Youth Development Counselor Youth Forestry Camp

As a Youth Development Counselor with the Department of Human Services (DHS) at Youth Forestry Camp 3, your experience and commitment will help shape strong outcomes for our residents. This role gives you the opportunity to deepen your impact by guiding youth through daily routines that support responsibility, confidence, and positive decision making. You will work with youth to strengthen habits, encourage emotional growth, and reinforce the values that drive our mission forward.

Your leadership helps maintain a respectful, safe, and goal-focused community that benefits both residents and staff.

Watch this video to see how you can make a difference!

This position supports the rehabilitation and social development of adjudicated youth through active supervision, structured guidance, and consistent role modeling. You will help maintain a secure environment while encouraging skill building, responsibility, and positive behavior. As a Youth Development Counselor, you will perform the following duties:

• Safety Monitoring:Maintain vigilance, supervise residents, and prevent harmful behaviors
• Behavior Guidance:Support pro-social skills, moral reasoning, academic growth, and life skills
• Case Management:Develop individualized treatment plans, communicate updates, and conduct counseling sessions
• Record Keeping:Prepare reports, document progress, and maintain resident files
• Program Support:Facilitate group activities, coordinate training, and assist with recreational programs
• Emergency Response:Assess situations, determine proper intervention levels, control inappropriate behavior, and maintain a safe and secure environment

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

• Full-time employment, 40 hours per week
• The Youth Forestry Camp is staffed by work shifts that cover the facility 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You will work 8 hour shifts, 5 days per week, with no duty free lunch. You will have 2 regular days off. Shifts include:
  • 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM
• Free parking
• Telework:You will not have the option to telework in this position.
• Salary:In some cases, the starting salary may be non-negotiable.
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

• Four years of experience as a Juvenile Justice Specialist (Commonwealth title);
  or
• Three years of experience as a Juvenile Justice Specialist Supervisor (Commonwealth title);
  or
• One year of experience in the care, custody, supervision, activities, leadership, or personal guidance of court adjudicated or socially maladjusted individuals in an organized program, and a bachelor’s degree in the behavioral sciences, special education, juvenile justice, or criminal justice;
  or
• An equivalent combination of experience and training that includes one year of experience in the care, custody, supervision, activities, leadership, or personal guidance of court adjudicated or socially maladjusted individuals in an organized program.

• PA residency requirement is currently waived for this title.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

• A conditional offer of employment will require a medical examination and a drug screening.
• This position falls under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law.
  • Under the Law, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports including, but not limited to, PA State Police clearance, PA Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI Fingerprint clearance.

This position is subject to the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement or memorandum of understanding.

You must be eligible for selection in accordance with merit system employment regulations.

Applicants must meet one of the following methods to be considered for this vacancy:

• Promotion Without Exam
• Reassignment (Only current civil service employees in the same agency who hold the same or similar job title, with the same maximum salary, within the same occupational group or where there is a logical career movement, will qualify for reassignment.).
• Transfer (Only current civil service employees who hold the same job title will qualify for transfer to another agency.)
• Voluntary Demotion
• Reinstatement (Former civil service…