Youth Security Specialist - Grand Mesa YSC - Grand Junction

Eligibility & Residency Requirements

Applications considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado. The primary duties are located within 30 miles of the state border; therefore this position is exempt from the residency requirements.

Grand Mesa Youth Service Center
360 28 Road
Grand Junction, CO 81501

The Division of Youth Services (DYS) provides a continuum of residential and non-residential services that encompass juvenile detention, commitment, and parole. DYS is the agency statutorily mandated to provide for the care and supervision of youth committed by the District Court to the custody of the Colorado Department of Human Services. The Division operates fifteen secure facilities that serve youth between the ages of 10 and 21, who are pre‑adjudicated, sentenced, or committed.

The Division also contracts with numerous private residential and non‑residential service providers throughout the State. For pre‑adjudicated youth, the Division is also responsible for the management and oversight of Colorado Youth Detention Continuum, a State‑funded, locally administered program that provides services to youth at risk of further progressing into the juvenile justice system. In addition to residential programming, the Division administers juvenile parole services throughout the State.

Learn about the services provided to youth, families, and local communities in the State of Colorado at: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./dys

This position is a direct care/essential role that provides direct and engaging supervision of Youth in DYS State‑Operated Secure Facilities. Specific duties and expectations include Safety/Security, Youth Center Programming, Documentation/Recording and Reporting, Training, and Organizational Accountability. Positions may be required to work overtime on a rotating basis, based on business needs.

• Safety/Security
  :
  Provide direct care, safety, security, and supervision of adjudicated and/or pre‑adjudicated youth in a secure setting. Monitor, participate, support, and enforce behavioral management plans for individual youth as directed. Supervise daily activities, conduct youth orientation, intervene in crisis situations, de‑escalate conflict, use physical response/restraint in emergency situations, debrief incidents, and conduct searches.
• Youth Center Programming
  :
  Actively implement and follow the Youth Center’s behavioral management program, teach and coach youth, support DYS initiatives and strategies related to youth programming and crisis intervention.
• Documentation/Recording and Reporting
  :
  Document observations of youth behavior and responses to program(s). Record all unit activities and required information in appropriate logs and record systems. Document all youth group activities in appropriate database systems.
• Organizational Accountability
  :
  Demonstrate and support a healthy, positive, and respectful cultural climate throughout the Youth Center by adhering to organizational values such as Nonviolence, Open Communication, Social Responsibility, Growth and Change, Social Learning, Democracy, and Emotional Intelligence. Adhere to the CDHS Code of Conduct, DYS Compliance Review Standards, and CDHS and DYS policies. Foster a trauma‑responsive environment.
• Training
  :
  Complete DYS Pre‑Service Training Academy, Youth Center training, and orientation as a new employee. Complete all assigned online training and support the Division’s prevailing behavior management and intervention strategies.
• Other duties as assigned.

• High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED).
• Non‑sedentary position: employees are typically on their feet during the entire shift. Youth living quarters located on multiple levels; frequent stair climbing required.
• Willingness and ability to physically intervene with assaultive youth.

• College education in a behavioral health and/or juvenile justice related field.
• Experience working with adjudicated and/or detained youth within a secure residential facility and/or a behavioral health setting.
• Experience facilitating…