Substance Abuse Technician

Bernalillo County; United States; Hybrid; USD 26,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote & flex-work options

Generous leave accruals

Career development opportunities

Longevity pay

Education assistance

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Job summary

Bernalillo County is seeking a Substance Abuse Technician in the Behavioral Health department at 5901 ZUNI RD SE. You will support individuals needing social, behavioral health, or substance abuse assistance, document accurately, and assist across settings.

You will work with a multidisciplinary team to support recovery, education, and reintegration, provide group education and workshops, and transport clients as needed.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED is required.
• Two years of work experience in substance abuse, healthcare, law enforcement, emergency management, or corrections.
• Post-offer medical examination and background investigation.

Responsibilities

• Obtain relevant information about clients through interview, assessment and case history.
• Assist and support clients through detoxification and recovery.
• Observe, intervene, and report client adherence to program goals and objectives.
• Administer scheduled program curriculum and activities for treatment and rehabilitation of substance abuse.
• Gather data to track reliability and validity of provided treatment; make recommendations for service improvements.
• Process new clients with orientation to facility rules and assist with daily activities and materials.

Skills

Relevant experience

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

Job Posting Title: Substance Abuse Technician Department: Behavioral Health Location: 5901 ZUNI RD SE Pay Range: $18.60 - $26.50 Close Date: November 7, 2026

Employees at Bernalillo County enjoy the ability to team up with each other to build a high quality of life for our county residents, communities, and businesses. In addition to being an organization with a strong focus on work-life balance, building a culture of flexibility, learning, and belonging the County offers many benefits.

Benefits and Perks

• generous leave accruals
• career development opportunities
• remote & flex-work options as appropriate
• longevity pay
• education assistance program
• health benefits
• lucrative retirement
• and so much more

About the Role

The Substance Abuse Technician provides support to individuals requiring social, behavioral health, or substance abuse assistance. Maintains accurate documentation, supports program operations across various settings, and stays informed on best practices in community health, harm reduction, and rehabilitation services.

Functional Area: Substance Abuse

The Substance Abuse Technician provides professional-level support in the treatment and rehabilitation of individuals struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. This position delivers detoxification services, facilitates therapeutic activities, and monitors client progress in accordance with treatment plans. The technician works directly with clients and collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to support recovery, education, and reintegration into the community.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Obtains relevant information about clients through interview, assessment and case history
• Assists and supports clients through addiction detoxification and recovery
• Observes, intervenes, and reports client adherence to program goals and objectives
• Works in conjunction with other department staff to administer scheduled program curriculum and other activities utilized for treatment and rehabilitation of substance abuse
• Gathers and researches data utilized to track the reliability and validity of treatment that has been provided; makes recommendations regarding modification of services and service delivery
• Processes new clients, i.e., issuance of clothing, orientation to the rules of facilities and assists clients with daily activities, events, and informational literature.
• Will provide education to individuals and groups in the community and facilitate group presentations and workshops
• Transports clients to appointments and other service locations outside of assigned program
• Maintains progress notes and documents on behavioral incidents through observation of clients and maintain confidential records
• Participates in reviews of job performance and adhere to recommended measures for change
• Receives guidance and training from Program Supervisor within the division
• Maintains current knowledge base on counseling issues regarding substance abuse through conferences, educational training and networking with other agencies or groups
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned or required

Incumbent considerations

Incumbent(s) in this classification may handle sensitive and/or confidential records, plans, documents or decisions that require maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information.

Minimum Qualifications

High School Diploma or GED. Two (2) years of work experience involving substance abuse, healthcare, law enforcement, emergency management, or corrections. *Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience may be considered for the above requirements.

Preferences

Substance Abuse

Experience as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) preferred.

Screening and Compliance

Successful completion of a post-offer employment medical examination and background investigation. Adherence to all County safety guidelines. Complete all FEMA training(s) assigned to this position. Possession of a valid New Mexico driver’s license by the date of hire and maintenance of a valid license while employed in this position. Complete required supervisor training, if applicable. Pursuant to the criminal history screening for Caregivers Act, Section 29-17-1 through Section 29-17-5 NMSA 1978, new hires at the MATS facility will be required to complete caregiver criminal history screening for all caregivers. Conviction of a disqualifying condition is cause for termination or sufficient reason not to hire if applicant has a disqualifying condition on their record at time of application. Employee may be required to work different shifts and program reassignments. May be required to work mandated overtime as needed. This job profile is classified as safety-sensitive. Employees with safety-sensitive job profiles are subject to pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty, and random drug & alcohol testing in accordance with the organization’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy.

Working Conditions

Essential job duties are performed indoors in climate-controlled environment. Indoor work surface is even, dry, carpeted or tiled floor. Works alone primarily, with or without directions. Works with groups and with a select team at times.

Equipment, Tools, and Materials

Equipment typically used in the performance of office duties includes telephone, computer, printer, and copy machine. Various forms of paperwork are handled in performance of essential job duties.