Job Description

　　The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) is a nationwide initiative focused on reducing overreliance on the use of locked pre-trial detention as a means of managing low-risk youth. The goal of this systems-change initiative is to create more effective and efficient processes surrounding the use of detention, and by so doing, to reduce detention populations while ensuring public safety and court appearance rates. To help jurisdictions accomplish this goal, JDAI provides a framework for conducting a thorough, data-driven examination of the use of secure detention, and for using that information to develop and implement strategies for system improvement. A primary resource to design a reform agenda and support the work of JDAI is the JDAI Local Manager. The Local Manager will function as a: 1) Local Strategic Reform Designer for two of the six JDAI counties; 2) Analyst and System Planner; 3) JDAI Advisor to local and statewide leadership; 3) Supplemental Task Support; and 4) JDAI local Cross[1]Site/Cross-Agency Liaison; 5) Facilitator for all local steering committee Meetings; and 6) Provider of data analysis, trending, impact and recommendations for system reform.

　　For additional information about the Department of Youth Services and its programs please watch:

　　https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gyP0kCJ181nBakh9Cc0pNNEyPw7kAoI6/view

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

　　Serve as content expert for matters related to secure detention, detention alternatives, juvenile detention reform, and race equity. Explain concepts of race, equity, and systemic racism to constituents and partners who possess varying levels of understanding. Manager will ascertain the level of education and understanding of constituents with regard to race equity and systemic racism in order to encourage individual and collective progress without alienating partners. Provide guidance on ways to address racial and ethnic disparities including the promotion of best practices on data collection, race and ethnicity data disaggregation and analysis; ensure cultural competency through programming and address implicit biases. The JDAI manager will use their advanced skills and exercise independent judgment in developing and implementing communication plans. They will produce reports to the JDAI State Director on their progress and will modify communication plan as necessary. Manages will also provide information and guidance, training, and peer education for committee members, partners, and stakeholders on the juvenile legal system and its policies and practices as well as on the dangers of detention. This will require the development and maintenance of an advanced understanding of the various child serving agencies and systems across the Commonwealth, including how they interact with one another. The LM will use this expertise in policy and national models to monitor local performance and develop corrective measures and recommendations for best practices and/or policy reform.Work actively and collaboratively with the JDAI Governance to facilitate implementation of JDAI in Massachusetts Counties, through a planned process of leadership engagement, training, work planning, and policy direction. Direct work of committee on county work plan. Delegate tasks to county co-chairs and members. Articulate action items, set deadlines for completion, determine metrics to measure success, monitor progress. Provide updates to county stakeholders of progress towards policy and practice reforms. Hold stakeholders and members accountable for progress. Provide updates to county stakeholders on status of policy and practice reform efforts at monthly meetings and in the form of emails and reports. Provide updates to county stakeholders on status of statewide initiatives at monthly meetings and in the form of emails and reports. Manage day-to-day operations of the local Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative for each assigned county including county budget; track spending and submit reports as needed.Build networks within supported counties through participating in stakeholder meetings, connecting with community organizations, and attending trainings, gatherings, and professional development events. Target outreach to non-member stakeholders through emails, in person meetings, and introductory informational meetings on an individual basis. Identify subcommittees needed to execute the county committee's workplan. Recruit members and a chair of each subcommittee, determine scope, objectives, and workplan for each subcommittee, facilitate monthly subcommittee meetings to achieve action items and generate results. Delegate tasks to subcommittee chair and participants.Employ data to drive policy decision making: Review data sets from DYS research team, trial courts, DESE and other publicly available data sources to understand what data says, identify what data is missing, synthesize data, and highlight trends. Generate county focused policy recommendations based on data analysis. Prepare data and policy recommendation reports and present data to constituents who are not familiar with data analysis. Identify specific data to support ongoing projects. Highlight data gaps and formulate further research questions or identify alternative data sources to answer outstanding questions. Propose policy recommendations to constituents and solicit feedback. Implement policy recommendations based on data reports and discussions through the work of county and statewide committees. Utilize data and reports from countywide stakeholders to identify policy and practice reforms needed in that county. Guide county committee through development of a workplan to prioritize top policy initiatives and create action steps, processes, and timelines to effectuate policy/practice reform. Train committee members on navigation of JDAI Data Dashboard as a tool to assess policy reform progress.Lead meetings using results-based facilitation techniques to coalesce various viewpoints towards collective action; manage various perspectives and opinions while building consensus and sense of teamwork; review work that has happened before, issue spot in advance for barriers to moving work towards policy change, motivate constituents through setbacks.Monitor local JDAI activities to ensure effective operations and compliance with established standards and fidelity to the national JDAI model and statewide strategic plan. Document and track policies implemented. LM will independently research similar action plan items in other JDAI sites both in MA and nationally to understand and implement best practices and to identify and avoid potential challenges ahead of time. This may include coordinating presentations to county committees from other JDAI sites/experts and/or reviewing materials Make appropriate recommendations for adjustments in accordance with best practices. Managers will assess current court and agency policies and practices regarding race equity and identify areas for reform. They will use data, and scientific and literature reviews to outline the need for policy change and make proposals for changes to stakeholders at the countywide and statewide levels. They will use their expertise to develop policy recommendations and lead the reform work of the committees.Facilitate communication between county co-chairs and Statewide JDAI Governance to provide Governance committee updates on countywide policy initiatives, garner statewide agency support for their county initiatives, and to identify additional county members. Oversee the collaboration between county co-chairs and JDAI Governance members with their county initiatives by establishing priorities, timelines, and monitoring progress to align with work on the state level with the existing members of our Governance committee/subcommittees. Collaborate with other JDAI Local Managers and leadership to identify which county wide policy issues are cross-cutting throughout the states. Strategize with JDAI team how to address these on the state level utilizing Governance committee and statewide subcommittees.Research best practices and policy initiatives happening in other JDAI sites both in MA and nationally. Stay up to date on JDAI best practices by participating in national JDAI online forum, reading articles on detention reform and other pertinent topics, and attending trainings and community meetings; Attend statewide and national conferences and events. Assess how other sites' initiatives can be translated to Massachusetts' JDAI work. Educate county committees about relevant projects and practices.Connect within JDAI network and provide updates: Meet with JDAI Director weekly and with whole JDAI staff team on a monthly basis to provide updates on county wide work, discuss successes and barriers, strategize improvements, and collectively determine further policy reform initiatives and goals for countywide and statewide work. Participate in JDAI statewide committees by developing agendas and presentations for meetings and representing the JDAI work through participation in the REI subcommittee, special populations subcommittee, and school to prison pipeline work. Meet with, share updates, and discuss trends with other JDAI coordinators, Detention Diversion Specialists, Trauma Responsive Specialists, and the DYS Diversion Manager and Diversion Coordinators to understand the full picture of what's happening across the commonwealth, especially in the counties served by the managers and plan to improve or adjust policy initiatives and county workplans as needed. Supervise JDAI interns and delegate tasks to interns. Review intern output and provide constructive feedback. Update JDAI Director on intern progress. Local Manager will also develop and monitor the Mass Youth Diversion Pilot sites in their counties by creating communication frameworks between the designated community agency, county stakeholders, and potential referrers of the program. As the subject matter expert, the LM will meet with JDAI members and court personnel to secure interest, assess qualifications, and oversee outreach to potential host agencies.Manage the implementation of the Youth Racial Identity Development Curriculum in DYS regions. Coordinate regional trainings as curriculum rolls out, recruit staff to implement material, coordinate logistics for rollout within regions/units and exercise independent decision-making in amending implementation based on the complex operational needs of regions. Monitor curriculum progress, and facilitation of curriculum assessment by youth and staff members. Review, edit, and update the curriculum based on feedback.Train Detention Diversion Specialists (DDS) to facilitate JDAI 101 trainings. Supervise trainings given by DDSs, co-facilitate and provide feedback and additional training as needed. Utilize subject matter expertise to amend training materials and implement new training modules based on emerging best practices. • Develop curriculum and provide training for Seeing RED 2.0 documentary through viewing tour across the commonwealth. Coordinate and facilitate Seeing RED curriculum among county committees and for sister agencies and community partners. LM will be certified to be REI adjunct and will provide basic REI module to staff and coordinate and implement REI listening sessions.Assist in managing JDAI public facing information: Independently create content to publish in newsletters on a bimonthly basis. Collaborate with JDAI Director to prepare and draft JDAI annual report. Manage implementation of the strategic plan for JDAI in local counties by identifying grant funding and submitting grant proposals, monitoring implementation progress, and writing reports. Manage JDAI website and monitor website and JDAI dashboard for accuracy and updates. Identify policies to examine in JDAI policy briefs. Conduct research and analysis of existing policies and related data on topic. Generate policy recommendations, best practices, and solutions. Draft, edit, publish, and publicize policy briefs.Participate in strategic planning: Participate in DYS strategic plan JDAI initiative through coordinating and facilitating a staff training on placement procedure and in the ongoing data collection and analysis of placements. Generate policy recommendations from data review. Identify potential partnerships around placement alternatives based on policy recommendations and work to bring partners on board to cost-share recommendations. Research and generate topics for JDAI statewide quarterly meetings. Analyze and prepare data, develop visual presentations, engage presenters, and co-facilitate meetings with JDAI Director.

　　Preferred Qualifications:

　　Significant practice in, and knowledge of, the Massachusetts Juvenile Justice System.Direct experience of working with child welfare and child behavioral health sister agency partners.Knowledge of and experience with various research methods and statistical techniques, both quantitative and qualitative.Experience with data collection, comprehensive data analysis, and preparing analytical reports.Experience with developing and maintaining databases.Ability to interpret and explain research results and data findings to non-technical audiences.Strong writing and oral communication skills.Ability to think critically, analytically, and independently, as well as communicate effectively and make persuasive arguments, to contribute to and lead discussions regarding strategies for justice-system reforms, and to help plan for and implement those strategies.Ability to work productively and proactively without constant, direct supervision, and to manage time effectively.Ability to work cooperatively, collaboratively, and diplomatically with a variety of key actors, and to facilitate challenging discussions and problem-solving.

　　Please note that this position will be located in the Middlesex County

　　About the Department of Youth Services:

　　As the Juvenile Justice agency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Department of Youth Services promotes positive change in the youth in our care and custody. Our mission is to make communities safer by improving the life outcomes for youth in our care. We achieve our mission through investing in highly qualified staff and a service continuum that engages youth, families, and communities in strategies that support positive youth development. For more information please go to: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-youth-services.

　　Pre-Hire Process:

　　Pre-Employment Requirements: Candidates must pass a pre-employment screening which includes: 1) Drug Screening; 2) Psychological Screening; 3) Medical Examination; and 4) Physical Abilities Test (PAT) for direct care positions. If you would like more information, please logon to the DYS website www.mass.gov/dys to access detailed information on the Pre-Employment process.

　　A criminal background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by the regulations set forth by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services prior to the candidate being hired. For more information, please visit http://www.mass.gov/hhs/cori

　　Education, licensure and certifications will be verified in accordance with the Human Resources Division's Hiring Guidelines.

　　Education and license/certification information provided by the selected candidate(s) is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be published on the Commonwealth's website.

　　If you require assistance with the application/interview process and would like to request an ADA accommodation, please click on the link and complete the ADA Reasonable Accommodation Online Request Form.

　　For questions, please the contact the Office of Human Resources at 1-800-510-4122 and select option #4.

　　Qualifications

　　MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

　　Applicants must have at least (A) four (4) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, professional internship, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management or (B) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.

　　Substitutions:

　　I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

　　II. An Associate's degree in a related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

　　III. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required experience.

　　IV. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required experience.

　　V. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for the required experience.

　　Comprehensive Benefits

　　When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

　　Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

　　COVID Vaccine: As a condition of employment, depending on job assignment and location, employees may be required to have received COVID-19 vaccination and/or other vaccinations, or to have been approved for a vaccination exemption prior to their start date. Details relating to demonstrating compliance with this requirement will be provided to applicants selected for employment.

　　An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

　　The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.