Recovery Coach

About 5280 Recovery High School

5280 is Colorado's only recovery high school, serving youth in recovery from addiction. It is a public charter school authorized by Denver Public Schools that provides a high-quality learning environment within a substance‑free community. The school has roughly 100 students and a strong collaborative community of staff and students. 5280 High School is an equal opportunity employer.

Recovery coaches serve as mentors, advocates and accountability partners for students navigating both recovery and high school. Through authentic relationships, recovery support and case management, coaches help students build the skills, recovery capital, resilience and community connections necessary for long‑term recovery and success. Coaches lead one‑on‑one conversations, small groups, larger school‑wide gatherings and support students in recovery in the classroom to reach their full academic potential.

Coaches communicate regularly with family members, other 5280 staff and recovery stakeholders to support students’ social and emotional needs and are responsible for timely documentation and billing for Medicaid and internal tracking systems.

• Commit to supporting both the education and sobriety of students in recovery.
• Develop supportive, mentoring relationships with a caseload of students through regular individual check‑ins, goal setting and recovery‑focused coaching.
• Coordinate support plans and communicate regularly with families, therapists, probation officers, sponsors, treatment providers and other recovery stakeholders.
• Facilitate individual recovery coaching sessions, support groups and daily recovery programming.
• Maintain accurate, timely and compliant documentation in accordance with Medicaid and organizational requirements.
• Collaborate with the Director of Recovery to implement and monitor the culture of 5280 and ensure consistent adherence to 5280’s policies and procedures.
• Act as an ambassador for 5280 High School and promote a positive image of the school’s services, needs and mission at the local, state and national level.
• Attend and table recovery‑specific events throughout the year.
• Work in collaboration with other 5280 staff members in multiple ways to best support students.
• Identify and maintain community partnerships as resources for students.
• Coordinate with outside recovery support services, such as treatment centers and outside alternative peer groups.
• Ensure compliance with all legal mandates and 5280 High School policies and procedures.
• Support student safety at all times.

• Propose new ideas for programmatic improvements to management.
• Provide adequate supervision for student safety before school, during lunch and after school.
• Demonstrate professionalism through timely communication, accurate documentation, collaboration and proactive problem‑solving.
• Safeguard all 5280 High School property.
• Act as a good steward of program funds and resources.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Facilitate collaboratively with other coaches after‑school recovery program (Altitude – additional stipend paid).

Interpersonal Skills

• Exhibits bold faith in students’ capacity for change.
• Exhibits a strength‑based mindset.
• Demonstrates compassion and empathy for people in recovery and those still suffering from the disease of addiction.
• Is an active listener and can be trusted with confidence.
• Serves as a role model and mentor for others.
• Is willing to provide a consistent source of honest feedback regarding self‑destructive patterns of thinking, feeling and acting.
• Identifies and helps resolve barriers to recovery.
• Works with the Director of Recovery to link students and families to formal and informal sources of sober housing, counseling, treatment and recovery support.
• Ability to maintain clear ethical boundaries between self, students and other 5280 staff members.

• Strong commitment to 5280’s mission, vision and design principles.
• CPFS current credential and maintain necessary requirements for recertification every 2 years.
• Minimum of a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
• Minimum of 2 years of continuous sobriety from all mind‑altering substances, aligned with COPA’s requirement for CPFS certification.
• Personal experience with long‑term recovery.
• Must be actively engaged in a personal program of recovery and willing to elaborate during the hiring process on what that program includes, how it supports continued recovery and how the applicant maintains appropriate wellness and accountability while serving students in recovery.
• Must be able to pass a criminal background check with no violations that are prohibited in school employees.

• QBHA certification.
• Bilingual in Spanish.