Resident Care Specialist

Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs•McLoud, OK

12d•$19 - $22•Onsite

About The Position

The Office of Juvenile Affairs is seeking a Resident Care Specialist to provide care, custody, supervision, and security for adjudicated youth at Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. The role includes direct care, transportation, role modeling, paraprofessional guidance and counseling, behavioral interventions, documentation, and monitoring resident behavior. The agency describes its approach as Hope-centered, emphasizing residents’ strengths, resilience, and a future-oriented mindset. This is a safety-sensitive role in a 24-hour facility. Staff must be willing to work any shift as needed, may be required to work overtime to maintain facility coverage, and must be willing to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The position involves job-related travel and transportation of youth to placements, detention centers, court hearings, and appointments. A 12-month trial period is required.

Requirements

Direct-care staff must be at least 21 years of age.
RCS I requires a high school diploma or equivalent.
RCS II requires the RCS I qualifications plus 30 semester hours from an accredited college or university, or one year of security experience.
Must be willing to work any shift as needed in a 24-hour facility; overtime may be required.
Must be willing and able to perform job-related travel and be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Must possess a valid Oklahoma driver’s license at the time of appointment.
Must pass a background check, fingerprinting, and drug screening.
Must be able to interact with juveniles; establish and maintain effective working relationships; follow written and oral instructions; gather facts and communicate them effectively in reports; and interact positively with residents from varied racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
Must remain alert and respond quickly and appropriately in emergencies; physically and appropriately handle escapees and violent or unruly juvenile residents; and use good judgment in evaluating situations and making decisions.
Required knowledge includes security methods, basic human physical and psychological needs, basic first aid, crisis intervention, health and safety precautions, behavioral problems among delinquent residents, household management, environmental factors affecting youth in custody, and applicable state statutes and agency policies.
This is a safety-sensitive position involving direct childcare; applicants who test positive for marijuana will not be hired, including those with a valid medical marijuana license.
A 12-month trial period is required.

Nice To Haves

Previous security experience working with juveniles in a residential care and treatment facility is a plus.

Responsibilities

Provide security and supervision to adjudicated residents in varied situations and activities.
Perform routine care, custody, education, and treatment duties; observe, record, and report residents’ health symptoms, behavior, and activities.
Manage aggressive and non-aggressive behavior using approved verbal and physical intervention techniques, and respond to assaults, riots, and emergencies.
Conduct resident counts, enforce institutional rules, and monitor resident and staff activities on surveillance screens.
Provide paraprofessional counseling and instruction, direct residents’ daily activities, maintain order, provide support, and help residents develop and achieve personal goals.
Serve on treatment teams to review residents’ progress and treatment and educational plans; lead groups and assess residents’ adjustment and functioning.
Inspect living areas and work locations for health and safety, search for unauthorized items and contraband, and maintain security at assigned areas or posts.
Control resident movement to and from living quarters, activities, and off-campus appointments; maintain order during programs, meals, and recreation using empathic verbal communication.
Patrol facility grounds, living quarters, and work areas; monitor resident activity and movement; check authorized persons in and out and deny access to unauthorized persons.
Check facility physical security, including doors, windows, and lighting.
Prepare written or typed reports about incidents and resident behavior, maintain a daily activity log, communicate over a hand-held radio, and contact emergency responders by telephone during crises.
Safely transport youth in OJA custody to and from placements, juvenile detention centers, court hearings, and medical, dental, mental health, and other appointments.
Handle GPS monitoring, tracking, inventory, and documentation in assigned areas.
Perform other high-risk transportation duties assigned through the Performance Management Process and assist other OJA employees as needed.
Perform job-related travel and be available on call as required.

Benefits

$5,000 sign-on bonus available, subject to eligibility criteria.
$6,000 continuous service bonus available, subject to eligibility criteria.
Shift differential of an additional $2.50 per hour for eligible hours worked on second or third shift Monday through Friday, or any shift on Saturday or Sunday.
Generous state-paid benefit allowance to help cover insurance premiums.
Choice of insurance plans with no pre-existing condition exclusions or limitations.
Flexible spending accounts for health care and/or dependent care expenses.
Retirement Savings Plan with a generous match.
15 days of vacation and 15 days of sick leave in the first year for full-time employees.
11 paid holidays per year.
Student loan repayment options.
Employee discounts with a variety of companies and vendors.
Longevity bonus for years of service.