Young Adult Peer Training Specialist

On Our Own of Maryland, Inc. (OOOMD) is a statewide peer-operated behavioral health advocacy and education organization which promotes equality, justice, autonomy, and choice about life decisions for individuals with mental health and substance use needs. We work with peers (people who have lived experience with behavioral health challenges, services, or systems), service providers, community leaders, and organizations to ensure that behavioral health services and systems are recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, person-centered, and culturally and linguistically responsive. We focus on reducing stigmatizing practices and expanding peer involvement in mental health and substance use policy and planning at local, state, and national levels through training, technical assistance, mentoring, advocacy, and the expansion of peer support services. Learn more about our mission and activities on our website.

The Young Adult Peer Training Specialist is part of the Peer Training Services Department, which develops and delivers high quality training and technical assistance to Maryland’s behavioral health community, with a focus on recovery, wellness, and peer support concepts and competencies.

This position is focused on engaging and supporting young adult peers (ages 18–29) to become Certified Peer Recovery Specialists through a grant-funded project, YA CPRS Training Initiative (October 2025 – September 2027). This position offers a hybrid schedule of 50% remote and 50% in person work, with frequent daytime statewide travel. The ideal candidate will have professional experience with behavioral health services and peer support, strong interpersonal communication and relationship-building skills, and comfort with using a variety of methods (ex: social media, phone/text/email outreach, in-person networking, etc.) to connect and engage with diverse communities across Maryland.

Core Duties & Responsibilities

• Community Outreach & Engagement (40%):
  • Identify and directly connect with diverse community groups and organizations working with young adults to raise awareness and promote participation in OOOMD activities, specifically the Young Adult CPRS Training Pathway.
  • Create dynamic and engaging content to inform and inspire young adults to explore and enroll in the Young Adult CPRS Training Pathway through social media, newsletter articles, website, etc. using established and evolving best practices for each modality.
  • Actively recruit individual young adults to engage with the Young Adult CPRS Training Pathway through attending in-person events across Maryland (ex: health fairs, job fairs, site visits, presentations, etc) and following up using direct connection (ex: text, email, phone calls, etc.).
  • Process incoming requests from individuals and organizations (via phone calls, emails, social media messaging platforms, etc.) related to the YA CPRS Training Pathway.
• Young Adult Peer Support & Mentoring (30%):
  • Provide ongoing support and encouragement to young adults throughout their participation in the YA CPRS Training Pathway through direct communication and small group support.
  • Assist young adults with navigating processes related to the YA CPRS Training Pathway, including planning training schedules and preparing CPRS application components.
• Trainings & Events (25%):
  • Deliver training, workshops, and presentations (virtually and in person) to a wide variety of young adult and youth-serving audiences within and related to Maryland’s behavioral health system, including required processes for workshop evaluation, CEU certificates, and Salesforce data entry;
  • Support guest facilitators in specific training environments.
  • Assist with organizing and producing virtual and in-person networking and training events for YA CPRS Training Pathway participants.
• Organizational Development (5%):
  • Participate in individual, team, and organization-wide professional development.
  • Collaborate with other internal departments and partner organizations on initiatives and special events.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Required General Experience & Education

• Behavioral Health Peer Experience:
  • Self-identify as having personal and direct lived experience with behavioral health (mental health and/or substance use) challenges, services, or systems.
  • Comfortable relating to others and publicly identifying as a behavioral health peer.
  • Strong interest in issues of wellness and recovery, healthcare equity and access, disability rights advocacy.
  • Preferred: Experience with peer support (ex: self-help support groups, mutual aid programs).
• Work Experience:
  • At least 1 year of professional experience and demonstrated success in similar job roles or functions.
  • Preferred: Experience with youth services, community engagement, mentoring, administrative support, event planning, regional/statewide projects.
• Education:
  • At least a High School Diploma/GED
  • Current and valid certification as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) or equivalent, or ability to complete CPRS educational requirements within 6 months of hire.
  • Preferred: Associate’s Degree or higher.
  • Preferred: Specific education in youth development, education (secondary, higher ed, adult), sociology, psychology, social work, or related fields

Required Position-Specific Skills & Knowledge

• Behavioral Health: Strong knowledge of concepts and competencies related to behavioral health, such as: mental health, substance use, trauma, self-help, harm reduction, stigma, peer support, strengths-based approaches. Preferred: Experience with Maryland’s public behavioral health and/or social services systems. Experience with Maryland’s Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) credentialing process. Experience with peer-run programs and organizations.
• Young Adult Engagement: Strong knowledge and skills in young adult engagement best practices for in-person and virtual environments. Preferred: Personal experience participating or working in behavioral health programs or youth-serving systems between the ages of 18 to 29.
• Community Empowerment & Social Change: Knowledge, skills, and strong interest in matters of personal empowerment and community-led social change. Preferred: Experience with interactive strategies and high-intensity topics.

Required General Skills & Knowledge

• Interpersonal:
  • Positive and collaborative approach to working with people with diverse life experiences.
  • Show a high degree of professionalism, integrity, and respect in all interactions.
  • Responsive to high-intensity situations in a timely, thoughtful, trauma-informed, and solution-oriented way.
  • Willing to continually grow and adapt skills and practices in response to identified needs.
  • Preferred: Previous experience working with behavioral health or community empowerment projects.
• Communication:
  • Clearly and concisely communicate accurate information in written and verbal formats.
  • Comfortable giving formal and informal presentations and writing for general audiences (ex: email, newsletters, social media).
  • Preferred: Previous experience interacting with the public for education, advocacy, or engagement purposes.
• Organization:
  • Excellent time management and information organization skills with consistent attention to detail.
  • Effectively triage tasks for multiple projects with concurrent deadlines.
  • Preferred: Previous experience working with collaborations, grant-funded projects, and specific quarterly/annual goals and deliverables.
• Productivity:
  • Work independently with minimal supervision.
  • Highly responsive to external and internal requests or updates during business hours.
  • Effective and proactive problem-solving based on organizational values, goals, policies, procedures.
  • Preferred: Previous experience working virtually/remotely on long-term projects.
• Technical:
  • Proficient with office software applications: digital documents, spreadsheets, email, electronic calendars, virtual meeting apps, social media.
  • Preferred: Experience with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Meet), Zoom, Salesforce.
• Travel & Schedule:
  • Consistently and punctually attend virtual meetings and in-person events across Maryland.
  • Flexible to work hours as needed to achieve project or organizational goals, including infrequent early morning/evening/weekend hours and overnight stays.
  • Preferred: Valid driver’s license and access to personal vehicle.

Expectations & Impact: Excellence in this position will result in strong recruitment and retention of young adults from across Maryland into OOOMD’s YA CPRS Training Pathway.

Benefits:

• Paid time off (15 holidays and vacation, medical [sick & safe], and personal leave)
• Employer-sponsored health insurance (CareFirst medical, dental, vision)
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match (up to 3%)
• Professional development (training, conferences, etc.)

Schedule:

• Standard business hours are Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Hybrid schedule of approximately 50% virtual / 50% in-person with flexible hours (within 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.) available, subject to job performance and organizational needs.
• Morning/evening/weekend hours will be required for specific activities.

Location:

• The OOOMD Office is located in Elkridge, Maryland (Howard County).
• Required in-person activities may take place at locations across the state of Maryland.

Travel:

• Statewide daytime travel will be scheduled as required to meet project and organizational needs.
• Infrequent overnight or out-of-state travel may be required for specific activities.

English proficiency required. Additional language skills are appreciated!