Senior Peer Specialist - Community Links

Mission Statement:

Baltic Street Wellness Solutions is committed to providing peer recovery, person-centered, trauma-informed, and compassionate services to those with mental health lived experiences.

Vision:

Our vision is to drive a cultural transformation within the mental health community by advocating for the underserved, educating for change, and inspiring wellness. We approach our role with cultural humility and mindfulness of oppressive systems.

Our Core Values:

• We value a mentoring philosophy delivered by staff with peer-lived experiences.
• We value the recovery journey of every individual with a mental health diagnosis.
• We value the personal and professional experiences of our staff and board members.
• We value community action to change societal views to break the stigma of mental health through advocacy within all systems.
• We value everyone's desire to have opportunities to obtain their visions of wellness.
• We value education and training to enhance an individual's opportunities for growth in one's journey to self-discovery.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Senior Peer Specialist to provide advanced peer support and leadership within our Peer-Based Supported Education Program. The Senior Peer Specialist will work closely with participants to support their educational goals while also mentoring and supporting peer staff. This position serves as a vital bridge between participants, peer team members, and program leadership, promoting recovery-oriented, person-centered, and trauma-informed practices.

Key Responsibilities

Direct Peer Support

• Provide one-on-one and group peer support to program participants pursuing educational goals.
• Assist participants with developing and following individualized education plans.
• Support participants in navigating educational institutions, employment settings, and related community resources.
• Advocate with and on behalf of participants for reasonable accommodation, access to services, and self-empowerment.

Peer Staff Mentorship and Team Support

• Serve as a mentor and role model for peer specialists, offering guidance on best practices in peer support, documentation, boundaries, and ethical standards.
• Auditing progress notes of all education counselors on a daily basis for accuracy, timeliness, and grammar. 
• Provide informal coaching and assist with onboarding and training of new peer staff.
• Support a positive and collaborative team culture that values lived experience and peer principles.

Program Support and Collaboration

• Assist the program director with implementing program workflows, activities, and special initiatives.
• Provide formal supervision and spot coaching to all education counselors.
• Assist program director in case reviews, team meetings, and quality improvement efforts.
• Help ensure services are delivered in alignment with program values: recovery, inclusion, equity, and cultural responsiveness.

Community Partnerships and Advocacy

• Assist program director to represent the peer team in meetings with external partners, such as educational institutions, employers, and community service providers.
• Assist the program director in building collaborative relationships with community stakeholders to strengthen participant support.
• Assist the program director in organizing events in the community to create and or maintain referrals in the direct community. 

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain accurate, timely records of peer support activities in accordance with program and funding requirements. This will include monthly, quarterly and annual reporting to Funder.
• Contribute to data collection and evaluation efforts to measure program outcomes and participant satisfaction.
• Ensure that monthly supervision and annual evaluations are completed on frontline staff. 

Qualifications

Required

• Lived experience of mental health recovery and/or substance use recovery, with a demonstrated ability to use lived experience to support others.
• BA or BS in related area of study is required. 
• Minimum of 2 years of experience providing peer support in mental health, substance use, supported education, supported employment, or related services preferred.
• Certification as a peer specialist (or willingness to obtain certification within the first 8 months of employment).
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build supportive relationships with participants, peer staff, and community partners.
• Knowledge of recovery principles, trauma-informed care, and person-centered practices.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and manage multiple responsibilities effectively.

Preferred

• Experience mentoring or supervising other peer support workers.
• Experience providing peer support in educational or employment settings.
• Familiarity with local education, employment, mental health, and social service systems.

Working Conditions

• This position may require occasional evening or weekend hours to meet participant needs.
• Travel within the community to educational institutions, workplaces, participant neighborhoods, and partner agencies is expected.

Selected candidates are required to submit proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19 and having received a booster shot. If a candidate has a qualifying medical condition or religious exemption that contraindicates a COVID-19 vaccination, an exemption form should be requested from Human Resources.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit; reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.