Assistant Program Director - Boston, United States - Department of Youth Services

Description

Department of Youth Services (DYS) is seeking dynamic, positive, and service-minded individuals to fill the role of
Assistant Program Director. DYS works with juvenile justice involved young people ages years old (most of the youth served are years old) in DYS residential facilities. As the Assistant Program Director, you will have a have a unique opportunity to utilize skills that directly and positively influence the course of a troubled young person's life.


Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):

• Assist in the oversight of a locked secure facility for youthful offenders; Ensure a high quality of care and oversight of the population served; Conduct security audits and checks; Ensure adequate controls for contraband; Respond to programmatic issues and emergencies; Ensure that DYS policies and procedures are adhered to.
• Ensure adequate staff to client ratios that conform to Early Education and Childcare regulations; Coordinate unit repair and improvement activities; Ensure safety of youth staff and contractors; Conduct investigations when necessary; in the Program Director's absence manage all aspects of program operations.
• Direct, assign and supervise the work of direct care professionals in the unit, including state and vendor employees; prepare work schedules; manage the use of overtime; provide comprehensive inservice training program and ensure staff members are certified annually in Restraint Techniques, Suicide Prevention First Aid and CPR; supervise Group worker III personnel and all those in the reporting structure.
• Prepare written materials including the Monthly Report, internal and external investigative reports, serious incident reports, emergency/contingency plans; manage the process of Performance Based Standards project (online database that compares MA DYS to other states), Issue written disciplinary notices; Update and revise program procedures.
• Ensure effective communication within the program by organizing and acting as chair of regular staff meetings; monitor daily logs; review videotapes; meet in formal supervision and respond to program staff concerns on an as needed basis.
• Act as role model and mentor to program staff; work as member of the program's team of senior staff in developing program goals and objectives and, in general terms, enhance program operation.
• Conduct formal performance evaluations using the Employee Performance Review System (EPRS) in a timely manner.
• Support youthful offenders that are in individual, family, and/or behavioral crisis.
• Supervise medical and/or suicide interventions, referrals and follow on treatment of residents.
• Supervise the discipline and rights procedures of the behavior management system applied to residents.
• Observe residents and work shifts by attending school sessions, clinical groups, recreation, and meals on a daily basis.
• Conduct orientation of new staff by ensuring that all new staff clearly understands the specific rules and procedures regulating staff behavior and interaction with residents in order to create a positive climate where staff and residents know what to expect from each other.
• Perform 24hour crisis intervention on call responsibilities

Required Qualifications:

• Considerable knowledge of State laws pertaining to juvenile laws and juvenile rights, as well as experience in juvenile/adult corrections
• Demonstrated knowledge of the detention system utilized by DYS, the goals and objectives of DYS.
• Excellent decisionmaking ability is critical as decisions must be made promptly and requires good judgement and experienced reasoning including the ability to anticipate and analyze difficult situations and take corrective action.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of professional staff from a variety of juvenile and criminal justice organizations, and nonprofit provider agencies as well as the ability to establish rapport with persons from different ethnic, cultural and/or economic backgrounds.
• Strong interpersonal, writing communication, clinical and organizational skills in a field directly related to the functions of the Department of Youth Services.
• Demonstrated knowledge of budget development.
• Ability to properly restrain or subdue juvenile offenders through appropriate use of handcuffs or other restraint techniques in accordance with Departmental policies and procedures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the types and availability of public and private organizations providing services to juveniles.
• Trained in restraints and crisis intervention.
• Understanding of DYS programming, population data, and internal operations.
• Experience with data management systems including the DYS Juvenile Justice Enterprise Management System (JJEMS).
• Knowledge of the laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, protocols, specifications, guidelines, and professional standards of assigned