Current employees: Please apply through the employee portal to be considered for this opportunity.

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Closing Date (Open Until Filled if No Date Specified):

The Opportunity:

 OVERVIEW

• Do you have a passion to help youth involved in the juvenile justice system?

• Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others?

• Do you believe that all youth are capable of turning their lives around?

• Do you thrive when working on a team?

If you answered "yes" to these questions, we want you to join our team as a Juvenile Custody Services Specialist!

The Department of Community Justice Juvenile Detention is seeking committed, enthusiastic and compassionate Juvenile Custody Services Specialists (JCSS) to serve a critical, operational role within the Juvenile Detention Facility.  

As a Juvenile Custody Services Specialist, you will provide vital guidance, supervision, security, and general care for culturally diverse youth facing a variety of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and intellectual challenges. In this role, you will champion rehabilitative efforts through active group programming, cognitive skill facilitation, and pro-social behavior modeling, all within a safe and secure environment.

Our Supervision Philosophy

Using an interactive supervision model, we prioritize the holistic development and rehabilitation of youth. In this role, you will actively engage youth by focusing on:

• Behavioral Transformation: Facilitating cognitive restructuring programming and teaching critical life skills.

• Pro-Social Engagement: Guiding youth in positive social development, personal accountability, and healthy peer interactions.

• Daily Wellness & Enrichment: Overseeing meaningful leisure time, personal hygiene routines, and structured enrichment activities.

Your role involves these core duties, as well as general support across the facility as required:

• Conduct behavior observations and assessments of individual youth detainees and groups of detained youth through active supervision, which is the intentional and focused monitoring of youth in custody utilizing the components of movement within the environment, situational awareness, and frequent pro-social youth interactions.

• Prepare detailed incident reports for incidents that occur, document daily individual behavior summaries of youth, and both verbal and electronically documented daily unit and shift reports, individual youth records, and for juvenile counselors/workers and/or court purposes.

• Assist with the intake process of juveniles into the facility. Staff may be expected to collect and secure youth’s personal belongings, supervise and manage juveniles prior to screening to determine if youth will be admitted into the detention facility. 

• Support the youth with problem-solving conversations and restorative processes in partnership with our restorative justice coordinators.

• Ensure the safety and security of the detention facility at all times.

• Deliver prosocial role modeling and facilitate skill-building activities for individual youth and groups of detained youth through skill groups with an emphasis on developing pro-social behaviors and skills. 

• Oversee volunteers and/or contractors while they facilitate skill-building activities for individual youth and groups of detained youth.

• May assist with orientation of newly admitted youth to the juvenile detention facility by explaining facility rules and the facility behavior level system.

• Staff are expected to introduce youth to the structure of daily routines, outlining the expectations for behavior and providing information to youth on available programs and services.

• Staff will also ensure youth understand the importance of their safety, rights, and responsibilities within the detention facility. 

• Perform other duties as assigned

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Facility Layout: This position operates within a detention facility featuring two-level housing pods. Candidates must have the physical ability to regularly navigate stairs throughout their shift to ensure proper supervision.

• De-Escalation & Crisis Response: Specialists must possess strong verbal de-escalation skills to defuse volatile situations calmly and effectively.

• Physical Intervention: Candidates must be willing and able to respond immediately to crisis situations. This includes the ability to physically intervene with youth who are violently acting out, which may involve the authorized use of physical restraints to ensure the safety of youth and staff.

Schedule & Availability Expectations

• 24/7 Operations: Our facility operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

• Shift Flexibility: Applicants must be willing and able to work a variety of shifts. This includes overnights, swing shifts, weekends, and holidays.

• Essential Personnel Designation: Juvenile Custody Services Specialists are designated as Essential Personnel. You are required to report to work during inclement weather, natural disasters, or facility closures.

• Continuous Duty Shifts: You may be on a continuous duty shift. On this shift you must remain on duty and may not be relieved for off-site breaks during your scheduled shift.

We don’t just hire you—we invest in you. To ensure you feel confident, safe, and fully prepared to make an impact from day one, all new Juvenile Custody Services Specialists (JCSS) complete a robust training program:

• Classroom & Hands-On Instruction: Master the fundamentals during an intensive onboarding program, blending theory with practical, hands-on safety skills.

• On-the-Job Training: Transition smoothly into the facility by shadowing designated, veteran trainers who will guide you through real-world scenarios.

Come Find Your Why? (video)

Workforce Equity:  

At Multnomah County we are committed to maintaining an effective, respectful and inclusive workplace. We value collaborative problem solving and strive for continuous improvement. We strongly believe in workforce equity, diversity and inclusion. Visit our Workforce Equity Strategies Plan (WESP) to see where Multnomah County is headed with these values.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY JUSTICE:

Vision ~ Community Safety through Positive Change 

More general information about the Department of Community Justice including our mission, vision, and strategies can be found at: www.multco.us/dcj.

TO QUALIFY

We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying unless an item or section is labeled required. Please be clear and specific about how your background is relevant.  

Minimum Qualifications/Transferable Skills*:

• Education: Associate's degree or equivalent with major coursework in child psychology, sociology, or a related field, AND;

• Required Experience: Two (2) years of responsible experience working with at-risk youth (12-18) in one of the following environments (Bachelor's degree may substitute for 1 year of the required experience):

  • Detention or youth correctional facility

  • Youth residential setting

  • Setting that provides programming for at-risk youth

• Successful completion of a battery of psychological tests / psychological evaluation.

• Physical ability to respond to crisis situations with the youth, including violent exchanges, and must regularly climb up and down stairs.

• Must pass a thorough background investigation which includes, but is not limited to, a review of applicant’s criminal, civil, driving, military, educational and employment history prior to employment.

• Valid driver's license

Preferred Qualifications/Transferable Skills*:

You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills to qualify. However, keep in mind we may consider some or all of the following when identifying the most qualified candidates. Please clearly explain on your application how you meet any of the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

• Group facilitation skills

• Experience working with justice involved youth (12-18)

• Experience working in an alcohol and drug treatment facility or program

• Experience working in a mental health treatment facility or program

• Exceptional skill with Google calendar / documents and electronic record keeping

• Training or education in trauma informed care, restorative justice  and adolescent brain development

• Bilingual in Spanish and English

*Transferable skills: Your transferable skills are any skills you have gained through education, work experience (including the military) or life experiences that are relevant for this position. Be sure to describe any transferable skills on your application and clearly explain how they apply to this position.

SCREENING AND EVALUATION

The Application Packet: 

*Please be sure to provide all of the required materials below in your application submission.

• Application: 

  A completed online application (*If you have worked or volunteered on an on-call or part-time basis, please include the total number of hours worked for each position*)

• Resume:  An uploaded resume covering relevant experience and education. Tell us how you meet the minimum and preferred qualifications. Please include the following for each employer: name of employer, location, dates of employment, your title, and a summary of your responsibilities and if applicable, the number of employees under your supervision.

*Internal candidates: After you have applied, you will receive an acknowledgement task and the Oregon Veteran Preference Questionnaire in your Workday inbox. Your application as an internal candidate is not complete until you complete and submit these tasks in Workday.

The Selection Process: For details about how we typically screen applications, review our overview of the selection process page. We expect to evaluate candidates for this recruitment as follows:

• Initial review of minimum qualifications

• Phone screen, oral exam or written exam may be used to determine the most qualified candidates

• Consideration of top candidates/interviews

• Must pass a thorough background investigation which includes, but is not limited to a review of applicant’s criminal, civil, driving, military, educational and employment history prior to employment. 

• Psychological Evaluation

Equal Pay: Please be advised that the pay range listed for this position is intended to provide general guidance on the earning potential for the role. However, actual compensation will be determined in accordance with the Oregon Equal Pay Law and will consider factors such as the candidate's relevant experience and education. Candidates should expect that initial offers will be made within the listed pay range and may not be at or near the top of the range.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Type of Position: This hourly position is eligible for overtime.

• Type: Represented, Essential Personnel

• FLSA: Non-Exempt

• Pay: Pay starts at $31.18 per hour

• Schedule: 24/7 operation: variable schedules including weekends, swing, night, relief schedules, or a mixture of these.

• Location: Onsite at the Juvenile Justice Complex-Detention Center @ 1401 NE 68th Ave Portland, OR 97213

Multnomah County offers a comprehensive benefit package to all eligible employees. A few highlights include:

• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, Moda or Kaiser Permanente).

• Qualify for a defined benefit pension after five years of vesting; we pick up the employee's share of the retirement contribution (6% of subject wages).

• Generous paid leave (vacation, sick, parental, bereavement, military etc.)

• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance

• Optional deferred compensation and flexible spending accounts

• Free annual Tri-met bus pass

• Access to wellness resources

• Access to Employee Resource Groups

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill future full-time, part-time, regular, temporary, limited duration, and on-call positions. 

In accordance with Oregon Law, Multnomah County is not collecting school attendance dates in the initial application process; please do not include these dates in your resume, cover letter and other application materials.

Diversity and Inclusion: At Multnomah County, we don't just accept difference; we value it and support it to create a culture of dignity and respect for our employees.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran or protected veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected characteristics. The EEO Know Your Rights poster is available for your reference. Multnomah County is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We request priority protected veteran referrals.

Veterans’ Preference: Under Oregon Law, qualifying veterans may apply for veterans’ preference. Review our veterans’ preference page for details about eligibility and how to apply.

Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act: We gladly provide reasonable accommodation to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing an application or participating in this recruitment process. Please contact the recruiter below in advance to request assistance. Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may contact the recruiter through the Telecommunications Relay Service by dialing 711.

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Application information may be used throughout the entire selection process. This process is subject to change without notice.

Disclaimer: This announcement is intended as a general descriptive recruitment guide and is subject to change. It does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

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