State of Maryland

A DJS Director Youth Center is the managerial level of work overseeing the operation of a Department of Juvenile Services Youth Center, a long-term residential facility.  Employees in this classification manage the work of employees providing services to resident youth through subordinate DJS supervisors.

Employees in this classification receive managerial supervision from a DJS Assistant Superintendent Residential Facility or Superintendent Residential Facility. The work of this class is primarily performed at the Youth Center site.  Employees are assigned to a regular shift but may be required to work other shifts, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays as required by staffing needs.  Employees may be subject to call-in in emergency situations and based on staffing needs.  Employees may be subject to verbal abuse by youth and will be required to remain calm in stressful situations involving agitated, irate or overwrought youth.

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The DJS Director Youth Center is differentiated from the DJS Assistant Director Youth Center in that the DJS Youth Center Director has overall responsibility for operation of the Youth Center while the DJS Youth Center Assistant Director assists the Director. The DJS Director Youth Center is differentiated from the DJS Assistant Superintendent Residential Facility in that the DJS Assistant Superintendent Residential Facility is responsible for a primary DJS facility, such as all of the DJS Youth Centers.

Oversees the buildings, grounds, equipment and programs of a DJS Youth Center in order to ensure that the needs of staff and resident youth are met and that safety and security guidelines are followed;

Develops policy and procedures for operation of the center and ensures that facility and departmental policies and guidelines are carried out;

Supervises the operation of the educational program at the Youth Center in conjunction with DJS headquarters educational staff;

Establishes, promotes and maintains an environment conducive to healthy interactions between staff and resident youth so as to facilitate positive changes in the lives of resident youth;

Prepares and maintains work schedules for subordinate staff to ensure that recommended staffing ratios are met and that coverage is maintained for all shifts;

Oversees the work of all Youth Center staff including direct care, maintenance, dietary, case management, counseling, clerical, transportation and administrative staff and ensures that training and certification requirements are met;

Prepares monthly, weekly and daily program schedules for resident youth and approves proposed changes in program schedules;

Determines the overall direction and emphasis of youth treatment programs at the center and the most efficient methods of services delivery, and develops new programs and program goals;

Interviews and hires center employees and evaluates supervisory staff performance;

Shares 24-hour on-call responsibility with subordinate supervisors to ensure quick response to emergency situations;

Reviews staff incident reports and recommendations for behavioral sanctions of residents and approves or modifies as needed;

Counsels and assists staff and residents on a day-to-day basis and intervenes in crisis situations involving agitated or overwrought youth;

Coordinates youth treatment programs and discusses needs of individual residents with residents, their families, community service providers, and probation, court and law enforcement officials;

Oversees treatment team meetings and behavioral modification activities and reviews progress reports for accuracy, appropriate treatment methods and potential problems;

May be assigned to a Youth Center specializing in substance abuse treatment programs for resident youth;

Performs other related duties.

1. Candidates must be fully certified by the Maryland Correctional Training Commission prior to appointment and are required to maintain certification while employed.

2. Specific educational and experience requirements are set by the agency based on the essential job functions assigned to the position.

Class Descriptions are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies.  Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

Class Descriptions provide information about the Nature of Work, Examples of Work, General Requirements and Acknowledgements.  The Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities; Minimum Education and Experience Requirements; Special Requirements; and recruitment and testing procedures are set by the using agency.

This is a Management Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Management Service positions.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit as indicated by the designation of S (supervisor), M (manager), T (agency head), U (Board or Commission member), W (student), X (Used by agency or excluded by executive order), or Z (confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.