Consumer Inclusion Coordinator

Make a real impact in Baltimore! BHSB is hiring a Consumer Inclusion Coordinator to elevate the voices of people with lived experience and transform behavioral health systems. In this dynamic, hybrid role, you’ll connect, support, and empower peers—creating pathways to certification, meaningful employment, and leadership. Your work will drive access, equity, and quality of care. Join a passionate, collaborative team committed to innovation and inclusion. Full-time, Baltimore-based. Competitive pay ($34.95/hr) and incredible benefits. Ready to turn lived experience into lasting change? Apply today!

The Consumer Inclusion Coordinator works with the Special Populations team to integrate persons with lived experience of addiction and/or mental illness into behavioral health programs and initiatives to improve access to care, quality of care, and accountability to persons served. The position plans and implements strategies and events by directly engaging and supporting people with lived experience in their peer role.

This position reports to the Associate Director, Recovery Support Services and is a full time position working in a hybrid work environment in Baltimore, MD. BHSB will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Consumer Engagement and Communication:

• Directly engage persons with lived experience of recovery from addiction or mental illness (“peers”) as well as people directly impacted by those who use drugs and/or alcohol and people with mental health issues who don’t identify as being in recovery (collectively referred to here as “People with Lived Experience” or PWLE).
• Directly engage persons who might not otherwise learn about peer work, such as persons experiencing homelessness, persons engaged in sex work, persons involved in the criminal justice system, and others.
• Develop and implement a communications strategy to ensure Baltimore-based PWLE have timely access to relevant information, including management of a peer e-mail list.
• Plan and implement networking events for PWLE, community health workers, and allies.

Consumer Support and Training:

• Support PWLE in finding paid and volunteer work in the behavioral health field.
• Educate PWLE on the process of how to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS).
• Support peers in the certification process, including identifying volunteer opportunities to help meet the volunteer hours requirement.
• Coordinate and facilitate trainings for peers that contribute towards the CEUs required for certification, including but not limited to:
  • Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery – Recovery Coach Academy (CCAR-RCA)
  • Intentional Peer Support (IPS)
  • Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)
  • Ethics
  • Advocacy, and
  • SMART Recovery.
  • Increase the number of certified peers in Baltimore City.

Consumer Inclusion and Systems Improvement:

• Educate prospective employers and supervisors on the value of peers and peer roles and responsibilities, and where needed, provide technical assistance (e.g. advising on job descriptions and training plans).
• Source and disseminate peer employment opportunities,
• Increase the number of Registered Peer Supervisors (RPS) in Baltimore City and increase the proportion of peer positions that report to an RPS.
• Act as a liaison between the local behavioral health system and the peer certification board.
• Collaborate with local and state entities to expand and improve peer services.
• Participate in initiatives to improve access to (or quality of) behavioral health care, particularly initiatives focused on underserved populations (e.g. older adults, pregnant women, persons experiencing homelessness, overdose survivors).
  • Provide expertise on how roles for PWLE could advance those initiatives.
  • Support initiatives in creating a framework to include PWLE (e.g. volunteer roles, job descriptions), with an emphasis on including PWLE whose experiences most closely match the experiences of the target population served.
  • Support initiatives in creating roles where PWLE have decision-making capacity.
  • Support initiatives in implementing the planned framework (e.g. helping find people with “matched” lived experience or who have an interest in the subject matter).
• Collaboratively develop a vision and support implementation of a plan for improving inclusion of PWLE in the Behavioral Health System.
• Provide data and analysis on inclusion efforts.
• Provide support to other efforts to support and mobilize PWLE in alignment with the priorities of the public behavioral health system.

Other

• Work effectively and collaboratively with others, both internally and externally to BHSB.
• Foster open and honest dialogue within and across teams and between colleagues who have different backgrounds. Engage in honest dialogue and navigate conflict in day-to-day interactions.  
• Uphold and operationalize the values of BHSB, which are Integrity, Equity, Innovation, Collaboration and Quality.
• Consistently work to engage in open and honest dialogue, including with people from different teams and different backgrounds, and ask for support when needed. 
• Serve as part of BHSB’s disaster response team as needed, in any capacity that is needed. 
• To perform assigned work functions, this position and those it supervises may have access to protected health information (PHI). It is expected that the employee will operate from a place of integrity and assume an ethical obligation to protect the security and confidentiality of all PHI in accordance with BHSB’s policies. 
• An offer of employment for this position at BHSB is contingent upon the results of a thorough background check, including criminal history, which will require prior authorization from the candidate.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• A bachelor's degree in a related field is preferred but not required
• Five years experience working in a behavioral health field.
• Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) is preferred.
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the following principles and practices and provide leadership to efforts to advance these within the public behavioral health system:
  • Racial Equity, health disparities, and cultural competency
  • Integrated care and coordination of care
  • Self-determination, client-centered care, harm reduction, and Housing First
  • Parity and access to care
  • Chronic care management
• Demonstrate unconditional positive regard for others and a non-judgmental and person-centered approach to problem-solving.
• Demonstrate cultural competence and a commitment to equity.
• Develop workplans and processes to execute complex tasks.
• Organize, track, and effectively prioritize a large number of simultaneous tasks.
• Maintain flexibility to changing priorities and processes.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively in an interdisciplinary, culturally diverse, team-based work environment.
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the behavioral health system.
• Intermediate expertise in using technology to support work processes, including but not limited to Microsoft 365 programs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to interact in a hybrid/virtual environment
• Proficient using Microsoft Office Suite Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint

BHSB values each and every employee as an important contributor to fulfilling the organization’s mission. The ongoing health and wellness of employees is critical to BHSB’s success, and we continuously assess employee benefits, policies and practices to ensure opportunities are available for all people. The organization offers its employees a competitive compensation package which includes base pay, a comprehensive benefits plan and hybrid, family-friendly work practices.

BHSB is an equal opportunity employer and does not utilize practices that give preference to individuals in hiring or promotion. Salaries are based on the requirements of each job, are non-negotiable and step increases are offered at regular intervals. The starting hourly rate for this position is $34.95

The benefits plan includes comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage, employer paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, a 403(b) plan with employer contribution, a choice of 4 FSA plans, an employee paid legal benefit, generous PTO and 13 days paid holiday. In addition, medical plan participants receive an employer paid HRA accessed by a $5,000/$10,000 debit card to cover eligible deductible and copay expenses, depending on chosen coverage.

BHSB - About Us

Behavioral Health System Baltimore, Inc. (BHSB) is a non-profit organization that serves as the Local Behavioral Health Authority (LBHA) on behalf of Baltimore City. BHSB is responsible for planning, managing and monitoring resources, programs and policies within the larger Medicaid fee-for-service system, as well as services directly funded by BHSB through private and public grants. BHSB partners closely with Baltimore City and the State of Maryland to build an efficient and responsive system that comprehensively addresses mental illness and substance use and meets the needs of the whole person. BHSB serves as an “on the ground” expert to support the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), using our knowledge of the behavioral health needs of Baltimore City and services that are available, along with our expertise, to structure the system’s resources to meet the unique needs of our communities. BHSB has connections to other local systems, such as law enforcement, schools, social services, and courts, to ensure there is broad access to behavioral health services across systems and in communities.

BHSB is intentional about advancing a healthy work environment that builds trust, fosters a sense of belonging, promotes learning, and supports leadership opportunities for all. BHSB uses practices that honor the diverse perspectives of all people and cultivate authentic interpersonal interactions based on mutual trust. How BHSB conducts its work internally is directly connected to the organization’s impact externally. The principles that BHSB embraces in its everyday work are flexibility, empowerment, transparency, shared decision making, authentic communication, readily available information, promotion and support of individual growth, individual accountability and collective accountability. 

BHSB values all people and their experiences, including those who have had prior contact with the legal system. We are committed to providing individuals with criminal records, including formerly incarcerated individuals and individuals with arrest or conviction records, a fair chance at employment. 

BHSB also takes steps to proactively prevent and address conflict and discrimination by investing in organizational education to foster the development of an accountable and respectful workplace where all employees are supported and encouraged to do their best work.