Peer Specialist

Services For The Underserved, Inc.·New York

$45,000 - $50,000/dayFull Time Hybrid Remote friendly 2-5 yrsPosted 1 month ago

Peer Specialist · $45,000 - $50,000/day

About the role

The Peer Specialist facilitates outreach and engagement for individuals in the community while providing support for substance use and mental health recovery. They also advocate for participants, distribute overdose prevention kits, and collaborate with the team to develop wellness tools.

Min USD $45,000.00/Hr. Max USD $50,000.00/Hr. Position Overview Essential Job Functions:

Outreach/Engagement/Bridge Building: Helping to facilitate engagement by forging strong connectionswith participants and families residing in Harlem/Bronx and surrounding communities. Undertakingoutreach activities designed to promote community awareness of S:US services, encouraging help-seeking, and at times serving as a bridge between treatment team members and participants when theyexperience ambivalence about substance use treatment (including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)and outpatient Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment).

Combating Overdose: Peer Specialists will be certified to train and distribute Naloxone kits to individualsand their family members.

Relationship Building: Developing authentic, meaningful relationships with individuals and familiesthrough empathy, sharing experiences, listening and collaborating with genuine curiosity and interest.

Embracing Creative Narratives: Peer Specialists need to be able to understand, share and discuss multipleframeworks for understanding life experiences such as substance use and psychosis with participants andthe rest of the S:US team. Peer Specialists intentionally use language in the service of listening tounderstand and making space for complex personal stories of recovery and resilience.

Advocacy: Peer Specialists advocate with and for program participants both in the larger community andon the team.

Co-Creating Support and Wellness Tools: Collaborate with participants to clarify their personal visionsand develop their wellness toolkit. Along with other team members, Peer Specialists support participantsin strengthening their self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources and communityoutside of the S:US team.

Influencing Team Culture: Whenever possible, positively influencing the team culture by advocating forclients, promoting a youth friendly approach and encouraging the use of recovery oriented language. S:USPeer Specialists also work actively within the team itself to help build an environment that operates froma belief in the human potential to grow and an understanding of human diversity.

Team Communication: Peer Specialists maintain open and frequent communication with the team. Thisincludes reporting safety and other concerns to the team. Peer Specialists will also keep notes on visitswith program participants as required by the provider agency. In the spirit of peer support, co-collaborating on reporting with the program participant is encouraged. Hybrid Schedule Opportunity

Qualifications

Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (or Provisional) Certification required.
Ideally the Peer Specialist is a young adult or that the candidate relates well to young people
The Peer Specialist should have an understanding of the community in which the team is based with anawareness of available community resources
The Peer Specialist should also be someone who has made positive and productive progress toward his orher own recovery
Demonstrate good interpersonal communications skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to andeffectively work with participants of mental health services
Two years of active participation in substance use/mental health self-help activities, peer support or peeradvocacy programs, or participant run organizations or similar experiences or programs required
Must possess the ability/ willingness to disclose their recovery story (where appropriate) for the purposesof empowerment
Excellent judgment/ability to understand boundaries when working with participants of substanceuse/mental health services is required
Adhere to on call cell phone system to facilitate crisis intervention, emergencies and other situations thatrequire immediate action.
Significant travel to engage clients at shelters, in their community and other settings is required; 75%. Company Overview S:US IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Join a team of employees who care about the wellbeing of others. We believe in fostering a culture built on our core values: respect, integrity, support, maximizing individual potential and continuous quality improvement. From health and wellness resources to generous PTO, professional development, and more, explore all that we offer on our Benefits Page and see how S:US invests in you. We believe in fostering a culture built on our core values: respect, integrity, support, maximizing individual potential and continuous quality improvement. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information and including all other statuses protected by Federal, State and Local laws. S:US is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities, including allowance of the use of services animals. To request reasonable accommodation or if you believe such a request was improperly handled or denied, contact the Leave Team at MyMedicalLeave@sus.org. ID 2026-18706 Work Location In Person

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate certification and possess at least two years of experience in peer support or advocacy programs. The role requires strong interpersonal skills, the ability to travel significantly, and a willingness to share personal recovery experiences.

professional certificate
Communication
Outreach
Advocacy
Documentation
Empathy
Relationship building
Recovery support
Crisis intervention
Case management
Community engagement
Substance use disorder treatment
Peer support
Mental health services
Naloxone training

Benefits

Paid time off
Professional development
Health and wellness resources

Posting details

Employment type: Full Time
Work arrangement: Hybrid
Experience: 2-5 yrs
Salary: $45,000 - $50,000/day
Location: New York
Posted: Jul 30, 2026
Closes: Jul 30, 2027
Application: Employer website

Peer specialist roles remain steady in New York

In New York, peer specialist openings are often tied to behavioral health, recovery, and community support programs, with demand shaped by agencies serving people in mental health and substance use services. These roles are competitive because employers value lived experience, strong communication, and a willingness to complete or maintain CPS credentials. Review the original posting carefully and confirm your eligibility, then use the AI-summarized requirements and benefits here to save time comparing fit before you apply.