Peer Specialist

Job Title:

Peer Specialist

Job Status:
Regular Full Time, Salaried

FLSA:
Exempt

Reports to:

Client Services Manager

The Peer Recovery Specialist advances the mission of Servicios de La Raza by providing peer-led support to individuals in recovery from mental health and/or substance misuse challenges. Drawing on lived experience, this role exercises independent judgment in developing individualized recovery plans, facilitating peer interventions, and coordinating care. The Peer Recovery Specialist fosters hope, resilience, and community by leading recovery groups, organizing sober social activities, and engaging in outreach and partnership-building with recovery-focused organizations.

Through culturally responsive education, advocacy, and program development, this position empowers individuals, strengthens recovery networks, and contributes to the agency’s broader mission of equity and community well-being.

• Assess clients’ individualized needs and develop recovery plans, applying independent judgment to determine appropriate interventions and resources
• Facilitate structured peer-led individual and group interventions, adapting approaches to client needs and program goals
• Lead peer recovery groups for mental health and substance misuse, providing guidance, support, and motivation
• Plan, develop, and facilitate sober community outings, using discretion to promote connectedness and a safe recovery environment
• Provide psychoeducation on topics relevant to mental health and substance misuse, tailoring content to participants’ needs
• Participate in targeted community outreach and recovery-focused events, exercising discretion in engagement strategies
• Establish and maintain partnerships with external recovery-serving organizations, making decisions to enhance program impact
• Complete all necessary client and department documentation according to SDLR standards, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and best practices
• Maintain timely and detailed records of all client interactions
• Uphold confidentiality of all clients’ protected health information in accordance with HIPAA and agency policies
• Provide input and recommendations for programmatic improvements based on client and community data
• All members of the SDLR workforce are expected to support the agency’s community outreach, civic engagement, and recruitment efforts
• Support the agency’s fundraising objectives, which may include tasks such as active fundraising, grant development, solicitation of donations, agency ambassadorship, and informational outreach, and public speaking
• Commitment to and experience with equity, cultural relevance, diversity, social justice, and disparity reduction practices with persons of color, agencies of color, and underserved communities
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, co-workers, agency partners, and the public
• Other duties as assigned

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Peer and Family Specialist Credential preferred
• Identify with the recovery community (mental health or substance misuse) through lived experience
• Bilingual (English/Spanish)

• VALUES & CULTURE – Respects the agency’s values and is accountable to living the mission of Servicios de La Raza
• DECISION MAKING
  - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; compares data from different sources to draw conclusions; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; takes action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences
• BUILDING TRUST
  - Interacts with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization
• BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS – Identifies opportunities and takes action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve business goals
• INNOVATION
  - Creates novel solutions with measurable value for existing and potential clients; experiments with new ways to solve problems and seize opportunities that result in unique and…