.job_type])(job)
-        await r.table('job_request')
-          .get(job.id)
-          .delete()
-      } else if (JOBS_SAME_PROCESS) {
-        break // all finished, so just complete
-      }
-
-      var twoMinutesAgo = new Date(new Date() - 1000 * 60 * 2)
-      // delete jobs that are older than 2 minutes
-      // to clear out stuck jobs
-      await r.knex('job_request')
-        .where({ assigned: true })
-        .where('updated_at', '<', twoMinutesAgo)
-        .delete()
-    } catch (ex) {
-      log.error(ex)
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-if (require.main === module) {
-  processJobs()
-}
+import { processJobs } from './job-processes'
 
+processJobs()
diff --git a/src/workers/job-processes.js b/src/workers/job-processes.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..af0660f1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/workers/job-processes.js
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+import { r } from '../server/models'
+import { sleep, getNextJob, updateJob, log } from './lib'
+import { exportCampaign, uploadContacts, assignTexters, createInteractionSteps, sendMessages, handleIncomingMessageParts } from './jobs'
+import { setupUserNotificationObservers } from '../server/notifications'
+
+
+/* Two process models are supported in this file.
+   The main in both cases is to process jobs and send/receive messages
+   on separate loop(s) from the web server.
+   * job processing (e.g. contact loading) shouldn't delay text message processing
+
+   The two process models:
+   * Run the 'scripts' in dev-tools/Procfile.dev
+ */
+
+const jobMap = {
+  "export": exportCampaign,
+  "upload_contacts": uploadContacts,
+  "assign_texters": assignTexters,
+  "create_interaction_steps": createInteractionSteps,
+  // usually dispatched in three separate processes, not here
+  "send_messages": sendMessages
+}
+
+export async function processJobs() {
+  setupUserNotificationObservers()
+  // eslint-disable-next-line no-constant-condition
+  while (true) {
+    try {
+      await sleep(1000)
+      const job = await getNextJob()
+      if (job) {
+        await (jobMap[job.job_type])(job)
+        await r.table('job_request')
+          .get(job.id)
+          .delete()
+      }
+
+      var twoMinutesAgo = new Date(new Date() - 1000 * 60 * 2)
+      // delete jobs that are older than 2 minutes
+      // to clear out stuck jobs
+      await r.knex('job_request')
+        .where({ assigned: true })
+        .where('updated_at', '<', twoMinutesAgo)
+        .delete()
+    } catch (ex) {
+      log.error(ex)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+const messageSenderCreator = (subQuery) => {
+  return async () => {
+    setupUserNotificationObservers()
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-constant-condition
+    while (true) {
+      try {
+        await sleep(1100)
+        await sendMessages(subQuery)
+      } catch (ex) {
+        log.error(ex)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export const messageSender01 = messageSenderCreator(function(mQuery) {
+  return mQuery.where(r.knex.raw("(contact_number LIKE '%0' OR contact_number LIKE '%1')"))
+})
+
+export const messageSender234 = messageSenderCreator(function(mQuery) {
+  return mQuery.where(r.knex.raw("(contact_number LIKE '%2' OR contact_number LIKE '%3' or contact_number LIKE '%4')"))
+})
+
+export const messageSender56 = messageSenderCreator(function(mQuery) {
+  return mQuery.where(r.knex.raw("(contact_number LIKE '%5' OR contact_number LIKE '%6')"))
+})
+
+export const messageSender789 = messageSenderCreator(function(mQuery) {
+  return mQuery.where(r.knex.raw("(contact_number LIKE '%7' OR contact_number LIKE '%8' or contact_number LIKE '%9')"))
+})
+
+export async function handleIncomingMessages() {
+  setupUserNotificationObservers()
+  // eslint-disable-next-line no-constant-condition
+  while (true) {
+    try {
+      const countPendingMessagePart = await r.knex('pending_message_part')
+      .count('id AS total').then( total => {
+        let totalCount = 0
+        totalCount = total[0].total
+        return totalCount
+      })
+
+      await sleep(500)
+      if(countPendingMessagePart > 0) {
+        await handleIncomingMessageParts()
+      }
+    } catch (ex) {
+      log.error(ex)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+
+const processMap = {
+  'processJobs': processJobs,
+  'messageSender01': messageSender01,
+  'messageSender234': messageSender234,
+  'messageSender56': messageSender56,
+  'messageSender789': messageSender789,
+  'handleIncomingMessages': handleIncomingMessages
+}
+
+export async function dispatchProcesses(event, dispatcher) {
+  const toDispatch = event.processes || processMap
+  for (let p in toDispatch) {
+    if (p in processMap) {
+      dispatcher(p)
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/workers/jobs.js b/src/workers/jobs.js
index 076acfc78..bf6cab3be 100644
--- a/src/workers/jobs.js
+++ b/src/workers/jobs.js
@@ -429,8 +429,99 @@ export async function sendMessages(queryFunc, defaultStatus) {
   }
 }
 
-export async function processJobsAndMessages(eventData) {
-  // TODO
-  // run through jobs like job-handler with getNextJob
-  // separate process?  cycle through messages and dispatch
+export async function handleIncomingMessageParts() {
+  const messageParts = await r.table('pending_message_part')
+  const messagePartsByService = [
+    {'group': 'nexmo',
+     'reduction': messageParts.filter((m) => (m.service == 'nexmo'))
+    },
+    {'group': 'twilio',
+     'reduction': messageParts.filter((m) => (m.service == 'twilio'))
+    },
+  ]
+  const serviceLength = messagePartsByService.length
+  for (let index = 0; index < serviceLength; index++) {
+    const serviceParts = messagePartsByService[index]
+    const allParts = serviceParts.reduction
+    const allPartsCount = allParts.length
+    if (allPartsCount == 0) {
+      continue
+    }
+    const service = serviceMap[serviceParts.group]
+    const convertMessageParts = service.convertMessagePartsToMessage
+    const messagesToSave = []
+    let messagePartsToDelete = []
+    const concatMessageParts = {}
+    for (let i = 0; i < allPartsCount; i++) {
+      const part = allParts[i]
+      const serviceMessageId = part.service_id
+      const savedCount = await r.table('message')
+        .getAll(serviceMessageId, { index: 'service_id' })
+        .count()
+      const lastMessage = await getLastMessage({
+        contactNumber: part.contact_number,
+        service: process.env.DEFAULT_SERVICE || 'twilio'
+      })
+      const duplicateMessageToSaveExists = !!messagesToSave.find((message) => message.service_id === serviceMessageId)
+      if (!lastMessage) {
+        log.info('Received message part with no thread to attach to', part)
+        messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
+      } else if (savedCount > 0) {
+        log.info(`Found already saved message matching part service message ID ${part.service_id}`)
+        messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
+      } else if (duplicateMessageToSaveExists) {
+        log.info(`Found duplicate message to be saved matching part service message ID ${part.service_id}`)
+        messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
+      } else {
+        const parentId = part.parent_id
+        if (!parentId) {
+          messagesToSave.push(await convertMessageParts([part]))
+          messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
+        } else {
+          if (part.service !== 'nexmo') {
+            throw new Error('should not have a parent ID for twilio')
+          }
+          const groupKey = [parentId, part.contact_number, part.user_number]
+          const serviceMessage = JSON.parse(part.service_message)
+          if (!concatMessageParts.hasOwnProperty(groupKey)) {
+            const partCount = parseInt(serviceMessage['concat-total'], 10)
+            concatMessageParts[groupKey] = Array(partCount).fill(null)
+          }
+
+          const partIndex = parseInt(serviceMessage['concat-part'], 10) - 1
+          if (concatMessageParts[groupKey][partIndex] !== null) {
+            messagePartsToDelete.push(part)
+          } else {
+            concatMessageParts[groupKey][partIndex] = part
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    const keys = Object.keys(concatMessageParts)
+    const keyCount = keys.length
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < keyCount; i++) {
+      const groupKey = keys[i]
+      const messageParts = concatMessageParts[groupKey]
+
+      if (messageParts.filter((part) => part === null).length === 0) {
+        messagePartsToDelete = messagePartsToDelete.concat(messageParts)
+        const message = await convertMessageParts(messageParts)
+        messagesToSave.push(message)
+      }
+    }
+
+    const messageCount = messagesToSave.length
+    for (let i = 0; i < messageCount; i++) {
+      log.info('Saving message with service message ID', messagesToSave[i].service_id)
+      await saveNewIncomingMessage(messagesToSave[i])
+    }
+
+    const messageIdsToDelete = messagePartsToDelete.map((m) => m.id)
+    log.info('Deleting message parts', messageIdsToDelete)
+    await r.table('pending_message_part')
+      .getAll(...messageIdsToDelete)
+      .delete()
+  }
 }
diff --git a/src/workers/message-sender-01.js b/src/workers/message-sender-01.js
index e67243df9..20dd6b7a7 100644
--- a/src/workers/message-sender-01.js
+++ b/src/workers/message-sender-01.js
@@ -1,22 +1,3 @@
-import { r } from '../server/models'
-import { log } from '../lib'
-import { sleep } from './lib'
-import { sendMessages } from './jobs'
+import { messageSender01 } from './job-processes'
 
-async function sendMyMessages() {
-  return sendMessages(function(mQuery) {
-    return mQuery.where(r.knex.raw("(contact_number LIKE '%0' OR contact_number LIKE '%1')"))
-  })
-}
-
-(async () => {
-  // eslint-disable-next-line no-constant-condition
-  while (true) {
-    try {
-      await sleep(1100)
-      await sendMyMessages()
-    } catch (ex) {
-      log.error(ex)
-    }
-  }
-})()
+messageSender01()
diff --git a/src/workers/message-sender-234.js b/src/workers/message-sender-234.js
index 715f4c6c8..fca6c5708 100644
--- a/src/workers/message-sender-234.js
+++ b/src/workers/message-sender-234.js
@@ -1,22 +1,3 @@
-import { r } from '../server/models'
-import { log } from '../lib'
-import { sleep } from './lib'
-import { sendMessages } from './jobs'
+import { messageSender234 } from './job-processes'
 
-async function sendMyMessages() {
-  return sendMessages(function(mQuery) {
-    return mQuery.where(r.knex.raw("(contact_number LIKE '%2' OR contact_number LIKE '%3' or contact_number LIKE '%4')"))
-  })
-}
-
-(async () => {
-  // eslint-disable-next-line no-constant-condition
-  while (true) {
-    try {
-      await sleep(1100)
-      await sendMyMessages()
-    } catch (ex) {
-      log.error(ex)
-    }
-  }
-})()
+messageSender234()
diff --git a/src/workers/message-sender-56.js b/src/workers/message-sender-56.js
index aeea65877..60805193c 100644
--- a/src/workers/message-sender-56.js
+++ b/src/workers/message-sender-56.js
@@ -1,22 +1,3 @@
-import { r } from '../server/models'
-import { log } from '../lib'
-import { sleep } from './lib'
-import { sendMessages } from './jobs'
+import { messageSender56 } from './job-processes'
 
-async function sendMyMessages() {
-  return sendMessages(function(mQuery) {
-    return mQuery.where(r.knex.raw("(contact_number LIKE '%5' OR contact_number LIKE '%6')"))
-  })
-}
-
-(async () => {
-  // eslint-disable-next-line no-constant-condition
-  while (true) {
-    try {
-      await sleep(1100)
-      await sendMyMessages()
-    } catch (ex) {
-      log.error(ex)
-    }
-  }
-})()
+messageSender56()
diff --git a/src/workers/message-sender-789.js b/src/workers/message-sender-789.js
index 836c88522..4b6803ea0 100644
--- a/src/workers/message-sender-789.js
+++ b/src/workers/message-sender-789.js
@@ -1,22 +1,3 @@
-import { r } from '../server/models'
-import { log } from '../lib'
-import { sleep } from './lib'
-import { sendMessages } from './jobs'
+import { messageSender789 } from './job-processes'
 
-async function sendMyMessages() {
-  return sendMessages(function(mQuery) {
-    return mQuery.where(r.knex.raw("(contact_number LIKE '%7' OR contact_number LIKE '%8' or contact_number LIKE '%9')"))
-  })
-}
-
-(async () => {
-  // eslint-disable-next-line no-constant-condition
-  while (true) {
-    try {
-      await sleep(1100)
-      await sendMyMessages()
-    } catch (ex) {
-      log.error(ex)
-    }
-  }
-})()
+messageSender789()