Social Worker

Social Worker

Social Worker NJHRC is adding a dedicated, full-time Social Worker to strengthen our continuum of services for people who use drugs. This role serves enrolled members across both of NJHRC's Harm Reduction Centers—providing structured, trauma-informed care coordination, referral support, and crisis response.

The opportunity:

Your work will look different depending on who you're serving:

• Middlesex HRC members will receive full care coordination and referral support—comprehensive assessments, warm handoffs, appointment accompaniment, and ongoing follow-up, as needed—delivered in person at our New Brunswick drop-in center.
• Statewide HRC members will receive lighter-touch care coordination and referral support, connecting mail-based and remote participants to services and resources across New Jersey.
• All NJHRC members have access to crisis response and linkage support, regardless of which program they're enrolled in.

Partnership-building is central to this role—you can't do referrals without relationships. You'll actively develop and maintain a robust network of community partners across healthcare, housing, behavioral health, legal aid, and social services, so that when a participant needs something, you know exactly who to call.

This is a role for someone who understands that harm reduction is not just a set of services—it's a philosophy. You believe that people who use drugs deserve care that is compassionate, non-judgmental, and grounded in their own goals. You know how to build trust with people who have been burned by systems before, and you know how to navigate those systems on their behalf—whether someone is sitting across from you at our drop-in center or reaching out from across the state. All work will be grounded in cultural humility, trauma-informed care, and the harm reduction principle that every person is the expert of their own health.

What you'll do:

The below represents today's job. Competitive candidates will bring enthusiasm for evolving programmatic design and a genuine commitment to meeting people who use drugs where they are.

Provide direct care coordination & crisis response (45%)

• Conduct comprehensive intake and ongoing assessments of Middlesex HRC members' health, housing, behavioral health, infectious disease, and social service needs, as needed.
• Provide lighter-touch care coordination and referral support for Statewide HRC members, connecting remote and mail-based participants to services and resources across New Jersey, as needed.
• Respond to crises and provide linkage support for members across both programs, including de-escalation, safety planning, and connection to emergency and ongoing services
• Work closely with Harm Reduction Specialists to make warm handoffs and navigate participants to HIV/HCV testing and treatment, wound care, MOUD providers, mental health counseling, primary care, shelters, legal aid, social services, and benefits
• Provide follow-up and retention support, including appointment reminders, accompaniment to appointments when requested, and ongoing engagement for high-barrier participants
• Deliver on-site harm reduction counseling that reinforces safer-use education, overdose prevention strategies, and participant-defined goals
• Participate in care planning with NJHRC staff and external partners to ensure coordinated, participant-centered care plans

Build & maintain community partnerships (20%)

• Develop and sustain a robust referral network across healthcare, housing, behavioral health, legal aid, social services, and community organizations—locally and statewide
• Establish and maintain formal and informal partnerships with FQHCs, MOUD prescribers, hospital systems, shelters, warming centers, mental health providers, legal aid organizations, and reentry programs
• Cultivate relationships with nontraditional partners such as faith communities, mutual aid groups, libraries, encampment leaders, and grassroots organizers to expand culturally rooted access points
• Participate in local and statewide planning bodies, including but not limited to: the Middlesex County Overdose Fatality Review Team and statewide advisory groups
• Represent NJHRC in community spaces in ways that strengthen trust, expand our referral ecosystem, and reflect our harm reduction values

Supervise social work interns (20%)

• Supervise and mentor social work interns placed at NJHRC, providing oversight, regular supervision sessions, and professional development support
• Integrate interns meaningfully into care coordination workflows in ways that expand capacity while centering participant experience
• Serve as a field supervisor and liaison with partner schools of social work as the internship program develops

Manage documentation & data (15%)

• Document all participant encounters, referrals, and follow-up outcomes in Apricot, NJHRC's secure data system, using standardized intake forms and referral tracking tools
• Track referral completion rates through structured follow-ups and use that data to identify systemic barriers requiring partner-level intervention
• Contribute to program evaluation, including collecting participant feedback and flagging workflow issues or gaps in the referral ecosystem
• Model strong documentation practices for interns and peers, reinforcing why good data matters for participant care and organizational accountability

Who you are:

You are a skilled, compassionate clinician who brings both the technical training and the human warmth this work demands. You don't flinch at complexity—you lean into it. You know how to hold space for someone in crisis while also managing a caseload, building partner relationships, tracking data, and following up on a dozen referrals. You believe that low-threshold, relationship-based care saves lives, and you show up every day ready to prove it.

Must-haves:

• LSW or LCSW licensure in New Jersey. Active licensure is required at time of hire. Note: Licensed mental health providers (e.g., LPC, LMFT) with a genuine interest in and openness to case management and care coordination work are also warmly encouraged to apply.
• Experience in harm reduction, substance use, or related fields. You have worked directly with people who use drugs, people experiencing homelessness, or other populations navigating structural barriers to care. You understand the landscape and bring humility to it.
• Trauma-informed practice. You have training and experience in trauma-informed care and apply it intuitively—in assessments, in conversations, and in how you design your work.
• Care coordination and case management skills. You can conduct comprehensive assessments, develop care plans, make warm referrals, and follow through. You know how to work a fragmented system to get someone what they need.
• Crisis response skills. You are trained and experienced in crisis intervention, de-escalation, and safety planning. You can hold steady when things get hard.
• Relationship-building and partnership development. You connect authentically with people who have been failed by systems before—and with the providers, agencies, and organizations those people need. You are warm, reliable, and non-judgmental, and you know how to build and sustain a referral network.
• Cultural humility. You are committed to ongoing learning about the communities you serve—including Black, Latino, LGBTQ+, unhoused, sex-working, and uninsured participants—and you actively work to center their expertise and autonomy.
• Strong documentation habits. You are thorough, timely, and accurate in your documentation. You understand why good data matters for both participant care and organizational accountability.
• Strong communication skills. Your written and verbal communication is clear and effective. You can advocate for participants, collaborate with partners, and manage up to align on priorities.
• Computer proficiency. You're comfortable with electronic data systems (experience with Apricot or similar case management software a plus), email, and standard office tools.

Nice-to-haves:

• Lived and/or living experience. Personal experience with drug use, incarceration, homelessness, or harm reduction is a strong asset and deeply valued at NJHRC.
• Experience supervising students or interns. Prior field supervision or mentorship experience is a plus as we build out our internship program.
• Familiarity with New Jersey's service landscape, including local and statewide FQHCs, MOUD providers, shelters, and community coalitions across multiple counties
• Bilingual in Spanish (verbal and written)
• Experience with HIV/HCV navigation or infectious disease care coordination
• Valid driver's license
• Bachelor's or post-graduate degree in social work or related field (beyond licensure requirements)

A note to potential candidates:

Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary people, and BIPOC candidates are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every qualification. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and we are most interested in finding the best