Peer Support Specialist

FT / PT Status – Full-Time Salary – $20.89 - $31.41 Hourly Wage Remote Work / In-Office – In-Office / On-Site Recruiter – Staci Ditzer | snditzer |  
Final date to receive applications – 6/28/2026

If you would like an opportunity to join a team of dedicated professionals who work hard to provide maximum opportunities for offenders to make lasting changes through accountability, treatment, education, and positive reinforcement within a safe environment, this is the job for you.

The Re-Entry and Rehabilitation Division within the Utah Department of Corrections is seeking applicants for our position of Certified Peer Support Specialist. This position will provide peer support coaching for justice involved individuals utilizing their lived experience in both recovery from substance use disorders and criminal justice involvement to deliver services promoting recovery and resiliency. This position is for certified peers with lived experience of addiction recovery and previous incarceration and will deliver peer support coaching to those currently in the criminal justice system.

In this position you will utilize your own history of criminal justice involvement and addiction recovery to help coach clients to successfully navigate parole, provide addiction recovery support, and transition into the community.

Incumbents in this position will facilitate the Re-Entry and Rehabilitation Division’s vision: "We envision a safer Utah by providing opportunities". Specifically, this position will focus on providing peer support coaching to substance use clients preparing for parole or currently on parole.

• Certification as a Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) from a DHHS approved agency.
• Minimum 5 years in active recovery, comfortable sharing brief recovery experience appropriately.
• Previous history of incarceration.
• Five years post justice involvement and successful termination of parole or probation.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Ability to maintain accurate documentation.
• Ability to work both independently and with a team.
• Ability to work in a professional manner within healthcare settings.
• Understanding protecting participant confidentiality.
• Familiar with motivational interviewing techniques. Knowledgeable and accepting of all recovery pathways.
• Understanding of and ability to maintain appropriate boundaries.
• Maintains adaptability in a diverse environment and under challenging circumstances.

• Under the supervision of a licensed therapist this position assists other individuals with peer coaching related to addiction recovery and navigating incarceration, parole, and probation successfully.
• Engages clients individually and in classes to instill hope, encourage personal responsibility for recovery, facilitate the development of recovery goals, self‑advocacy skills, and natural supports.
• Models competency in recovery and ongoing coping skills, articulating points in his/her own recovery story that are relevant to the challenges faced by clients receiving services in the program.
• Ability to observe, record and report client behavior and progress.
• Understanding of confidentiality, GRAMA, HIPAA, and 42 CFR pt. 2 protecting participation confidentiality.
• Familiar with motivational interviewing techniques.
• Respects and advocates all pathways to recovery, including but not limited to substance use treatment, medication assisted treatment (MAT), and harm reduction.
• Understanding of, and ability to maintain appropriate boundaries.
• Good interpersonal skills to develop trust of clients and respond appropriately to difficult situations.
• Any other job duties as assigned.

• Selected applicants will be required to provide authorization for a full background investigation.
• This position requires that candidates are at least 5 years post justice involvement and have no new felony convictions in the past 7 years and no sex offenses.
• Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform the work; however there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying light items, driving an automobile, etc. Special physical demands are not required to…