Justice Peer Employment Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title:   Justice Peer Employment Specialist 

Job Summary:

The New York City Justice Peer Initiative (JPI) is dedicated to enhancing and expanding opportunities for the Justice Peer workforce through professional development training, State workforce certification, technical assistance for employers, and movement building focused on policy efforts to center Justice Peer voice and leadership in transformation of the criminal legal and behavioral health treatment systems. JPI seeks to advance a thriving workforce of Justice Peers not just in the delivery but also in the design and leadership of effective solutions for supporting people with behavioral health needs impacted by the CLS. Our approach 1) increases access to Justice Peer services for people ensnared in the CLS, 2) provides concrete economic opportunity for CLS-impacted people who have achieved recovery; and 3) advances CLS transformation by centering the expertise, skills, talents, and value of CLS-impacted people.

The Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services (CASES) is incubating JPI, providing fiscal sponsorship. The Justice Peer Certification & Employment Specialist will be hired as a CASES employee and will be eligible to receive CASES’ excellent benefits.

Salary:   The salary for Justice Peer Employment Specialist is $70,000 per year.

Shift Hours:   This position is full-time Monday-Friday 10:00am-6:00pm, with at least two days a month working 11:00am-7:00pm.

Location Address:  2090 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10027

Workplace Flexibility: Flexible to complete workday from home after conducting outreach and community engagement activities with typically at least 80% of time in-office/in-person).

What you will be doing:

• Carry a (25-30) person caseload of participants seeking to become certified peer specialists and gain employment as Justice Peers.
• Build trusting, collaborative relationships with participants providing one-on-one support and coaching through the certification, job search and employment process.
• Conduct weekly outreach and presentations at criminal legal system (CLS) agencies (prisons, Rikers Island, probation, and parole), CLS provider organizations, and community-based and grassroots groups to find CLS-involved people who are eligible to participate in the program. 
• Conduct eligibility screening, intake, and peer certification and employment readiness assessments with participants to guide the intensity and components of the services and supports the participants will receive. 
• Develop individualized peer certification and employment plans for participants.
• Oversee barrier removal before and after certification and employment placement, ensuring participants have the resources and supports they need to obtain certification and retain employment (i.e. identification, housing, clothing, healthcare, childcare, etc.)
• Deliver hard and soft skills coaching, capacity building, digital literacy workshops, training, and individual sessions to support participants to attain peer certification and employment.
• Regularly meet with participants in-person or over phone/video to ensure program participants are continually progressing towards their certification, employment, professional development, and personal goals.
• Meet weekly, quarterly, and annual program enrollment and job placement goals.
• Provide mutual peer support and Justice Peer expertise to support participants to transform their lived experience of the criminal legal system to lived expertise they can utilize for professional and career development.
• Document all participant contacts, activities, and outcomes in the case management system. 
• Coordinate and supervise the workplan of participants completing peer internships with JPI.
• Model Justice Peer professionalism and expertise, cultivate a safe environment for certification and career development, and motivate participants to find full-time Justice Peer employment.

What we are looking for:  

• Bachelor's degree or at least 5 years of relevant work experience 
• Directly impacted by the criminal legal system
• Eligible to become a certified peer specialist within six months of employment with JPI
• Experience and understanding of the criminal legal system (CLS), the role of peer support within the CLS, and navigating the NYC CLS
• Experience and strong knowledge of NYS peer certification, peer recovery support principles, peer support for justice-involved individuals, and trauma-informed services, and Justice Peer careers
• Experience developing individual employment plans and helping participants find employment
• Proficient with online training, digital literacy, Zoom, case management systems (e.g., Salesforce), MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, etc.)
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity, equity, and belonging and contributing to an inclusive work environment
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal) with all types of audiences.