Peer Support Specialist

About Us

The Pathfinder Network (TPN), established in 1993, provides justice-system impacted individuals and their families with tools and support to thrive. We serve those experiencing incarceration, reentering the community, on community supervision, their families, and children across 9 of Oregon’s 11 corrections facilities and in Multnomah, Jackson, Marion, and Clackamas Counties. Our evidence-based, trauma-, gender-, and culturally-responsive programs include the proprietary Parenting Inside Out curriculum, the highest-rated parenting skills program for justice-involved parents. We offer holistic wraparound support through individual and group services, serving approximately 3,000 people annually.

We prioritize a healthy organizational culture rooted in equitable, just, and anti-racist practices. We value diversity and believe every team member enriches our work by bringing unique perspectives. Our vision is to create communities that welcome all, provide second chances, and foster pathways to change.

About the Role

As a Peer Support Specialist, you will provide one-on-one and group peer support services to justice system-involved individuals. You will deliver wraparound support, facilitate cognitive-behavioral classes, and connect peers with resources to remove barriers to recovery and resilience. Your lived experience, relational skills, and ability to work in high-stress environments will enable you to thrive in this role while upholding TPN’s mission, vision, and values.

Responsibilities

• Support Services
  • Provide wraparound and drop-in support to peers at Transition and Resource Centers and other locations.
  • Collaborate with parole/probation officers, DHS workers, and community providers to ensure participant compliance and success.
  • Offer referrals for employment, housing, food, clothing, and transportation.
  • Coordinate services with child welfare, mental health, substance use treatment providers, and other social services.
  • Support participants in engaging in positive recovery activities and events; build relationships within the recovery community.
  • Assist in planning and hosting quarterly peer support events.
  • Transport clients to appointments and services as needed.
  • Complete required documentation, track attendance, and maintain thorough case notes.
• Group Facilitation
  • Facilitate classes and support groups using standardized, evidence-based curriculum and delivery models.
  • Substitute in classes or facilitate support groups as needed.
  • Plan, review, and prepare materials for class facilitation.
  • Lead program informational and orientation sessions.
  • Teach, coach, and model positive recovery, cognitive, and social skills individually and in groups.
  • Reinforce positive behaviors and progress; use incentives to motivate behavior.
• Participation in Shared Leadership (5% of time)
  • Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice in the workplace.
  • Participate in cross-departmental teams, committees, or temporary teams (e.g., Equity Team, Employee Resource Groups).
  • Contribute skills, knowledge, and expertise to advance TPN’s mission.
• Cultural Values
  • Embody TPN’s cultural values: effective communication, mutual respect, accountability, self-awareness, shared leadership, and continuous growth.
  • Commit to racial justice by interacting effectively across diverse teams and applying a racial equity lens to your work.

Requirements

• Lived experience with addiction, recovery, and criminal justice involvement.
• Certification or eligibility for certification as a Certified Recovery Mentor, Peer Support Specialist, or Traditional Health Worker.
• Released from prison/jail and completed all forms of community supervision at least two years ago.
• Minimum of two years in recovery from substance use dependence.
• Meet criteria for facility access as required by TPN’s contract with the Department of Community Justice.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Experience delivering peer support services and working with mental health/substance abuse treatment agencies.
• Awareness of trauma-informed practices and approaches.
• Experience facilitating groups.
• Basic computer skills (web-based environments, word processing, email, spreadsheet data entry).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to work with diverse audiences.
• Valid driver’s license, access to a motor vehicle during work hours, and adequate car insurance.
• At least 21 years of age (required for access to correctional facilities).
• Must pass a criminal history background check (a record is not automatically disqualifying), employment verification, and drug screen (marijuana testing excluded).

Working Conditions

• Community service delivery setting; largely sedentary with routine use of office equipment (computers, phones, etc.).
• Compliance with public health guidance and partner agency requirements (e.g., vaccinations, isolation protocols).
• Physical demands: regular talking/hearing; frequent use of hands for handling/reaching; ability to transport clients as needed.
• Full-time, non-exempt position; typical workdays are Monday–Friday, with possible afternoon/evening shifts.
• Some travel required for community services, meetings, and trainings; occasional travel to TPN’s Portland office or statewide program sites.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off: 12 accrued vacation days + 12 accrued sick days in the first year, plus mental wellness hours.
• 17 paid days of significance annually, including extended holidays (week off at year-end and three 4-day weekends).
• Paid 30-minute lunch breaks.
• Employer-paid medical, vision, and dental coverage (employee-only) starting on the first day.
• Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care Assistance Program, and employer-funded Lifestyle Spending Account.
• 401k retirement plan with 3% employer match (fully vested immediately).
• Employer-paid short-term disability and accidental death/dismemberment insurance.
• Supplemental virtual healthcare for employees and dependents.
• Potential eligibility for Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness.
• Employee recognition program, staff appreciation awards, and swag store.
• Bilingual pay differential for eligible positions.
• Shared Leadership model with opportunities to contribute to agency growth.
• Development opportunities and trainings.

Pay

This is a non-exempt, full-time position with a hiring range of $23.33–$24.03 per hour, determined by experience and an internal pay equity assessment.