Special Advisor for Youth Justice

City of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 68,213 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

City of New York is seeking a Senior Advisor for Youth Justice to guide the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice on youth justice policy and programs across five boroughs. The role coordinates across agencies, builds data-driven infrastructure, and oversees prevention, diversion, and court-based interventions to improve outcomes for justice-involved youth.

The ideal candidate will lead cross-agency strategy, engage with communities and providers, and translate policy into actionable programs that

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree or higher required; experience in public policy or criminal justice preferred.
• Experience coordinating across multiple city agencies and stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to translate data into policy.
• Commitment to equity, fairness, and community engagement.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day oversight of the City’s youth justice portfolio and advance Mayor's priorities.
• Develop strategic guidance for citywide youth justice initiatives and interventions.
• Coordinate across agencies, courts, and community partners to align programs.
• Drive data infrastructure and policy development to improve outcomes for justice‑involved youth.

Skills

Policy analysis

Cross-agency coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Baccalaureate degree

Associate degree + 2 years of experience

High school diploma + 4 years of experience

Education/experience equivalent

Job description

About The Office

The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) advises the Mayor of the City of New York on criminal justice policy. MOCJ develops and implements strategies, with partners inside and outside government, to reduce crime and incarceration and to promote fairness and legitimacy. MOCJ works with law enforcement, city agencies, non‑profits, foundations, and others to implement data‑driven strategies that address current crime conditions, prevent offending, and build strong neighborhoods that ensure enduring safety.

About The Office

The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) advises the Mayor of the City of New York on criminal justice policy. MOCJ develops and implements strategies, with partners inside and outside government, to reduce crime and incarceration and to promote fairness and legitimacy. MOCJ works with law enforcement, city agencies, non‑profits, foundations, and others to implement data‑driven strategies that address current crime conditions, prevent offending, and build strong neighborhoods that ensure enduring safety.

About The Role

The Special Advisor for Youth Justice will serve as a trusted advisor to city leadership on all matters related to youth justice. They will work across the full continuum of youth justice from community‑based prevention and programming to court‑based intervention bridging systems that have traditionally operated in silos. This individual will lead the City’s youth justice portfolio across three core areas: building the data and systems infrastructure needed to understand outcomes for justice‑involved youth; developing and overseeing programming to address gaps in services and supports; and coordinating across the city agencies, courts, and stakeholders that work with young people across the five boroughs.

Duties Include, But Are Not Limited To

• Provide day-to-day oversight of the City’s youth justice portfolio and work to advance the Mayor's priorities for justice-involved youth.
• Develop strategic guidance, direction, and assistance as it relates to citywide strategies to improve outcomes for youth in or at risk of entering the justice system.
• Ensure that city policies, programs, and interagency responses are responsive to the needs of justice-involved young people and their families, including by engaging with communities, providers, and advocacy organizations across the five boroughs.
• Serve as a trusted thought and execution partner to MOCJ and OCS leadership and city staff working on youth justice issues.
• Direct the development of a cross-agency juvenile justice database integrating data from city and court partners including ACS, DOP, DOE, NYPD, and OCA to enable a comprehensive view of youth across systems and support data-driven policy and programming decisions.
• Analyze and evaluate program performance measures and data related to youth arrests, case processing, detention, and service utilization across Family Court and Youth Parts.
• Work closely with key agency partners, including ACS, DOP, DOE, DYCD, ONS, the Law Department, DA offices, defense providers, and the courts, to coordinate interagency responses and advance shared priorities.
• Facilitate cross-agency coordination structures and serve as a convening presence across the city's juvenile justice ecosystem, including Family Court, Youth Parts, and relevant city and state bodies.
• Identify gaps in diversion programming, alternatives to detention, and wraparound services, and develop actionable recommendations to address them.
• Oversee the identification, funding, and development of programs to fill gaps in services and supports for justice-involved youth, including diversion, alternatives to detention, and wraparound programming.
• Ensure that city policies, programs, and interagency responses are responsive to the needs of justice-involved young people and their families, including by engaging with communities, providers, and advocacy organizations across the five boroughs.
• Drive awareness and adoption of new policies and programs across agencies and courts, including by developing strategic materials and briefings for principals, judges, and commissioners, and ensuring timely communication of relevant information among stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

• Do you have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university?
• Do you have an associate degree from an accredited college or university along with two (2) years of experience with administrative, analytic, coordinative, supervisory or liaison responsibilities?
• Do you have a four-year high school diploma, or its educational equivalent approved by a state's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization along with four (4) years of experience as described in question "2" above?
• Do you have a satisfactory combination of education and/or experience equivalent to that described in questions "1," "2," and/or "3" above?

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

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.

, $68,213.00 – $175,000.00