Bilingual Peer Support Specialist

Would you like to join a growing, compassionate team of people who share a vision for a brighter future? El Futuro is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization and leading provider of behavioral mental health treatment and support services. We operate clinics across central North Carolina, specializing in services for Spanish-speaking individuals. Our mission is to nurture stronger familias to live out their dreams.

El Futuro is currently hiring a full-time, Bilingual Peer Support Specialist to provide support, guidance, and resources to adults participating in their recovery journey. The Bilingual Peer Support Specialist / Mentor(a) de Bienestar Emocional provides culturally responsive, non-clinical peer support through El Futuro’s Acompañamiento de Bienestar Emocional program. The role is grounded in peer support principles, including appropriate use of lived experience, mutuality, emotional safety, empowerment, recovery, and community connection, and helps participants build on their strengths, develop coping strategies, and strengthen connections to community resources.

This position works 37.5 hours per week, primarily in-person, in the Durham clinic, and must be available for Friday morning meetings, 9:00-11:00am. The typical weekly schedule includes evenings and occasional weekends.

The pay rate starts at $22.00 per hour. El Futuro provides employer paid medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability; 403B matching; generous PTO and paid holidays; paid family medical leave; paid parental leave; and stipend and paid time off for professional development.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Peer Support Specialist performs a wide range of functions including, but not limited to the following:

• 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.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

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

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES

• 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.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Environment: Work is performed in-person, with occasional remote work, utilizing Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
• Assigned Office Site: Durham Clinic
• Work Week: Usually works a standard work week, Monday through Friday, with minimum two or three evenings per week (dependent on part-time or full-time status); Friday 9:00am to 11:00am is required time for organization-wide and team meetings.
• Extra Time: May be required to work occasional weekends for special events or attend staff meetings outside the regular schedule

To apply, submit your cover letter and resume.

El Futuro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in its employment decisions on the basis of any protected category. We believe we are most impactful when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with common purpose. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.