Peer Recovery Specialist

Peer Recovery Specialist

Salary

$50,000.00 - $60,000.00 Annually

Location

Social Services Building, 135 Hall Avenue, Suffolk, VA

Job Type

Full Time

Job Number

04657

Department

SOCIAL SERVS-GRANT

Opening Date

10/22/2026

Closing Date

11/5/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Description

Under general supervision, the Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS) leads community engagement and guides individuals toward recovery, housing, and support resources. In this role, the PRS uses their lived experience to build trust with hard-to-reach populations, coordinate field outreach activities, and connect clients with internal teams and external partners. This person supports direct peer-to-peer engagement in the field and supports overall collective impact strategies including the coordinating of administrative tracking, referrals, and program data. The PRS facilitates, coordinates, and provides assistance and support to individuals in need of basic physical, financial, personal, and recovery assistance. The PRS is responsible for identifying and linking individuals in need with appropriate community and agency resources; developing tracking and monitoring procedures to assist individuals, identifying needs, and ensuring progress.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.

Essential Job Functions

• Build trusting relationships with community members and provide authentic peer support based on shared life experiences.
• Assist individuals in identifying personal recovery goals through the use of individual and group sessions.
• Support community members as they create goals; develop recovery plans with the skills, strengths, supports, and resources to aid them in achieving those goals.
• Teach/train recovery information and recovery tools in order to assist individuals in developing individualized wellness and recovery plans.
• Model personal responsibility, self-advocacy, and wellness via telling of their own recovery story.
• Support individuals' vocational choices and assist them in choosing a job that matches their strengths, overcoming job-related anxiety by reviewing job applications, and providing interview tips and resume assistance.
• Assist individuals with obtaining services that meet their identified needs, desires, and recovery goals.
• Assist individuals with accessing community resources and identifying natural supports.
• Assist individuals in setting up and sustaining self-help (mutual support) groups, as well as means of locating and joining existing groups.
• Collaborate regularly with treatment team members, other services providers, and significant others as necessary.
• Interviews applicants, explaining scope of multiple benefit programs and determining eligibility for assistance. Secures and verifies financial, social and employment data from applicant. Assists applicant in completing required forms, as necessary.
• Evaluates information received from applicants for consistency, accuracy and completeness.
• Identifies needs of clients. Explains available programs, rights and responsibilities
• Explores other possible sources of income for applicants.
• Plan and execute street-based outreach, community events, or digital campaigns to reach target populations.
• Completes mathematical computations. Determines amount and type of assistance clients may be eligible or ineligible to receive.
• Maintains contact with clients, visiting clients homes as necessary. Receives inquiries and provides information based on detailed knowledge of multiple benefit programs, or refers inquiries to appropriate personnel.
• Composes and types correspondence and forms. Assumes responsibility for correctness of spelling, punctuation, format and grammar.
• Plans and organizes caseload, establishing priorities and scheduling appointments.
• Utilizes numerous computer-driven data entry and file maintenance programs to retrieve files and other information required to determine eligibility for assistance. Performs various data entry duties.
• Maintains a variety of confidential records and files.
• Provides support to Behavioral Health Multi-Disciplinary Team and related bodies.
• Performs other related duties as required.
• Employee must be willing to work disaster related assignments, including emergency shelter duty, in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.

Required Qualifications

Minimum of a High School diploma or the equivalent. Personal, direct experience with a substance use disorder alongside a period of demonstrated sustained recovery for a minimum of two years.

Certification as a Peer Recovery Specialist preferred. Ability to prepare for and become certified is required. Requires a valid driver's license.

Supplemental Information

Recovery and Wellness Support

• Knowledge: Understanding recovery concepts, hope, and wellness principles.
• Skills: Assisting clients in creating their own recovery and wellness plans.
• Abilities: Modeling stable recovery and sharing personal lived experiences appropriately to inspire confidence.

Mentoring and Education

• Knowledge: Recognizing basic coping skills, triggers, and local behavioral health resources.
• Skills: Active listening, motivational interviewing, and peer coaching.
• Abilities: Facilitating peer support groups and helping clients build problem-solving skills.

Advocacy

• Knowledge: Understanding client rights and community systems.
• Skills: Communicating on behalf of clients to reduce stigma and break down barriers.
• Abilities: Empowering individuals to advocate for their own needs within medical and social systems.

Ethical Responsibility

• Knowledge: Professional boundaries, confidentiality laws (such as HIPAA), and code of conduct.
• Skills: Navigating dual relationships and maintaining safe, respectful interactions.
• Abilities: Recognizing personal limitations and practicing effective self-care.
• Knowledge: Basic crisis de-escalation, safety planning, and harm reduction strategies.

Harm Reduction and Safety

• Skills: Identifying emergency warning signs and making appropriate referrals.
• Knowledge: Basic crisis de-escalation, safety planning, and harm reduction strategies.
• Abilities: Responding safely and calmly during urgent client crises.

Seasonal Employees- No Benefits

Part-time Employees - Sick Leave (See below)

Full Time Employees are eligible for the following benefits;

Retirement (Virginia Retirement System employer) for employees hired on or after 1/1/14 - Hybrid Members

Hybrid plan members contribute 4 percent of creditable compensation to the defined benefit plan and 1 percent to the defined contribution plan each month. Members may voluntarily contribute up to an additional 4 percent in 0.5 percent increments to the defined contribution plan each month. Members can increase or decrease their voluntary contributions on a quarterly basis. With the mandatory and voluntary contributions to the defined contribution component of the plan, members can contribute a maximum of 5 percent with a 3.5 percent match from the employer. Members invest in various investment options that best fit their needs.

Vested after 5 years in the defined benefit part of the plan. Vested in phases based on years in the Defined Contribution part of the Plan. The retirement eligibility for a full or reduced retirement pension in the Hybrid Plan is very detailed. Please contact the Virginia Retirement System or the Human Resources Department for details.

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Yearly earnings

120 Hours (1-59 months), 144 Hours (60-119 months), 168 Hours (120- 179 months), 192 Hours (180 and over)

Sick Leave

Part Time employees earn 4 hours per month Sick leave accrues at the end of the month and may be accrued with no ceiling.

Personal Leave

All regular full time employees are granted 24 hours of personal leave each calendar year. Personal leave must be preapproved and is not cumulative.

Health Insurance

Coverage available for you and your eligible dependents using pre-tax payroll deductions if elected.

Supplemental Insurances

Employees may purchase the following supplemental insurance policies: short term and long term disability, cancer, accident, supplemental hospitalization, and group universal life insurance.

Employer Sponsored Short Term and Long Term Disability

Provides disability coverage for employees work and non-work related disabilities. Work related disabilities are covered starting on day one (1). Non work related disabilities are covered starting on day eight (8), after you have been employed for one year.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Employees may participate in the Health Reimbursement, Dependent Care Reimbursement and Premium Reimbursement Accounts. All deductions are made on a pre-tax basis and will reduce your taxable income.

Life Insurance

The city pays the entire premium for life insurance coverage in the amount of 2 times annual salary for natural death and 4 times annual salary for accidental death.

Optional Life Insurance

Employees have the option of electing additional life insurance coverage in the amount of 1, 2, 3 or 4 times their annual salary. Employees may only purchase optional life insurance on spouses and children if they are enrolled in optional life insurance for themselves.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

12 weeks of job protected leave for leaves approved in accordance with the Family Medical Leave Act. Employees receive continuation of health insurance, job protection and consideration for a comparable job when available, or an equivalent job, upon return to work.

Funeral Leave

24 hours of paid leave of absence in case of death in immediate family.

Holidays

Suffolk follows the Virginia State holiday calendar as set by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Jury Duty

Time off with pay with difference between jury pay and regular pay or use annual leave and keep check.

457 Deferred Compensation, ROTH IRA, Traditional IRA

Offered through ICMA Retirement Corporation as a way to shelter a portion of your salary from income taxes and save for retirement.

Employee Assistance Program

Offers employees and immediate family members (3) free, confidential counseling sessions related to a broad range of issues such as marital or family conflict, job or personal stress, alcohol or drug abuse, financial or legal worries, etc.

Workers Compensation

Should an employee have an on the job injury, he/she could be eligible for Workmens Compensation Benefits, except in cases of willful neglect.

Pay Days

Employees will be paid on the 15th and last working day of each month.

Credit Union

A Suffolk Credit Union is available to employees.

Legal Services

Employees may prepay for access to legal assistance.

Notary Public Services

Services available in the Human Resources Department.

Alternative Work Schedule

For some positions -Offers 4 Alternative Work Schedule options to provide employees with greater control over their personal and professional time, as well as reducing absences.

01

Do you currently hold a Peer Recovery Specialist certification, or are you willing and able to obtain certification as required for this position?

• Yes, I am currently certified.
• Yes, I am willing and able to obtain certification.
• No.

02

Do you have a high school diploma or equivalent?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have personal or direct experience with substance use and at least two years of sustained recovery?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you have a valid drivers license?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer City of Suffolk

Address 442 W. Washington Street, Suite 1044

Suffolk, Virginia, 23434

Phone 7575144110

Website http://www.suffolkva.us