JTDC - Deputy Superintendent

Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision

Life Insurance

Pension Plan

Employee Assistance Program

Paid Holidays/Vacation/Sick Leave

Job summary

Circuit Court of Cook County is seeking a Deputy Superintendent – Assistant Superintendent for the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago. The role leads daily facility operations, ensures safety and compliance, and advances reform priorities across shifts and departments.

The ideal candidate has six+ years in juvenile justice leadership, a relevant bachelor’s degree, U.S. citizenship, and the ability to manage complex teams in a 24-hour setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field is required.
• Six years of progressively responsible experience across juvenile justice functions, with at least three years in supervisory or administrative roles.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Must be at least 21 years old.

Responsibilities

• Directs and coordinates daily operations across custody and security, resident life, and programs.
• Ensures policy, post orders, schedules, staffing plans, and safety standards are followed across all shifts.
• Drives reform initiatives and coordinates with key leaders to implement best practices in juvenile detention.

Skills

Leadership experience

Public speaking

Communication skills

Problem solving

Crisis management

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, corrections, criminal justice, social work, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

JOB TITLE: DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT – ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT

DIVISION: OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

LOCATION: JUVENILE TEMPORARY DETENTION CENTER, 11OO S HAMILTON, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60612

UNION: NON-UNION

GRADE: 24

SALARY: NEGOTIABLE

Company Overview

The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) provides safe and temporary housing for youth ages 10 – 18 with pending legal action in the Cook County Courts. The JTDC provides its youth with leadership, structured care, and supervision through a balanced approach of creative programming and services that teach responsibility, accountability, and sensitivity. Each member of the JTDC staff is actively encouraged and supported in pursuit of creative participation, personal well-being, and professional development. As the largest juvenile detention center in the nation, the facility contains five major departments and various offices consisting of 600+ employees who serve an average daily population of 280+ residents.

Job Summary

Under the direction of the Superintendent, the Deputy Superintendent serves as the principal operational executive of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and is responsible for the coordinated day-to-day management of the facility. The position supports the Superintendent in maintaining safe, secure, lawful, developmentally appropriate, and high-quality operations across all shifts and departments and assumes full responsibility for the JTDC when assigned during the Superintendent's absence. The Deputy Superintendent is both an operational leader and a reform implementation partner. The position translates the Superintendent's direction and the Court's reform priorities into consistent daily practice; coordinates the work of Deputy Executive Directors and other assigned leaders; and ensures that safety, youth dignity, staff accountability, programming, compliance, and continuous improvement remain integrated throughout facility operations. The Deputy Superintendent is accountable to the Superintendent for operational performance, emergency readiness, staff execution, implementation of the Blue-Ribbon Committee recommendations and other reform directives, PREA compliance, and measurable outcomes for youth and staff.

Reporting Relationships

• Reports directly to the Superintendent.
• Directs and coordinates the work of Deputy Executive Directors and other leaders or staff assigned by the Superintendent.
• Works in close partnership with the Superintendent to maintain alignment between executive direction and daily facility operations.
• Exercises full operational authority within the scope delegated by the Superintendent and assumes responsibility for the JTDC when formally assigned in the Superintendent's absence.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Facility Operations and Safety

• Directs and coordinates daily operations across custody and security, resident daily life, programs and professional services, training, quality assurance, administration, and other departments within the scope assigned by the Superintendent.
• Ensures consistent application of policies, post orders, schedules, staffing plans, resident supervision standards, search procedures, emergency protocols, and other operational requirements across all shifts and areas of the facility.
• Maintains a safe and secure environment for youth, staff, visitors, and service partners while ensuring that youth are treated with dignity and respect and that security practices remain lawful, proportionate, and developmentally appropriate.
• Coordinates the facility's operational response to critical incidents; ensures timely notification, documentation, after-action review, and corrective follow-through; and keeps the Superintendent informed of significant incidents and emerging risks.
• Maintains operational readiness for emergencies and nontraditional-hour needs and reports to the facility when required.

Reform Implementation and Best Practices

• Supports and advances implementation of the Blue Ribbon Committee recommendations and other applicable reform, oversight, and corrective-action directives through clear work plans, assigned ownership, milestones, accountability mechanisms, and measurable progress.
• Embeds nationally recognized juvenile detention practices into daily operations, including trauma-informed and trauma-responsive care, positive behavioral interventions and supports, restorative practices, de-escalation, and culturally and developmentally appropriate responses to youth behavior.
• Partners with the Superintendent to drive sustained culture and practice change from a primarily custodial model toward a rehabilitative, strengths-based approach that prioritizes youth dignity, safety, well-being, learning, and accountability.
• Ensuring that policy, training, supervision, documentation, and frontline practice remain aligned with reform commitments and identifies operational barriers that could delay or undermine implementation.
• Maintains awareness of research and emerging practices in juvenile detention and recommends appropriate operational, training, and program improvements to the Superintendent.

Staff Leadership Accountability and Development

• Leads and coordinates a large, complex workforce across multiple departments and shifts; establishes clear expectations for professionalism, accountability, communication, follow-through, and commitment to youth well-being.
• Provides direct supervision, coaching, performance guidance, and formal evaluation for assigned executives and staff; ensures department leaders complete personnel responsibilities accurately and on time.
• Conducts regular executive and operational meetings to strengthen communication, coordination, shared problem-solving, and collective responsibility across divisions.
• Identifies staffing, leadership, training, and resource needs; supports recruitment, selection, onboarding, retention, succession planning, and leadership development consistent with the facility's reform mission.
• Addresses performance deficiencies and staff misconduct promptly, consistently, and in accordance with policy, collective bargaining agreements, Human Resources guidance, and applicable law.
• Models the leadership presence, sound judgment, integrity, discretion, and professional conduct expected throughout the JTDC.

Youth Services Programming and Reentry

• Coordinates with facility leaders and service partners to ensure youth have reliable access to education, recreation, behavioral health, social services, skill-building, restorative programming, family engagement, and meaningful daily activities.
• Monitors operational conditions that affect program access, resident movement, idleness, continuity of care, and successful reentry preparation and directs corrective action when barriers are identified.
• Promotes services and programming that are culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate, strengths-based, and responsive to the individual needs and aspirations of youth and families.
• Supports coordination with Juvenile Probation, courts, education, health providers, community organizations, families, and other partners across the detention-to-community continuum.

Compliance Policy Data and Continuous Improvement

• Ensures operational compliance with applicable statutes, court orders, judicial directives, AOIC standards, state and federal requirements, PREA, facility policies, and nationally recognized juvenile detention standards.
• Supports PREA certification and sustained compliance through policy implementation, staff training, resident education, incident response, documentation, corrective action, and readiness for external audits and reviews.
• Directs the development, review, implementation, and routine updating of operational policies and procedures with appropriate input from affected departments and subject-matter experts.
• Uses reliable operational and performance data to monitor safety, staffing, programming, compliance, staff conduct, youth outcomes, and reform implementation; identifies deficiencies and directs timely corrective-action planning.
• Ensures accurate records and reports are maintained for population, incidents, program participation, staffing, performance, compliance, and other required measures and that material concerns are promptly elevated to the Superintendent.
• Collects and analyzes information to assess operational consequences, fiscal impact, risk, and feasibility and provides clear recommendations to the Superintendent.

Budget Resources and Administration

• Assists the Superintendent in preparing and administering the annual budget and in identifying the human, material, technological, and contractual resources necessary to operate the JTDC safely and effectively.
• Monitors assigned resources, projects, contracts, and service delivery; identifies gaps or inefficiencies; and recommends actions that align expenditures with operational needs, strategic priorities, and fiscal accountability.
• Supports grant development and other resource opportunities consistent with the JTDC's mission, reform priorities, and needs of youth and staff.
• Establishes annual operational goals and objectives aligned with the Superintendent's strategic direction and monitors progress through completion.

Collaboration Communication and External Relations

• Maintains consistent, proactive communication with the Superintendent and ensures that significant operational, personnel, compliance, reputational, and safety matters are elevated promptly.
• Promotes alignment and shared accountability among JTDC divisions and works to resolve operational silos, conflicting practices, and barriers to coordinated service delivery.
• Builds and maintains cooperative working relationships with the Office of the Chief Judge, Juvenile Probation, judges, unions, County departments, schools, health providers, community organizations, advocates, oversight bodies, and other system partners as directed.
• Represents the JTDC professionally in meetings, workgroups, community forums, audits, inspections, and other engagements assigned by the Superintendent.
• Supports transparent, timely, and accurate communication with staff, youth, families, and stakeholders, consistent with executive direction and applicable confidentiality requirements.
• Performs other duties assigned by the Superintendent consistent with the executive and operational scope of the position.

The duties listed above describe the general nature and level of work associated with this position and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities or temporary assignments.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in public administration, business administration, corrections, criminal justice, social work, human services, or a related field.
• A minimum of six years of progressively responsible experience across juvenile justice functions, including at least three years of supervisory or administrative responsibility, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience demonstrating the required competencies.
• United States citizenship.
• At least 21 years of age at the time of application.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership experience in a juvenile detention, residential, correctional, probation, or court-services setting operating on a 24-hour basis.
• Experience implementing reform initiatives, external-review recommendations, corrective-action plans, consent-decree requirements, or other oversight commitments.
• Experience leading culture change and adopting trauma-informed, restorative, strengths-based, or developmentally appropriate practices.
• Demonstrated experience with PREA compliance, audit readiness, staff training, policy implementation, and incident-response systems.
• Experience using performance data, quality-assurance findings, and operational reviews to guide decisions and sustain measurable improvement.

Knowledge Skills Abilities and Other Characteristics

• Comprehensive knowledge of juvenile detention operations, safety and security practices, adolescent development, trauma-responsive care, positive youth development, behavioral intervention, and applicable juvenile justice law and standards.
• Proven ability to translate executive direction, reform commitments, policy, and data into clear operational plans, assigned responsibilities, measurable outcomes, and sustained daily practice.
• Ability to lead a large, diverse workforce; establish credibility; coach and evaluate leaders; build staff capacity; and maintain a culture of professionalism and accountability.
• Strong critical-thinking, crisis-management, and problem-solving skills and the ability to make timely, sound decisions in routine, complex, and emergency situations.
• Ability to identify operational, legal, compliance, fiscal, personnel, safety, and reputational risk and to recommend and implement appropriate corrective action.
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and relationship-management skills across disciplines and institutions.
• Excellent written, verbal, public-speaking, and executive-briefing skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with staff, youth, families, court leadership, elected officials, advocates, unions, and community partners.
• Ability to collect, interpret, and present qualitative and quantitative data and prepare comprehensive analytical, operational, compliance, and corrective-action reports.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple high-priority assignments, deadlines, shifts, and stakeholders while using time and resources effectively.
• Demonstrated integrity, discretion, political awareness, confidentiality, and commitment to equitable and culturally responsive practice.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to sit or stand at a desk and operate a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to walk and stand throughout the facility for operational observation, meetings, inspections, and emergency response.
• Ability to reach, bend, and move objects weighing up to 20 pounds for routine office and file-management functions.
• Ability to work extended or nontraditional hours based on facility and operational needs.

Working Conditions

• Regular interaction with youth, employees, members of the public, governmental officials, service providers, advocates, and external partners.
• Potential exposure to youth behavioral incidents, including physical acting out, requiring adherence to facility safety and response protocols.
• Potential exposure to facility deficiencies, pests, varying hygiene conditions, and communicable or other health-related conditions requiring appropriate precautions and adherence to medical guidance.

Hiring Requirements

• Obtain Illinois residency within 90 days of hire.
• Pass a pre-employment drug screen and background investigation, including but not limited to LEADS, CANTS, and professional references.
• Receive an eligible result from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System or other applicable registry review.
• Must meet position eligibility requirements established by the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
• This position has an Administrative Office of the Illinois Court (AOIC) requirement, if an offer of employment is extended to you, you will be required to show immediate proof of AOIC Certification. If you are AOIC certified please upload your letter, and if not please move forward with completing the Administrative Office of the Illinois Court certification application.
• Pass Prison Rape Elimination Act screening requirements.
• In response to Congress enacting the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) the Department of Justice (DOJ) developed national standards for federal, state and local correctional agencies.The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center as it is a zero-tolerance policy prohibits all forms of sexual abuse, sexual harassment from staff members, interns, volunteers, and contractors and any form of resident sexual misconduct between residents.

Benefits Package

Information concerning the benefits for this position can be found at the Circuit Court of Cook County Employment Opportunities Page.

• Medical dental and vision coverage
• Basic term life insurance
• Pension plan and deferred compensation
• Competitive salary
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid holidays vacation and sick time

THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF JUDGE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

It is the policy of the Office of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County to provide equal opportunity in employment to all employees and applicants for employment. No person is to be discriminated against in employment because of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation.