Full Time Position
Floating Position: Must be comfortable floating between multiple positions for various team and programs
Experience Requirement: 1+ Years of relevant experience
Additional Requirements: Valid Driver's License, some driving is required
Position Summary: New Narrative offers a comprehensive range of mental health services to individuals in the greater Portland area. We work closely and collaboratively with each participant to develop personalized wellness plans that reflect their unique goals. Our programs include outpatient and residential mental health treatment, transitional and permanent housing, peer support, wellness services, and more, all tailored to meet the specific needs of those we serve.
The Floating Peer Support Specialist provides short- to medium-term coverage for peer support roles across multiple New Narrative programs, ensuring continuity of participant services and team stability during staff absences, transitions, and periods of increased demand.
This position is a critical cross-program resource that may be assigned to housing, residential, outreach, forensic, drop-in, and youth services programs. The role requires adaptability, strong learning agility, and the ability to integrate quickly into new environments while maintaining fidelity to peer support values.
Because New Narrative’s peer services are rooted in community and relational engagement, this position includes both community-based and site-based support and requires the ability to drive participants safely to appointments, community activities, and essential services. Reliable transportation and readiness to travel between sites are essential functions of this position, as the work cannot be performed effectively without them.
Assignments are typically several weeks to several months. The standard schedule is Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., though flexibility (with notice) may occasionally be required to support programs operating evenings or weekends.
The role of Peer Specialist is guided by our vision: “We envision a world where lived experiences are valued and integrated - creating meaningful change and opening paths to purpose, connection, and community.”
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Peer Support and Engagement
- Provide direct peer support services using trauma-informed, person-centered, and recovery-oriented approaches in both community and site-based settings.
- Model and uphold the National Association of Peer Supporters (NAPS) Guidelines, Intentional Peer Support principles, and SAMHSA’s Core Competencies for Peer Workers.
- Build and maintain supportive relationships with participants, sharing lived experience appropriately to promote hope, empowerment, and self-determination.
- Collaborate with participants to develop and pursue individualized Wellness and Recovery Plans.
- Seek feedback from participants and adjust services as needed.
- Model assertive engagement strategies and advise staff on personalized approaches for participants.
- Facilitate or co-facilitate peer-led groups, community integration activities, and skill-building sessions that align with program goals.
- Provide community-based peer support in participants’ natural environments, including homes, shelters, or public settings, as appropriate.
- Support with connecting to community resources, housing, employment support, benefits, and other social determinants of health in a fast-paced environment.
- Drive participants safely to appointments, meetings, or community resources as part of individualized service plans.
- Apply harm reduction and multiple-pathways-to-recovery principles consistently across all environments.
- Provide consistent support for program operations, including de-escalation and participant engagement. Assist with screenings, move-ins, move-outs, and activities as needed.
- Offer milieu support, modeling person-centered social interactions with participants.
Program Integration and Independence
- Rapidly learn and implement site-specific workflows, documentation systems, and procedures with minimal supervision after initial training.
- Demonstrate independent follow-through on assigned duties and participant support tasks once oriented to a site.
- Maintain reliable attendance and punctuality to ensure service consistency and minimize disruption to participant care.
- Communicate proactively with supervisors regarding scheduling, coverage needs, and barriers to assignment completion.
- Collaborate effectively with on-site leadership, colleagues, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure continuity of support. Participate in weekly team meetings
- Display professionalism, initiative, and flexibility in navigating new or changing work environments.
Documentation and Compliance
- Complete all required documentation accurately, objectively, and within established timelines (typically within 24–72 hours).
- Documentation will include Medicaid billable notes when working in some programs
- Maintain confidentiality of participant information and comply with HIPAA, PHI, and all agency and contractual standards.
- Track service delivery, participant contacts, and outcomes per program and funding requirements.
Professional Conduct and Representation
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Adhere to all policies related to workplace conduct, safety, confidentiality, and professional boundaries.
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Maintain a growth mindset, contribute to an inclusive, respectful, and accountable workplace culture.
Core Competencies: (Listing of skills, abilities, characteristics, and knowledge)
- Adaptability & Learning Agility: Rapidly absorbs and applies new procedures, workflows, and site expectations.
- Reliability & Accountability: Demonstrates consistent attendance, timeliness, and follow-through. Communicates proactively about barriers.
- Independent Work: Successfully manages tasks and priorities after initial site training with minimal direction.
- Communication: Communicates clearly, respectfully, and consistently with staff, participants, and supervisors.
- Team Collaboration: Works effectively in multidisciplinary settings; supports cross-program alignment.
- Feedback orientated: Demonstrates, engages, and promotes regular forms of feedback from program participants, New Narrative staff, and colleagues
- Individual Responsiveness: Responds well to internal or external individual needs.
- Crisis Response: Maintains calm, grounding presence during participant crises using trauma-informed approaches.
- Cultural Humility: Honors diversity of identities, experiences, and recovery paths.
- Ethics & Boundaries: Maintains professional boundaries and ethical peer conduct across varied contexts
- Quality: Promotes continuous improvement. Effectively utilizes data.
- Organizational Awareness: Understands the culture of the organization; interests and concerns of various groups.
- Motivate: On-going ability to motivate others and remain consistently enthusiastic, New Narrative mission conscious and values driven with participant focused and trauma informed lens.
Supervision Received:
- Receive supervision from Senior Peer Leadership biweekly, with additional support as needed.
- Receives task-level direction and support from assigned site leadership during coverage assignments.
- Participate in team meetings and group supervision as required.
Other General Expectations:
- Follow all corporate policies, procedures, and protocols.
- Follow through on all directives and instructions.
- Maintain security of all corporate interests.
- Maintain CPR and First Aid Certificate.
Physical Demands and Working Conditions:
- Work is performed across residential, community-based, and office settings.
- Frequent driving, walking, and participant interaction required; occasional lifting up to 20 lbs.
- Exposure to variable weather, noise, and environmental conditions may occur.
- Must maintain ability to travel between program sites regularly.
Qualifications:
- Self-identifies as a person with lived experience of mental health, substance use, trauma, houselessness, or similar recovery experiences.
- Peer Support certification (PSS, PWS) recognized by the Oregon Traditional Health Worker Registry required.
- Minimum one year of experience providing peer or lived-experience-based support required.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to adapt to diverse settings and team cultures.
- Must be willing and able to provide community-based support and transport participants as part of essential job duties.
- Must maintain current CPR and First Aid certification.
- Bilingual and bicultural applicants strongly encouraged to apply.
- Experience with criminal legal system preferred.
- Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred.
- Must pass a DHS criminal history check.
- Must have a valid Oregon or Washington driver’s license and ability to drive.
