Certified Peer Support Specialist

Description

Certified Peer Support Specialist - PORT

The Job

Carteret County Government's Post Overdose Response Team (PORT) is seeking to fill a Certified Peer Support Specialist role. Do you have a desire to assist in the prevention of overdose fatalities in the community? Are you a compassionate & professional individual who has experience in community service and working with families in crisis? Then, a Certified Peer Support Specialist position may be the role for you!


The Location

Office location is in Morehead City, NC.

The Details

Hiring range $43,328.21 - $47,661.03.

Must possess a valid NC Certified Peer Support Specialist Certification.

Posting expires 7/30/2026.

Full-time with benefits including paid medical, dental, vision and life insurance; retirement and 401(k) plans; and, paid sick, vacation and holiday leave.

REQUIRED - Must complete pre-employment screenings including criminal background check, fingerprint background, drug test, motor vehicle report, and education screening. Offers of employment are conditional on acceptable results.

Apply online at & click on the Employment link.

The Job Description

General Statement of Duties
Provides and coordinates intermediate human support through providing direct services and support to people who use drugs and friends/family who experience and/or witness overdose.

Distinguishing Features of the Class
An employee of this role assists in the prevention of overdose fatalities and reducing the spread of infectious diseases. Work includes participating in community educational programs, providing individual and families with training and resources, collaborating with other human services professionals, and maintaining confidential records. Work is characterized by empowering individuals through connection, education, and linkage to a variety healthcare options, treatment options, harm reduction strategies, and social resources. Work requires promoting a culture in which each individual's point of view and preferences are recognized, understood, respected and integrated into treatment, rehabilitation, and community self-help activities. Sound professional judgment and initiative are required in the performance of duties. Work is performed under the supervision of the PORT Team Navigator and is evaluated through annual evaluation process, conferences, reports and client/family feedback.


Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Tasks
• Provides individual coaching, mentoring and consultation to promote recovery, self-advocacy and self-direction while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
• Responsible for assisting in creating opportunities for community education and outreach activities; contributes to the development and delivery of educational programs such as overdose awareness and treatment, community naloxone distribution resources, etc.
• Collaborates with other human services, law enforcement and health agencies; develops and maintains up-to-date network of local human services resources that provide healthcare, detox, and treatment services.
• Links participants to wrap around services as needed and assists in completing and submitting necessary referral paperwork.
• Coordinates direct services with program members to community resources.
• Tracks data meticulously and reports to the PORT Team Leader all program interactions, naloxone distribution data, outreach interactions, and referrals to care.
• Performs regular outreach to individuals within Carteret County affected by drug use and other at-risk behavior to connect them to appropriate community resources.
• Maintains and distributes naloxone kits to population in need.
• Participates in all PORT meetings and training sessions on best practices and harm reduction; completes ongoing training to maintain certification compliance.
• Follows up with patients who experience an opiate overdose via phone call or in person visit. Educates, provides access to harm reduction programs and referrals as needed. Connects with families of patients regarding resources and naloxone education.
• Listens and connects with family of overdose patients to express and address their concerns; encourages and suggests constructive action such as counseling, support group, and/or other local resources.
• Creates and maintains accurate confidential program records for assisted individuals, to include statistics and services delivered.
• Upholds all standards of the North Carolina Peer Support Specialist Code of Ethics.

Additional Duties
Performs related duties as required.

Recruitment and Selection Guidelines

Knowledges, Skills and Abilities
• Ability to work autonomously and independently with little direct supervision as well as be a highly effective team member.
• Thorough knowledge of the emotional and psychological impact of life experiences with substance abuse, prostitution, or criminal involvement.
• Considerable knowledge of local community human services agencies, services provided, and the professional network to assist clients.
• Knowledge of local mental health agencies, detox, and treatment facilities including those that provide Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT).
• Demonstrated skill in accurately assessing needs of clients during crisis, to determine options, and to making referrals as appropriate.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, families, various social, health, medical, etc. agencies and County personnel as peers, supervisor and the general public.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Comfortable with performing public speaking and group presentations.
• Be culturally aware and respectful of people who use drugs, people living with HIV, or HCV, incarcerated people, the LGBTQIA+ community and individuals from difference racial and ethnic backgrounds.
• Knowledge of drug use, syringe service programs, Hepatitis C, STIs, and HIV/AIDS
• Knowledge of personal safety standards, safety techniques and safety principals that guide at home visits.
• Ability to stay calm and maintain professionalism in emergency crisis.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and treat participants with respect, warmth, and positive regard.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment.
• Ability to express ideas, concepts, and plans effectively, both in oral and written forms.

Physical Requirements
• Work requires the occasional exertion of up to 10 pounds of force.
• Work regularly requires speaking or hearing and using hands to finger, handle or feel, frequently requires sitting and repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crawling, crouching, tasting and smelling, pushing, pulling, reaching with hands and arms and lifting.
• Work has standard vision requirements.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word.
• Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.
• Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, work has no exposure to environmental conditions.
• Work occasionally requires exposure to blood borne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment.
• Work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

Desirable Education and Experience
Graduation from a two-year college with a degree in counseling, social work, human services or related field, experience in community service, experience working with individuals and families in crisis, preferably with life experiences with drug use; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.


Special Requirements
Possession of a valid North Carolina driver's license upon hire.
NC Certified Peer Support Specialist Certification upon hire.
Hepatitis B vaccine or declination
Must be flexible with working times, which may include nights and weekends.

Carteret County
2025

Pay Grade: 64
FLSA: Non-Exempt


Special Note: This generic class description gives an overview of the job class, its essential job functions, and recommended job requirements. However, for each individual position assigned to this class, there is available a completed job questionnaire with a physical abilities checklist which can give further details about that one specific position. Those documents should be reviewed before initiating a selection process. They can provide additional detailed information on which to base various personnel actions and can assist management in making legal and defensible personnel decisions.