The starting salary range for this position is $35.00 per hour depending upon qualifications and is non-negotiable.

The RESTORE program is a community-academic research collaborative within the Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science in the School of Public Health at San Diego State University, under the leadership and supervision of Dr. Sabrina L. Smiley. The RESTORE program is funded by the National Institutes of Health-National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH-NIDA) to initiate a research agenda on how to increase access to opioid use disorder treatment in community health clinics to help Black people with opioid use disorder start and stay in treatment. Opioid-involved overdose death rates are rising fastest among Black people compared with other groups, and nonfatal overdoses are also more frequent in this population. Although U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUDs) are the gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder, Black people and individuals living in low-income communities receive MOUD at disproportionately lower rates, contributing to ongoing inequities in the overdose epidemic.

Please see the following for additional information about the RESTORE program: https://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=79370; https://youtu.be/Qu49eNmiHUM

SPECIFIC DUTIES

Principal Responsibilities (100%):

• Conducts study specific operations and activities as they relate to substance use disorder treatment and care.
• Utilizes communication strategies including chain of command and issue escalation.
• Complies with regulatory requirements, policies, procedures, and standards of practice.
• Well versed in a variety of substance use treatment models, patterns of substance use, effects of intoxicants and withdrawal of various substances.
• Knowledgeable in local and regional substance use treatment options and harm reduction services.
• Makes appropriate referrals and facilitates the study participant’s ability to utilize resources.
• Discusses study participant progress toward outcomes and referrals with members of the RESTORE Intervention Team.
• Attends all mandatory study-related meetings and activities (i.e., planning, measuring/monitoring, assessing, and improving).
• Nonjudgmental, energetic, empathetic positive approach to assisting study participants with opioid use disorder.
• Available for a flexible schedule to develop realistic individualized action plans for study participants.
• Able to interact with study participants in a culturally relatable manner.
• Respect for confidentiality and privacy.
• Gives study participants information in a way they can understand and ensure comprehension.
• Treats everyone with courtesy, respect, kindness, compassion, and professionalism.
• Actively listens to the needs of study participants and family members and takes responsibility for meeting those identified needs.
• Reports to assigned area promptly, being present and available for discussion or study participant review at the beginning of an assigned shift.
• Supervised at all times by a Lead Peer Recovery Support Navigator and a qualified mental health professional; LCSW, LMFT, PhD, etc.

Minimum Qualifications

MINIMUM EDUCATION

• Equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in appropriate field related to program/project, or additional experience may be substituted for the required education on a year for year basis

     MINIMUM EXPERIENCE

• Two years of progressively responsible experience in technical or administrative assignments.

QUALIFICATIONS & SPECIAL SKILLS

Knowledge and Abilities

• Be self-identified as having lived experience with the process of recovery from a substance use disorder.
• Successfully complete the 80-hour training requirements for a Peer Support Specialist through a California Mental Health Services Authority-approved training entity.
• Demonstrates knowledge about and basic competence in the following areas: harm reduction, motivational interviewing, strengths-based care, patient-centered care, trauma-informed care, and experience with evidence-based behavioral health interventions.
• Demonstrated experience working with substance use disorders and behavioral health for at least two years.
• Proficiency in operating a computer, including logging into and maneuvering around multiple systems such as online timesheets (time and attendance).
• Demonstrates effective interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in a team setting.
• Ability to prioritize competing and multiple tasks.
• Maintenance of reliable transportation; Travel 50% or more – proof of valid California Driver’s License, automobile insurance, and clean driving record.

Preferred Qualifications

• Be self-identified as having lived experience with the process of recovery from a substance use
• Demonstrated experience working with substance use disorders and behavioral health for at least 5+ years.
• At least 500 hours of direct, supervised work experience and training with people experiencing substance use disorder(s).
• Successfully complete the 80-hour training requirements for a Peer Support Specialist through a California Mental Health Services Authority-approved training entity.

ADDITIONAL APPLICANT INFORMATION

• Candidate must reside in California and live within a commutable distance from SDSU at time of hire.
• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on background check results (including a criminal record check).
• San Diego State University Research Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, SDSU Research Foundation provides equal opportunity in employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin or any other categories protected by federal or state law.  
• Employment decisions are based on an individual’s qualifications as they relate to the job under consideration. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every employee has equal access to resources and support. 
• SDSU Research Foundation complies with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), and other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws including grant or contract terms and conditions related to funded program activities. Further the SDSU Research Foundation maintains a Nondiscrimination Policy that prohibits discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all programs, policies, and practices.  
• SDSU Research Foundation makes all employment decisions including, but not limited to, applicant screening, hiring, promotion, demotion, compensation, benefits, disciplinary actions, and terminations on the basis of merit.