TJJD - Juvenile Correctional Officer Supervisor -

Agency Information – We are committed to transforming lives and building safer communities by working collaboratively, communicating openly, and upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Our team models accountability, transparency, and respect, taking proactive steps to ensure the physical and emotional safety of youth, staff, and the community. We strive for excellence through continuous growth, thoughtful decision making, and mission-driven collaboration, supporting one another while embracing challenges that lead to meaningful, long-term impact.

About the role

Performs highly complex (senior-level) work overseeing staff who provide direct care to juveniles in a community-based reentry center facility. Work involves overseeing the daily operations of a juvenile reentry center facility and facilitating youth rehabilitation, supervision of youth, and coaching their personal development in accordance with individualized treatment plans. May plan, assign, and/or supervise the work of others.

Works under limited supervision with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. Works assigned shift; may be required to work in excess of 40 hours per work week, be on-call, and occasional travel.

Responsibilities

• Provides supervision and direct care for youth in a reentry center facility, supervises other reentry center Juvenile Correctional Officers during shifts, and ensures the safety and security of youth and staff.
• Supports, coaches, and mentors other JCOs to teach appropriate methods and positive ways to work with youth.
• Helps youth achieve progress in learning and applying methods to identify and manage reactions to stress and trauma and react in more socially appropriate ways.
• Uses appropriate intervention methods in response to behavioral issues that seek to aid in learning and correcting behavior.
• Maintains a consistent effort to ensure safe environments and employs security measures when youth, staff, or others are in danger.
• Interacts and engages with youth in ways that both maintain appropriate structure and exercise understanding of brain development in youth with complex trauma.
• Maintains healthy relationships and boundaries with youth and consistently recognizes progress and good choices made by youth.
• Ensures facility maintenance, cleanliness, sanitation, and youth hygiene; monitors compliance with applicable policies and procedures; and completes and monitors completion of required reports.
• Responds appropriately to youth grievances.
• Engages in competency-based training in the techniques and capabilities needed to coach youth under the Texas Model of trauma-informed corrections; coaches and models appropriate Texas Model techniques and ideals to other JCOs and staff.
• Acts as coach and role model to other levels of JCOs to help them learn appropriate methods and interventions, with a strong focus on retention and support for newly hired JCOs in their first year.
• Holds youth accountable in ways that fit the level of behavior, seeking to help youth learn socially acceptable responses and approaches.
• Uses good judgment in determining when safety is at risk and higher levels of intervention are required.
• Helps youth identify their responses to stress, fear, and other triggers and works with the youth to learn ways to increase emotional self-regulation skills.
• Practices and models appropriate self-regulation skills and is able to remain calm during times of stress and crisis.
• Helps JCOs identify and utilize their own self-regulation skills so they are equipped to co-regulate youth.
• Gains a basic knowledge of each youth’s treatment plan and provides support in learning the skills needed to meet those goals.
• Coaches youth on how to resolve conflict with other youth and staff as appropriate.
• Participates in the Youth Service Team and provides input into each youth’s treatment plan; is a responsible and supportive team member who understands that an effective team is composed of reliable people who provide backup and support for their fellow team members and the facility as a whole.
• Provides for a predictable schedule for youth that is transparent to them and provides warnings and prompts for all movements and transitions; exercises independent judgment when the need arises to alter a schedule (while still maintaining transparency and warnings).
• Implements and monitors youth activities, programs, and behaviors on an individual and group basis to ensure healthy youth engagement and to provide appropriate role modeling for all youth.
• Observes and keeps staff informed daily of significant behavioral and treatment-related conditions and events known about a youth and/or the group.
• Provides services to potentially aggressive/combative youth in a correctional setting with a wide variety of temperaments (volatile, mentally ill, suicidal) and specialized needs (chemically dependent, sexual offenders, emotionally disturbed, etc.).
• Physically restrains and secures, if necessary, sometimes aggressive youth and participates in follow-up debriefing conversations to assess the relationship and determine alternative strategies to avoid future physical restraints.

Requirements

• Pre-Service Training Academy Requirement: Newly hired JCOs or rehired JCOs who have been separated more than 18 months will be required to attend the pre-service training academy and complete on-the-job training on a full-time basis. JCOs who have worked for TJJD and return to employment within 18 months of their separation date will not have to attend the pre-service academy and will be placed in full-time status on their date of employment.