Social Services Professional (Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Care Coordinators)

King-County,-W; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Public Health – Seattle & King County is seeking three (3) career service Social Services Professionals (Substance Use Disorder Care Coordinators) to provide screenings for substance use disorders, connect patients with MOUD, distribute naloxone, and offer overdose prevention education. You will work on a multidisciplinary team to reduce barriers to medical, behavioral, treatment and social services.

Responsibilities include patient-centered, trauma-informed care, interviewing and discharge

Qualifications

• Screening for substance use disorders and connecting patients to MOUD treatment.
• Discharge planning and supportive counseling.
• Engage participants with trauma-informed, patient-centered care.

Responsibilities

• Engage people who use drugs with harm-reduction, trauma-informed practice.
• Promote health literacy and culturally appropriate care.
• Conduct standardized screenings and determine referrals.
• Facilitate access to care and scheduling follow-ups, including same-day appointments.
• Document patient contact in electronic health records.

Skills

Trauma-informed care

Harm reduction

Case management

Patient-centered approach

Cultural humility

Education

SUDP registration (WAC 440-22-240)

Job description

Public Health – Seattle & King County is seeking three (3) career service Social Services Professionals (Substance Use Disorder Care Coordinators) to provide a broad range of services, including screening for substance use disorders, connecting patients with community MOUD treatment providers, distributing naloxone, and providing overdose prevention and response education. This is a unique opportunity for someone who wants to be part of a multidisciplinary health team that works to remove barriers to medical, behavioral, treatment and social services and is committed to reducing stigma and building power with people who use drugs.

The SUD Care Coordinators provide patient-centered, trauma-informed care and engage participants while they are in-custody and as they connect with health and social services upon release. Regular tasks include screening, assessment, brief intervention, supportive counseling, and discharge planning. People with lived experience of substance use, incarceration, houselessness, and/or sex work; people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities; and people living with HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis C are strongly encouraged to apply. The SUD Care Coordinators provide patient-centered, trauma-informed care and engage participants while they are in custody and as they connect with health and social services upon release. Regular tasks include screening, assessment, brief intervention, supportive counseling, and discharge planning.

Why Join Our Team?

This position offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a correctional health system that prioritizes dignity, equity, and evidence-based care. As a Substance Use Disorder Professional working in the jail setting, candidates join a mission driven organization committed to improving health outcomes for some of the most underserved individuals in the community. The role provides the chance to deliver person centered, trauma informed care at a critical moment in people’s lives, supporting recovery, stabilization, and continuity of treatment during reentry. The work environment is collaborative and fast paced, supported by a multidisciplinary team that includes medical providers, behavioral health clinicians, nurses, care coordinators, and reentry specialists. Team members benefit from strong clinical leadership, ongoing training, and a culture that values professional growth, shared problem solving, and compassionate care. Because the organization is expanding Coordinated Discharge services, new staff have the opportunity to help shape workflows, contribute to program development, and be part of a team that is actively improving systems of care. For candidates seeking meaningful work, a supportive team culture, and the ability to influence positive change at both the individual and systems level, this role offers a rare and rewarding professional environment.

Background

About Jail Health Service (JHS):

JHS works to assure that basic health and human services are available to individuals who are incarcerated in the King County adult correctional facilities. They provide a broad range of health care—including screening for substance use disorders, prescribing medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), distributing naloxone, and providing overdose prevention and response education. This is a unique opportunity for someone who wants to be part of a multidisciplinary health team that works to remove barriers to medical, behavioral, treatment and social services and is committed to reducing stigma and building power with people who use drugs.

JHS provides needed health and social services to the incarcerated population located in the King County jails – King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Seattle, WA and Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent, WA.The primary services we provide include medical, dental, mental health, social and release planning services, treatment of substance use disorders, and pharmaceutical services.We care about the patients we serve and their health outcomes. Our division includes over 250 employees and an annual budget of over $60 million.

The purpose of JHS is to assure that high-quality health and human services are available to the incarcerated population in the King County adult correctional facilities: the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent. The JHS vision is Opening doors to healthier, happier lives, and the mission is to assess and stabilize serious health problems for the detained population of the King County Correctional Facility and the Maleng Regional Justice Center with a focus on transition from jail.

Staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, JHS provides a broad range of health care to all individuals booked into the jails. For patients with serious mental health or medical conditions, special housing units (psychiatric and infirmary) along with a higher level of services and medical monitoring are provided. Since the patient population varies both in numbers as well as in acuity of health conditions, staffing is adapted and flexed to meet the constantly changing needs of the population.

JHS staff manage the complex health needs of underserved populations, many of whom come to the facility without access to care in the community and with decompensated acute and chronic health conditions.

Note: This recruitment will be used to create an eligibility pool to fill additional Career Service, Term-Limited Temporary (TLT), or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) vacancies that may occur over the next six months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Work Schedule

Typical work schedule is 40-hour work week, 4/10 schedule, working hours are 8:00 am to 6:30 pm. Future program expansion may involve weekend work and expanded hours. This position is non-exempt and eligible for overtime.

Work Location

This position will be based at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle at 500 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 and at the Maleng Regional Justice Center located at 401 Fourth Avenue N, Kent, WA 98032. However, candidates will need to be available to work at either site if needed. There will also be minimal work in community locations to meet with patients.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

This position is posted as open until filled. First review will be conducted of applications received by August 3, 2026 at 11:59 pm PST.

• Engage with people who use drugs (including alcohol) using a collaborative, person-centered approach grounded in harm reduction and trauma-informed practice.
• Promote diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, patient preferred languages, health literacy, and other communications needed for participants referred to care.
• Conduct standardized screenings to identify emergent social, physical, and behavioral health needs and determine if referrals are necessary.
• Facilitate access to care, including access to community and recovery resources using standard case management practices (e.g., outreach, screening, assessment, brief-intervention, crisis counseling, and psycho-educational support services).
• Facilitate shared treatment decision making with participants by sharing information and providing education on the in-jail and in-community options to treat opioid use disorder.
• Advocate for participants while in custody and as they transition back to the community, to include assisting with enrollment in healthcare coverage and disability-related benefits, linkage to substance use disorder treatment, accessing community resources, and communicating with partners in the criminal legal system.
• Distribute harm reduction supplies and provide accurate health and safety information using established messages on safer drug use and overdose safety planning. Adapt health information based on clients’ priorities, cultural beliefs, and value systems using accessible realistic language to convey pertinent, complex information.
• Assist participants as they release from custody with resources, referrals, and scheduling same-day or next day appointments.
• Document patient contact and services delivered in electronic health record system.

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to honing your clinical skills, especially those related to cultural humility, anti-racist practices, and shared decision making.
• Must possess registration as a Substance Use Disorder Professional under WAC 440-22-240.
• At least two (2) years of recent, relevant work experience with people involved in the criminal legal system within King, Pierce, or Snohomish County with priority given to people with experience providing harm reduction and recovery-related services for participants with substance use disorders.
• At least two (2) years’ full-time work experience as a Substance Use Disorder Professional (SUDP) within the last 5 years including experience coordinating continuity of care treatment options for adult populations experiencing severe and persistent behavioral health conditions.
• Demonstrated skills, experience and knowledge of anti-racism concepts and approaches.
• Knowledge of specific challenges, trauma responses, behavior and needs for people experiencing legal involvement, housing instability, poverty, substance use disorder and mental health diagnoses that are compounded by discrimination and systemic oppression.
• Demonstrated clinical skills