Advocacy Specialist 2, Central Offce;

State of New York - Mental Health, Office of; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 67,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The State of New York - Mental Health, Office of, is seeking an Advocacy Specialist 2 in the NYC field office to promote peer recovery values and support the inclusion of people with lived mental health experience across programs and policies.

The role entails regional coordination, liaison tasks with providers and peer-led programs, mentoring and guidance on peer support best practices, and contributing to statewide improvements while coordinating with field offices and central offices.

Qualifications

• Six years of experience as a professional advocate or service provider in rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, or homeless youth.
• Substitution: An associate degree may substitute for two years of general experience; a bachelor’s degree may substitute for four years; a master’s degree for five; or a doctorate for six years.

Responsibilities

• Serve as liaison between OMH and community to promote input and meaningful participation.
• Perform outreach to build relationships with providers and peers, including presentations on best practices.
• Provide mentoring and guidance to connect to peer services and reduce stigma.
• Guide agencies on developing peer/recovery-oriented services and workforce growth.
• Participate in program visits and provide feedback on strengths and improvement needs.
• Collaborate internally to drive systemic changes and support peer specialists across facilities.

Education

Six years of professional advocacy or service provider experience

Associate degree substitution for two years

Bachelor’s degree substitution for four years

Master’s degree substitution for five years

Doctorate substitution for six years

Lived mental health experience (preferred)

Experience as a peer advocate (preferred)

Mental health peer credential (NYCPS/ NYCPS-P, YPA/ YPA-P, or FPA/ FPA-P) (preferred)

Job description

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Title Advocacy Specialist 2, Central Offce;

Occupational Category Health Care, Human/Social Services

Salary Grade 18

Salary Range From $66951 to $85138 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Non-competitive Class

Travel Percentage 40%

Workweek Mon-Fri

Workday

From 8:30 AM

To 4:30 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? Yes

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

County New York

Street Address NYS Office of Mental Health, New York City Field Office

330 5th Avenue, 9th Floor

City New York

State NY

Duties Description The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) is recruiting to fill an Advocacy Specialist 2, SG-18, position in the Office of Advocacy and Peer Support Services (OAPSS) located at the NYC field office. OAPSS works to ensure the inclusion of recipients across the lifespan (youth, transition age youth, adults, and older adults) and their family’s perspectives into OMH policy making and program planning, development, and evaluation. The incumbent will work to promote peer recovery values and the inclusion of people of all ages and families who receive or have received mental health services, as well as peers support workers, advocates, and the community, as well as serve at a Regional level and function as a Regional Advocacy Specialist interacting and collaborating with all relevant programs and departments, Field Offices, Central Office, and local mental health providers to deliver technical assistance, lived expertise, and training to State and local mental health programs statewide.

• - Serve as the liaison between the Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the community, seeking input from individuals and families in a variety of forums to create a feedback loop, and to promote voice, choice, and meaningful participation in services.
• - Perform community outreach tasks with the goal of building relationships with providers and partners including providing support to Peer-run agencies/Peer-directed programs and family-run agencies/family-directed programs, attending community events, tabling at conferences, and providing presentations with topics like peer support best practices, stigma reduction, and other topics that support recovery, self-determination, cultural curiosity, and trauma responsiveness.
• - Provide individual mentoring and guidance by helping to facilitate connection to peer services as well as guidance to community programs on peer support best practices, and ways to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by individuals and families within the mental health and intersecting systems.
• - Provide guidance to agencies on developing peer/recovery-oriented services and support to enhance the provision of peer support services regionally and foster growth of the peer support workforce.
• - Participate in licensed or unlicensed program visits and provide feedback on the program’s strengths and improvement needs including participating as a reviewer for a licensing visit, participating in a supportive housing visit, and providing feedback to licensing on a program's peer specialist job description.
• - Work internally within the Office of Mental Health (OMH) toward systemic changes through participation in internal workgroups, providing data/feedback to other departments, and reviewing potential new programs.
• - Provide support to the Peer Specialists within state operated psychiatric centers within the 5 boroughs and the associated programs.

Minimum Qualifications Qualified candidates must possess:

• - Six years of experience* as a professional advocate or service provider in rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, or homeless youth.
• *Substitution: An associate degree may substitute for two years of general experience; a bachelor’s degree may substitute for four years of general experience; a master’s degree may substitute for five years of general experience; or a doctorate may substitute for six years of general experience
• Preferred qualifications:
• - Lived mental health experience from first-hand, personal knowledge and understanding gained from directly navigating and receiving services and/or supports as an element of their recovery.
• - Experience as a peer advocate in the mental health system
• - A mental health peer certification or credential (New York Certified Peer Specialist [NYCPS or NYCPS-P], Youth Peer Advocacy credential [YPA or YPA-P], or Family Peer Advocacy Credential [FPA or FPA-P])

Additional Comments Schedule and telecommuting will be discussed during the interview process. New York Certified Peer Specialists (NYCPS) are encouraged to apply.

The Mission of the New York State Office of Mental Health is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. The Office of Mental Health embraces diversity and promotes a workplace in which individual differences are recognized, appreciated, and respected. The New York State Office of Mental Health is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

Telephone

Fax [phone]

Email Address [e-mail]

Address

Street NYS Office of Mental Health

44 Holland Avenue

City Albany

State NY

StateJobsNY 2026 NYS Department of Civil Service