Community Services Aide III, Grade 18

Salary : $64,104.00 - $101,124.00 Annually
Location : 1301 Piccard Dr Rockville MD 20850 USA
Job Type: Permanent
Job Number:
Department: Department of Health and Human Services
Division: HHS 60 Behavioral Health and Crisis Services Division
Opening Date: 10/16/2026
Closing Date: 10/23/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
FLSA: Non-Exempt

About the Position
Please note: The salary range above represents this position's earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $64,104 to $90,791, based on the candidate's qualifications and experience
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Behavioral Health and Crisis Services (BHCS) is seeking a compassionate and dedicated Community Service Aide III (Peer Recovery Specialist) to join the Diversion/Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Center team. This role supports individuals experiencing mental health, substance use, or co-occurring concerns by offering person-centered, recovery-oriented services that foster stability, empowerment, and community connection.

What You'll Be Doing

• Provide peer recovery support, encouragement, and mentoring using lived experience and recovery principles.
• Assist individuals in identifying strengths, creating recovery goals, and developing wellness plans.
• Conduct case management activities including referrals, applications, appointment coordination, and follow-up.

• Support individuals experiencing agitation or behavioral health crises through trauma-informed communication and verbal de-escalation.
• Collaborate with internal staff, external providers, families, and partners to coordinate services and advocate for client needs.
• Maintain accurate documentation in accordance with COMAR, DHHS procedures, and confidentiality standards.
• Participate in required training, ongoing professional development, and maintenance of peer certification where applicable.
• This position is considered essential personnel for the Department of Health and Human Services during county emergencies.

This position will travel throughout the County to perform job duties. Physical demands may include long periods of standing; sitting for prolonged periods at a desk or workstation; steadying clients and helping them walk; kneeling, bending and stretching to access files; finger manipulation to record, retrieve and use data; and the physical demands of eye/hand/foot coordination.
The individual selected for this position will be considered an Essential Employee. Essential employees must report to work during a period of general emergency or liberal leave.

The selected candidate will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment background check, medical exam, and drug screening.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience:Three (3) years of experience providing delivery of social, health and/or public assistance services.

Education:Completion of high school or High School Certificate of completion recognized in the State of Maryland.

Equivalency:An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevance of training, and experience in the following areas:

• Experience providing peer support to individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders.
• Experience working in crisis settings or with individuals experiencing acute emotional distress.

• Experience navigating behavioral health, housing, medical, or social service systems.
• Multilingual preferred basic level Amharic, Spanish and Vietnamese
• Certified Peer Recovery Specialist

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Leave Benefits

Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.

Retirement Benefits

All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.

Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness

Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.

Free Mass Transit Benefit

County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.

Reduced Child and Health Care Costs

Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.

Employee Wellbeing

We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.

Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits
01

What is your highest level of completed education?

• N/A
• High School/GED
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Juris Doctor
• Doctorate

02

How many years of experience do you have providing delivery of social, health and/or public assistance services?

• No Experience
• 1 Year Experience
• 2 Years Experience
• 3 Years Experience
• 4 Years Experience
• 5 or More Years Experience

03

Do you currently possess multilingual skills to include oral communication, reading comprehension and interpreting skills in any of the following languages? Please select from the list below.

• Amharic
• Spanish
• Vietnamese
• N/A

04

Are you a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist?

• Yes
• No

05

Do you have experience providing peer support to individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders?

• Yes
• No

06

Please provide details of your experience providing peer support to individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders. Also include the positions listed on your resume where you performed these duties.
07

Do you have experience working in crisis settings or with individuals experiencing acute emotional distress?

• Yes
• No

08

Please provide details of your experience working in crisis settings or with individuals experiencing acute emotional distress. Also include the positions listed on your resume where you performed these duties.
09

Do you have experience navigating behavioral health, housing, medical, or social service systems?

• Yes
• No

10

Please provide details of your experience navigating behavioral health, housing, medical, or social service systems. Also include the positions listed on your resume where you performed these duties.
Required Question