Executive Director of Counseling

City of New York • New York, NY

5h • $109,565 - $150,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is an integral part of the City’s evolving criminal justice system, participating in reform initiatives and strategies aimed to move the city towards a smaller jail system without compromising public safety. The DOC is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for staff, visitors, volunteers, and people in our custody. Importantly, safe jails enable DOC to provide people in custody with the tools and opportunities they need to successfully re-enter their communities. The DOC operates facilities and court commands across the five boroughs with more than 7,500 diverse professionals and knowledge experts.

DOC seeks to recruit Executive Director of Counseling Services Unit assigned to the Division of Programs and Community Partnerships. The selected candidates will be assigned to the Assistant Commissioner that oversees the subdivision of Counseling Services. With latitude for the exercise of independent judgment and initiative, and under the guidance of an Assistant Commissioner, the Executive Director will be responsible for supervising the day-to-day operation of the Counseling Services Unit, which includes three dedicated teams who provide social services and individual counseling, program counseling such as group-based counseling, and a substance misuse programming team.

Requirements

• A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s Degree from an accredited college in Social Work, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, or a related field.
• Supervisory experience in a group, community, educational, or institutional setting is preferred.
• Knowledge of the criminal justice system and experience working with justice involved populations.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of correctional staff.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment, prepare written reports and documents.
• Knowledge of human development and behavior, counseling techniques, behavior modification and intervention techniques.
• Ability to mentor and provide positive interaction, guidance, and leadership to people in custody.
• Excellent writing, communication, inter-personal, analytical, research, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Licensure in field of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, or similar.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English a plus.

Responsibilities

• Supervise team of Deputy Directors and other managerial and administrative staff assigned to purview;
• Manage the implementation of appropriate system of policies, internal controls, data collection and procedures. Particularly associated with social services and case management related services, as well as behavior modification programming;
• Develop, evaluate and refine performance indicators for Counseling Services Unit staff;
• Provide analysis and recommendations for proactive strategies as required;
• Serve as a liaison in various meetings with Federal, State, City government, and nonprofit agencies;
• Coordinate compliance activities to remain abreast of the status of the Counseling Services Unit and to identify trends. This includes but is not limited to, observing staff in correctional facilities and spending time within the facility to understand overall operational trends.
• Maintains statistics and assists in research and best practices pertaining to correctional treatments.
• Convene daily, weekly, and ad-hoc stakeholder meetings to ensure programs are afforded in a comprehensive, integrated, and client-centered manner;
• Perform related duties as required;

Benefits

• The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive