Youth Residential Care Specialist

This position is located at Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Tecumseh, Oklahoma.

The Office of Juvenile Affairs is seeking a Resident Care Specialist to provide care, custody, and security for at‑risk youth at Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. The agency focuses on recognizing strengths, promoting resilience, and building a future‑oriented mindset in both staff and residents. Previous security experience working with juveniles in a residential care and treatment facility is a plus.

• Earn an additional $2.50/hour when working 2nd or 3rd shift, Monday‑Friday.
• Earn an additional $2.50/hour when working any shift on Saturday or Sunday.
• Shift differential applies to hours actually worked.

Positions in this family provide direct care, supervision, security, transportation, and role modeling to adjudicated youth in the custody of the juvenile justice system. Responsibilities include paraprofessional guidance and counseling, aggression and behavior interventions, documentation of behaviors and activities, and monitoring and moderation of resident behavior.

• RCS I: All direct‑care staff must be at least 21 years of age and possess a high school diploma or its equivalent.
• RCS II: Requirements at this level include those identified at Level I plus completion of thirty semester hours from an accredited college or university or one year of security experience.

Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center is a 24‑hour facility. This position is subject to shift work and applicants must be willing to work any shift as needed to provide coverage. Overtime may be required if necessary to maintain the facility.

• 1st Shift: 6:00 am to 2:00 pm
• 2nd Shift: 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm
• 3rd Shift: 10:00 pm to 6:00 am

• Provides security and supervision to adjudicated residents in various situations and activities.
• Performs routine duties in care, custody, education, and treatment of residents; observes, records, and reports health symptoms, behavior, and activity of residents.
• Manages aggressive and non‑aggressive behavior through verbal and physical intervention using prescribed and approved techniques; quickly responds to physical assaults, riots, and other emergency situations.
• Conducts count of residents and enforces institutional rules and regulations; observes resident and staff activities on multiple surveillance monitor screens.
• Provides paraprofessional counseling and instruction to residents by directing their daily activities, maintaining order, providing support, and helping them develop and achieve personal goals; serves on a treatment team to review residents’ progress, treatment, and educational plans; serves as a group leader by reviewing and assessing the adjustment and functioning of a group of residents.
• Inspects the facility’s living areas and work locations to ensure health and safety standards are being met, conducts searches for unauthorized objects, materials, and contraband; maintains security in an assigned area or post; controls movement of residents to and from living quarters for activities and off‑campus appointments; maintains order and discipline during programs, meals, and recreation periods by utilizing empathic verbal communication skills.
• Patrols facility grounds, juvenile living quarters and work areas on an assigned shift while observing the activities and movements of residents; checks authorized persons in or out of buildings and grounds area while assuring unauthorized persons are denied access.
• Checks the physical security of the facility, including doors, windows, and lighting.
• Completes written and/or typed reports on a variety of incidents and residents’ behaviors; sends and receives verbal transmissions over a hand‑held radio; maintains a written log of daily facility activities; communicates by telephone with emergency responder agencies in crisis situations.
• Provides safe and secure transport services for…