Probation Division Chief

Solano County; Fairfield (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Solano County's Probation Department seeks a seasoned leader to manage and direct a division, ensuring compliance, program integrity, and effective service delivery within the constraints of an executive at-will role.

The ideal candidate will oversee staff, coordinate investigations, and provide recommendations to the court, while upholding licensing, training, and safety requirements for personnel, including armed unit considerations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher required.
• Two years in a Probation Services Manager or equivalent role; four years in Deputy Probation Officer (Supervising) or equivalent.
• Degree in criminal justice, social work, psychology, sociology or related field is desired.

Responsibilities

• Manage, plan, organize and direct staff and programs of a division.
• Oversee investigations and provide recommendations for the court.
• Ensure compliance with licensing, training and safety requirements, including armed unit protocols.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Team management

Policy development

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Criminal justice / social work / psychology preferred

Job description

Impact the community in a positive way!

The Probation Department safeguards our community through the services provided to clients, the court, and victims. The Probation Department actively seeks to modify the behaviors that lead to criminal activity and those that allow for a successful transition back into the community. If you are a positive team player with a dedication to community service - this may be the job for you!

The mission of the Probation Department is to protect the community by:

• Facilitating rehabilitation of offenders and holding them accountable
• Conducting investigations and providing recommendations for the court
• Enforcing court orders
• Pursuing victim restoration and advocacy
• Providing safe, secure, effective detention and treatment programs

THE POSITION

Under general administrative direction of the Assistant Director of Probation, manages, plans, organizes and directs the staff and programs of a division of the Probation Department. The class/position is an executive at-will position, exempt from civil service. The incumbent(s) serves at the discretion of the Appointing Authority. This position may manage staff that are assigned to work in armed units and therefore will be authorized to carry a firearm, in accordance with Department policy.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

This class is distinguished from the:

• Assistant Director of Probation class which has duties and responsibilities over the entire department operation and are delegated by the Director of Probation.
• Superintendent of Juvenile Detention Facility class which plans, organizes and directs the operations of the County Juvenile Detention Facility and any other programs on the facility grounds.
• Deputy Director of Probation class which plans, organizes and directs the operations of Probation Field Services of the County Probation Department.
• Probation Services Manager class which oversees court services, juvenile, and/or adult probation services, or Juvenile Detention Facility operations or programming.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university

AND

Experience: Two years of experience as a Probation Services Manager, Assistant Superintendent, Juvenile Correctional Counselor Manager or equivalent; four (4) years of experience as a Deputy Probation Officer (Supervising), or four (4) years of Juvenile Correctional Counselor (Supervising), or equivalent.

Note: While a degree in a specific field is not required, the possession of Bachelor’s degree or higher in one of the following fields is desired and may be a factor considered during the rating and/or selection process: criminal justice, social work, psychology, sociology or a closely related field.

LICENSING, CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants are required to possess a valid California Driver’s License, Class C.

Applicants are required to possess the following:

• Juvenile Corrections Officer Core Certificate or Probation Officer Core training certificate issued by the California State Standards and Training for Corrections Program or equivalent
• Supervisor Core training certificate issued by the California State Standards and Training for Corrections Program or equivalent
• Manager and Administrator Core training certificate issued by the California State Standards and Training for Corrections Program within twelve (12) months of appointment.
• Applicants are required to possess a valid California Driver’s License, Class C.
• Incumbents of this class have limited Peace Officer powers as delineated in the California Penal Code and must meet training requirements in accordance with Penal Code Section 832 within twelve (12) months of appointment.
• Incumbents assigned to an armed unit must obtain Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid certification prior to assignment and must maintain the certification while assigned to the unit.
• Incumbents must complete annual training in accordance with Title 15, Division 1 of the California Administrative Code.

Note: All licenses, certificates and registrations must be kept current while employed in this class. This may include the completion of continuing education units to maintain the required registration in good standing. Incumbents must keep their licenses, certifications and registrations current and failure to do so may constitute cause for personnel action in accordance with applicable bargaining agreement.

9/18/2026 – Deadline to submit application and required documents.

9/28/2026 – Tentative week for scoring supplemental questions.

Based on the information provided in the application documents, the qualified applicants may be invited for further examination and will either be pre-scheduled by the Department of Human Resources or be invited to self-schedule. All applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. Depending upon the number of applications received, the selection process may consist of an initial application screening, a mandatory information meeting, a supplemental questionnaire assessment, a written and/or practical exam, an oral board exam, or any combination listed. Responses to supplemental questions may be used as screening and testing mechanisms and will be used to assess an applicant’s ability to advance in the process; as such, responses to supplemental questions should be treated as test examination responses. Information contained herein does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

All potential new hires and employees considered for promotion to management, confidential positions or unrepresented positions will be subject to a background and reference check after contingent job offer is accepted. These provisions are subject to change.

RETIREES - Solano County invites all qualified candidates to apply for positions; however pursuant to Government Code Section 21221(h) and 21224, hiring restrictions may apply to California Public Sector Pension Plan Retirees.

Please note that all dates/times listed in the job announcement are Pacific Time.

EOE/AA

DEGREE REQUIRED, SUBMITTAL BY FINAL FILING DEADLINE

A Bachelor’s degree is required for this position. All candidates are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of their college diploma (verifying the degree, date earned and area of specialization) or official/unofficial transcripts (verifying institution, student, date, degree and area of specialization conferred) by the final filing deadline. Candidates who fail to submit their diploma or transcripts by the final filing date may be disqualified from the recruitment.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: Candidates who attended a college or university that is accredited by a foreign or non-U.S. accrediting agency must have their educational units evaluated by an educational evaluation service. The result must be submitted to the Human Resources Department no later than the close of the recruitment. Please contact the local college or university to learn where this service can be obtained.

How to Submit Your Documents

In addition to uploading attachments when applying online, candidates may submit documents by fax to [phone], or by email to [e-mail]. Be sure to include the recruitment title (Probation Division Chief) and the recruitment number (26-117370-01) in the subject line of your email or fax.