Residential Counselor Swing Shift $20.74+ DOE

Make a difference with VOA Oregon! For over 125 years, Volunteers of America Oregon has been dedicated to serving the most vulnerable members of our community. Through our programs in behavioral health, addiction treatment, reentry services, and support for children and families, we provide life-changing services that promote safety, healing, and empowerment.

Join a mission-driven organization that truly values its employees! This is a full-time position with excellent benefits, including:

Comprehensive health coverage - medical, dental, and vision insurance, with an employee medical premium starting at just $12.50 per paycheck

Financial protection - life insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance

Retirement security - 403(b) with an automatic 5.5% employer contribution after 18 months, regardless of employee participation

Work-life balance - a generous paid time off (PTO) plan, starting with accruals that earn 15 days in the first year, 23 days in the second, and 26 days in the third

Upfront sick leave - 80 hours of front-loaded sick time (prorated in the first year), which resets annually on January 1

Paid holidays - 10 paid holidays each year, plus three personal holidays (prorated in the first year) for employees to take time off to celebrate holidays, events, or milestones that matter most to them

Student loan forgiveness - As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, VOA Oregon is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which can help employees reduce or eliminate their federal student loan debt after 10 years of qualifying payments.

Additional perks - flexible spending accounts, an employee assistance program, and other voluntary benefits and discounts

At VOA Oregon, you'll be part of a compassionate and dedicated team, making a real difference in our community. Apply today!

Position close date: Jan 6th, 2026
Job Summary

The Residential Counselor provides support to clients in a therapeutic residential setting, helping maintain a safe, structured, and recovery-focused environment. Working directly in the milieu, this position promotes positive interactions, models healthy behaviors, supports daily routines and activities, and responds to crises using trauma-informed strategies. Residential Counselors build rapport with clients through everyday interactions, such as conversations, recreational activities, and shared routines to strengthen engagement and trust. Additionally, Residential Counselors play a key role in fostering accountability, stability, and participation in treatment both on-site and during community activities.

Education & Experience

A high school diploma or GED is required for this role. In addition to the education requirement, experience working or volunteering in a residential, behavioral health, or substance use treatment setting is preferred. Candidates should be comfortable working in a fast-paced, client-centered environment with frequent interactions with individuals experiencing substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges. Additionally, completion of coursework in addiction studies, psychology, social work, or a related field of human services is preferred. Completion of peer support or similar livedexperience training relevant to behavioral health is also beneficial. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be used to satisfy these requirements.

Certificates, Licenses, and/or Registrations

List all certifications, licenses, or registrations required or preferred for the role. Examples: CADC I/II, QMHA/QMHP, CPR/First Aid certification, valid Oregon driver's license, etc. Indicate if the credential must be obtained at hire or within a specified timeframe.

Essential Job Duties

• Provides supervision and daily support to clients in the residential setting, including building rapport through everyday interactions such as conversations, recreational activities, and shared routines to maintain a safe, recovery-focused, and structured environment that fosters engagement in treatment.
• Conducts regular headcounts, walkthroughs, and location checks to ensure client accountability, support safety protocols, and reinforce program expectations.
• Monitors and documents client behaviors, medication compliance, recovery progress, and critical incidents using accurate and timely written communication to inform individualized treatment planning and maintain clinical and regulatory standards.
• Supports client participation in recovery and daily living by guiding and modeling healthy routines, life skills, coping strategies, and time management.
• Coordinates and assists with medication management, including logging, administering per protocol, counting, tracking, helping to reorder, and collaborating with counselors and prescribers to ensure safe and consistent delivery of medications.
• Welcomes and orients new clients, including conducting belongings searches, explaining house routines and expectations, and helping them acclimate to the treatment community.
• Facilitates and documents client drug and alcohol testing (e.g., UAs, oral swabs, and breathalyzers) in line with chain-of-custody procedures and agency policy to support program compliance and client accountability.
• Provides calm and respectful support during moments of emotional escalation or behavioral distress, using deescalation and redirection strategies to help clients regulate.
• Responds to emergent situations, including contacting emergency medical or safety personnel, and provides support until clinical or first responder support is available.
• Maintains a clean, safe, and orderly facility by completing and supporting clients with household tasks and participating in shared chores.
• Monitors and guides client engagement in structured program elements, such as classes, study halls, walks, and support meetings, and redirects clients as needed to maintain adherence to the daily schedule.
• Supports client transportation needs, including to meetings and appointments in alignment with agency policies.
• Applies and upholds program rules and behavioral expectations using trauma-informed, consistent communication to promote a fair, safe, respectful shared living environment.
• Answers phones professionally, assists callers, and relays important information related to calls to team members when necessary.
• Collaborates with team members to coordinate curfews, passes, appointments, and other logistics related to client activities, and provides updates that support team communication and client progress.
• Conducts personnel and room searches when assigned, follows agency policy to detect and manage contraband, reinforces safety protocols, and promotes a sober living environment.
• Serves as a consistent and dependable frontline presence, and helps maintain daily operations while navigating the challenges of a dynamic residential environment.
• Participates in ongoing supervision, training, and professional development activities to improve service delivery.
• Manages administrative responsibilities such as checking email, responding to phone calls, managing appointment schedules, and maintaining timely documentation.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Knowledge of substance use disorders, stages of recovery, and relapse prevention principles to support client engagement in treatment.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care principles and behavioral health best practices to support client safety, regulation, and empowerment in all interactions.
• Knowledge of program policies, ethical standards, confidentiality laws (HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2), and boundaries to guide professional and responsible conduct.
• Knowledge of systems that intersect with client care (e.g., child welfare, community justice, housing, benefits, medical care), and how to connect clients to these resources.
• Skilled in providing medication support, including logging, counting, coordinating refills, and ensuring adherence to protocols and dosage schedules.
• Skilled in verbal de-escalation, redirection, and reframing to reduce conflict and help clients re-regulate.
• Skilled in documenting client behavior, medication activity, incident reports, and day-to-day interactions in clear, objective, and timely records.
• Skilled in navigating changing priorities and multitasking to manage a varied workload that includes clerical work, house tasks, and client support.
• Skilled in building rapport, offering compassionate presence, and listening actively to support client dignity, hope, and personal accountability.
• Ability to model emotional regulation, healthy boundaries, and interpersonal skills to reinforce treatment values and support clients' skill-building.
• Ability to work collaboratively with clients and coworkers in a culturally responsive, inclusive, and equitable manner that honors diverse lived experiences.
• Ability to consistently enforce rules and program expectations in a respectful, trauma-informed manner that encourages fairness, routine, and accountability.
• Ability to support daily operations with flexibility and teamwork, contributing to a stable, welcoming, and structured recovery environment.

Other Eligibility Requirements

• Must complete a criminal history background check and receive authorization from the State of Oregon's Background Check Unit.
• Must not be excluded from participation in federal healthcare programs, including but not limited to listings on the Office of Inspector General (OIG) List of Excluded Individuals/Entities and the System for Award Management (SAM) exclusion list.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
• If driving is required for the position, the individual must have an active driver's license, current insurance, reliable transportation and ability to meet VOA Oregon's and VOA Oregon's insurer's driver standards.

Travel Requirement

Select one of the following options:

• Travel is not required.
• Up to 5% of work time requires travel.
• 6-15% of work time requires travel.
• 16-25% of work time requires travel.
• 26-35% of work time requires travel.
• 36% or more of work time requires travel.

Note if travel will typically be local during the shift, and if there will be occasional overnight travel required for approved training.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has no supervisory responsibilities but may provide guidance to interns.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee must meet and may encounter while performing the essential duties of this job.

This is a 40-hour-per-week, swing shift role, Tuesday through Saturday, 1:30-10:00 pm.

Individuals in this role must be able to perform essential job duties with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to the safety or health of employees or others. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential duties.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the incumbent(s) of this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and activities required for this position.