Assistant Chief Probation Officer

Appa Net; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department seeks an Assistant Chief Probation Officer to oversee Probation Services and the Juvenile Justice Center, guiding operations, compliance, and program strategy. You will lead a ~140-person team, collaborate with courts and community partners, and advance a rehabilitation-focused culture.

The ideal candidate has strong leadership, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement skills, with a track record of translating policy into durable practice and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social science, administration of justice, business or public administration, or a related field.
• Seven years of progressively responsible experience in probation, youth services, or delinquency prevention, including four years of management and supervision.
• Ability to meet California BSCC Standards and Training for Corrections requirements and hold a valid California Class C driver's license (or obtain one).

Responsibilities

• Oversee the Department's core operations across Probation Services and the Juvenile Justice Center.
• Lead a team of approximately 140 employees and set operational and programmatic strategy.
• Represent the Department with courts, public agencies, labor and community partners, commissions, youth, and families.
• Translate policy into sound, sustainable practice and develop supervisors and internal leadership pathways.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Employee development

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in social science

Bachelor's degree in administration of justice

Bachelor's degree in business or public administration

Job description

San Francisco's Juvenile Probation Department (JPD) is the only probation department in California devoted exclusively to youth, and it enters its next chapter from a position of genuine strength. Youth arrests have fallen roughly 85 percent from 1990s levels, an Intensive Services Foster Care model has earned state and national recognition, and the Department has built a rehabilitation-focused program for committed youth grounded in evidence-based practice. Chief Probation Officer Katy Miller now seeks a principal operational partner to carry that momentum forward.

JPD isn't looking for a caretaker. It's looking for a leader who can turn hard-won progress into consistent, everyday practice — across every unit and shift. Having stood up a new long-term rehabilitative program after the State closed the Division of Juvenile Justice, one of the most complex transformations in California juvenile justice history, the Department is ready to deepen what works and translate its strongest innovations into a durable culture of excellence. The next chapter is already being written — the question is who helps write it.

Reporting directly to the Chief, the Assistant Chief Probation Officer oversees the Department's core operations across Probation Services and the Juvenile Justice Center, leads a dedicated team of approximately 140 employees, sets operational and programmatic strategy, ensures compliance with applicable mandates, and serves as Executive Officer in the Chief's absence. Externally, the Assistant Chief represents the Department with courts, public agencies, labor and community partners, commissions, youth, and families. This is an executive role for someone who moves fluently between vision and execution.

The ideal candidate shares Chief Miller's community-centered public-safety philosophy and understands that accountability, rehabilitation, racial equity, family engagement, and staff excellence reinforce one another. Visible, accessible, and steady, this leader invites candid feedback, communicates decisions clearly, and follows through consistently — bringing the humility to learn from those closest to the work, the confidence to make difficult decisions, and the discipline to translate policy into sound, sustainable practice. A gifted manager of both people and projects, the Assistant Chief will develop supervisors, build morale, and create internal leadership pathways.

Candidates should hold a bachelor's degree in social science, administration of justice, business or public administration, or a related field, with seven years of progressively responsible experience in probation, youth services, or delinquency prevention, including four years of management and supervision. The role also requires the ability to meet California BSCC Standards and Training for Corrections requirements and a valid California Class C driver's license, or the ability to obtain one.