Juvenile Services Division Director

Current employees: Please apply through the employee portal to be considered for this opportunity.

Pay Range:

$122,874.14 - $196,598.08 Annual

Department:

Department of Community Justice (DCJ)

Job Type:

Regular Non-Represented

Exemption Status:

United States of America (Exempt)

Closing Date (Open Until Filled if No Date Specified):

The Opportunity:

NOTE: This position is open until closed. The first application review will be applications received on, or before, November 2nd, 2026.

Overview

The Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) is seeking a visionary, human-centered leader to serve as the Director of the Juvenile Services Division (JSD) . Reporting directly to the Department Director, the JSD Director oversees an annual operating budget of $26 million and a large workforce.The division provides juvenile detention and community supervision services for nearly 700 justice-involved youth each year, as well as support for nearly 2,500 parents annually through domestic relations mediation and parent orientation.

DCJ is seeking a trauma informed Director who leads with presence, transparency, and operational expertise, demonstrating high emotional intelligence, interpersonal agility, and an authentic, trusted leadership reputation. The successful candidate will be a credible, unifying leader and strategic thinker who fosters a supportive, compassionate, safe, respectful, and motivating work environment. The incoming Director will be tasked with building trust, bridging detention and community supervision staff, while supporting frontline safety and management. This role requires an executive who balances strategic engagement in the juvenile justice system, including a focus on racial equity and diversion, with firm support for the daily operational realities, safety, and well-being of frontline personnel.

Come Find Your Why (video)

About the Department of Community Justice

The Department of Community Justice (DCJ) provides supervision and services to justice involved youth, adults and families. Our efforts are guided by evidence-based strategies that maximize our resources and results, and by our core belief that people can change. We aim to address the underlying issues that lead to criminal behavior, and to help people successfully engage in civic life.

DCJ’s mission is to enhance community safety and reduce criminal activity by holding youth and adults accountable in a fair and just manner, assisting them to develop skills necessary for success, and effectively using public resources.

DCJ is committed to fulfilling its vision - Community Safety through Positive Change - by delivering programs that meet the community’s needs. To achieve this, the department works collaboratively with the judiciary, law enforcement, schools, treatment agencies, and community partners.

DCJ’s annual operating budget is approximately $116 million, with over 400 regular, on-call, and temporary employees spanning our Adult and Juvenile Services Divisions and Director’s Office that includes Victim and Survivor Services. DCJ's JSD is responsible for youth on formal and informal community supervision and operates the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Facility, a 24/7 operation.

More information about DCJ including our mission, vision, and work of the divisions can be found at: www.multco.us/dcj

The Opportunity

Strategic Leadership & Equity

• •Data-driven leader for the juvenile system that expands community diversion, and addresses systemic racial disparities, utilizing quantitative and qualitative research to interpret complex datasets and guide strategic policy decisions.
• •Oversee the division's programs that respond to the needs of justice involved youth, families and victims.
• •Aligning division priorities with DCJ's strategic pillars; delivering operational excellence, ensuring our impact, and maximizing resources .
• •Oversee the implementation of evidence-based and trauma-informed reform frameworks, including Transforming Juvenile Probation, Intentional Case Management, Family Engaged Case Planning, Restorative Practices, and the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative.
• •Apply an equity lens to all divisional operations, policy development, and programming, while providing authentic support and advocacy for staff, leading with cultural humility, self-awareness, and a commitment to recognizing privilege in cross-cultural environments.
• •Conceptualize innovative services and implement procedures for new or changing regulatory requirements and state laws, continuously evaluating benchmarks, simplifying processes, and improving operational outcomes.

Operations and Staff Safety

• •Manage the senior management team that oversees daily operational functions across community supervision and the 24/7 secure youth detention facility, maintaining close oversight of shift dynamics, unit culture, and crisis de-escalation.
• •Oversees the management of detention services, managing facility capacity, and reducing overall reliance on detention.
• •Direct the juvenile management team to support staff physical safety alongside youth accountability; reform internal safety monitoring practices and maintain consistent policies.
• •Respond to and resolve confidential/sensitive inquiries, investigate complaints, and recommend corrective action.
• •Maintain regular visibility and engagement through regular communication with frontline employees and leadership, using clear, empathetic dialogue to build trust, mutual respect, and unit cohesion.
• •Direct through a trauma-informed approach to ensure staff and youth’s well-being is prioritized and their physical and psychological safety is addressed.
• •Partner with County Facilities Property Management to maintain and upgrade the physical environment of the Juvenile Justice Complex and secure detention facility.

Accountability & HR Collaboration

• •Direct Juvenile leadership in providing consistent direction, clear communication and supervisory support. Direct and approve through managers the planning, prioritizing, assigning, supervising, training, and reviewing of staff work, articulating expectations with clarity, composure, and strategic awareness across all channels.
• •Direct the division with youth and staff input and maintaining a workplace culture rooted in safety, trust, belonging, active listening, and high emotional intelligence.
• •Support division leadership to foster mutual respect, open communication, and information sharing.
• •Collaborate with Human Resources for recruitment, internal investigations, and promoting long-term staff health, safety, and retention.
• •Directs continuous improvement methods that optimize performance and service quality for public safety and better outcomes for youth and families.

Partnership & Advocacy

• •Serve as a principal advisor on the DCJ Executive Management Team, participating in department-wide policy, budget, and operational decision-making.
• •Participate as an active member in public safety forums including the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council and Juvenile Justice Steering Committee.
• •Strategically communicate with key partners, policy makers, and media to advance department initiatives, while representing the County, department, and division to elected officials, public agencies, and key interest holders.
• •Maintain and develop relationships with external system partners, including court members, law enforcement, local and state agencies, school districts, associations, and community-based organizations, fostering collaborative partnerships.
• •Foster positive relationships and collaborate with union leadership (AFSCME Local 88 / Local 88-6) by interpreting collective bargaining agreements fairly and resolving grievances through proactive dialogue.
• •Build relationships with state and national juvenile justice organizations to incorporate evidence-based practices into the public safety continuum.

Fiscal Management & Sustainable Programming