Bilingual Peer Support Specialist

El Futuro • Durham, NC

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

El Futuro is seeking a full-time, Bilingual Peer Support Specialist to provide support, guidance, and resources to adults on their recovery journey. This role offers culturally responsive, non-clinical peer support through the Acompañamiento de Bienestar Emocional program. The position is grounded in peer support principles, including the appropriate use of lived experience, mutuality, emotional safety, empowerment, recovery, and community connection. The specialist will help participants build on their strengths, develop coping strategies, and strengthen connections to community resources. The role requires 37.5 hours per week, primarily in-person at the Durham clinic, with availability for Friday morning meetings (9:00-11:00 am). The typical weekly schedule includes evenings and occasional weekends. The pay rate starts at $22.00 per hour.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED, required.
• Must possess North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist certification or be eligible to obtain certification within three months of hire.
• Bilingual fluency in spoken and written Spanish and English.
• Strong relationship-building, listening, communication, and group facilitation skills.
• Ability to use lived experience ethically and appropriately within a peer support role.
• Understanding of peer support values, including mutuality, self-determination, empowerment, hope, and recovery.
• Ability to provide culturally responsive and person-centered support to individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to maintain healthy boundaries and follow protocols related to confidentiality, documentation, safety concerns, and escalation.
• Proficiency or ability to learn electronic health records, Microsoft Office applications, and other program systems.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Knowledge of community resources and ability to facilitate warm connections while remaining within peer support scope of practice.
• Commitment to supporting El Futuro's mission to nurture stronger familias to live out their dreams.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a manner consistent with El Futuro's values of Calor Humano, Trust, Resilience, Belonging, and Community.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in community mental health settings or a peer support role, preferred.
• Experience providing services within Latino and Spanish-speaking communities, preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build trusting, respectful relationships with participants through warmth, consistency, cultural humility, and appropriate use of lived experience.
• Provide peer support services in both Spanish and English to ensure language access and effective communication with participants.
• Support participants in identifying personal strengths, wellness goals, coping practices, daily routines, sources of meaning, and supportive relationships.
• Use trauma-awareness, strengths-based, and recovery-oriented approaches to foster choice, self-determination, resilience, and emotional safety.
• Collaborate with participants to develop and revisit person-centered wellness and recovery plans.
• Facilitate or support individual and group peer support activities, wellness conversations, reflection exercises, and community-based support when appropriate.
• Share personal recovery experience strategically and ethically, in ways that support hope, connection, and empowerment.
• Recognize signs of emotional distress or safety concerns and follow program protocols for consultation, warm handoff, documentation, and escalation.
• Maintain clear non-clinical boundaries; this role does not provide therapy, diagnosis, clinical assessment, treatment planning, medication guidance, case management, or crisis intervention.
• Complete timely, accurate, strengths-based documentation of peer support encounters, participant goals, wellness activities, warm handoffs, and required program information.
• Support program evaluation activities, including helping participants complete approved surveys or reflection tools according to program procedures.
• Participate in regular supervision, role and wellness check-ins, team meetings, interdisciplinary consultation, and required training.
• Engage in ongoing professional development related to peer support, cultural responsiveness, trauma awareness, ethics, documentation, and wellness.
• Collaborate with staff and community partners to strengthen culturally responsive and community-informed support services.

Benefits

• Employer paid medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability
• 403B matching
• Generous PTO and paid holidays
• Paid family medical leave
• Paid parental leave
• Stipend and paid time off for professional development

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED