Substance Misuse Recovery Worker
The Recovery HUB
Portsmouth
37 Hours per week, Full-time
Monday – Friday with regular evening work and occasional weekend work
Salary Scale: 22 – 26 (£26,986 - £30,561 per annum)
About Us
This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic Charity and Housing Association. The Society of St James (SSJ) has been working in Hampshire for over 50 years, delivering high impact, person-centred, accommodation services to adults and young people experiencing homelessness, problematic substance use and mental health problems. We believe that every person is of worth and we are prepared to take risks to house and support the most at risk and socially excluded members of society.
The Impact You'll Make
As a Substance Misuse Recovery Worker, you will manage a client caseload safely and effectively to support individuals who want to make changes to their lives. You will deliver a range of person-centred interventions, including monitoring Opiate Substitute prescriptions and promoting harm reduction. Primarily based at The Recovery Hub in Southsea, your role will involve visiting clients in other services or home environments, carrying out assessments, and working closely with medical teams and key partner agencies to deliver safe and effective support.
Who We're Looking For
We are looking for a trauma-informed, compassionate, and self-aware candidate with experience working with substance misuse and mental health client groups. You should possess excellent risk management skills, strong professional boundaries, and the ability to build meaningful, engaging relationships with service users. The ideal candidate will be proactive, adaptable, and willing to work flexibly (including evenings and weekends) to meet service user needs and ensure safeguarding standards across their caseload.
Essential Skills and Qualities
- Experience or understanding of working with people with histories of homelessness, mental health, and substance misuse.
- Understanding of harm minimisation, sexual health, HIV/Hepatitis prevention, and health promotion.
- Experience of developing and reviewing recovery plans and liaising with statutory and voluntary organisations.
- Understanding of the difficulties faced by those with alcohol and substance dependency, withdrawal, and diverse treatment options.
- Understanding of modern psycho-social interventions (e.g., ACT, Mindfulness, CBT) and concepts such as recovery capital.
- Knowledge of safeguarding and protection procedures for vulnerable adults and children.
- Knowledge of lone working procedures, risk assessments, and managing challenging behaviour.
- Understanding of confidentiality, data protection, and Equality & Diversity.
- Experience in identifying and supporting individuals experiencing domestic abuse.
- Excellent listening, verbal, and written communication skills, along with IT literacy.
What we can offer you
We value and recognise our staff, offering some generous benefits, as well as the satisfaction of helping people at risk:
- A competitive annual leave entitlement of 25 days rising to 30 days, plus public holidays
- Flexible working options
- Buying additional annual leave
- Comprehensive induction and training
- Counselling, financial, personal support and health and wellbeing services via our Employee Assistance Programme
- Company cycle to work scheme
- Discounted laptops and computers with Jamie’s Computers
- Electric Car Scheme
- Blue Light Card
SSJ are an equal opportunity employer and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life.
At SSJ, we recognise the benefits of a supported workplace. SSJ is affiliated with Unite the Union. To learn more about their membership benefits or to sign up, you can visit their official website at join.unitetheunion.org.
For an informal chat about the position, please call a Team Leader at the Recovery HUB on 02392 291573 or Kat Stephenson on 07590 865087
Application closing date: Friday 21st August 2026
Interview date: Monday 14th September 2026 and Wednesday 16th September 2026
Due to the high number of expected applicants, we do reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier.
Should you not hear from us within 14 days of the closing date, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.
Pay: £26,986.00-£30,561.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
Work Location: In person
