Youth Development Specialist

Family-Support-Services; Amarillo (TX); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Family Support Services seeks a Youth Development Specialist to lead and connect with youth, families, and schools in Amarillo. You will guide leadership development, prevention education, and family activities while building safe, welcoming environments for youth in community sites and schools.

The role emphasizes engaging middle and high school students, planning service projects, and coordinating events with flexibility for evenings and weekends.

Qualifications

• Experience working with youth, families, schools, prevention programs, mentoring, or community-based services is preferred.
• Ability to connect authentically with middle school and high school students while remaining a dependable and appropriate adult.
• Strong facilitation, communication, organization, and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate evidence-informed and curriculum-based programming related to leadership, healthy relationships, conflict resolution, emotional wellness, positive decision-making and other issues affecting youth.
• Lead Youth Leadership Development groups, Girls Groups, after-school programming, and other FSS services at schools and community locations.
• Build positive, consistent relationships with youth while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Create an environment where participants feel respected, included, heard, and encouraged to take healthy risks such as speaking up, trying something new, or asking for help.
• Adapt activities to meet different learning styles, developmental needs, cultures, personalities, and levels of participation.
• Recognize signs that a young person may need additional support and follow established procedures for connecting the participant with appropriate services.
• Coordinate referrals to FSS programs and outside organizations when youth or families need services beyond the scope of CYD.

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work, education, psychology, sociology, criminal justice, communication, child development, or a related field

Job description

Youth Development Specialist

Classification: Full-Time, Non-Exempt
Reports to: Director of Prevention and Advancement

Position Summary

The Youth Development Specialist helps young people discover their voice, strengthen their confidence, and recognize that they already have something valuable to contribute.

This position delivers Community Youth Development programming for youth and families primarily within Amarillo's 79107 ZIP code. The Youth Development Specialist facilitates school and community-based groups, leadership development, prevention education, family activities, and special events. They build authentic relationships with young people while creating spaces that are safe, welcoming, and energetic.

This is not a sit-behind-a-desk-all-day position. A typical week may include leading a middle school Girls Group, planning a YAC service project, attending a school event, completing grant documentation, leading a parent café, facilitating youth leadership development groups on area campuses or organizing an awareness event.

Essential Responsibilities

Youth Programming and Engagement

• Facilitate evidence-informed and curriculum-based programming related to leadership, healthy relationships, conflict resolution, emotional wellness, positive decision-making and other issues affecting youth.
• Lead Youth Leadership Development groups, Girls Groups, after-school programming, and other FSS services at schools and community locations.
• Build positive, consistent relationships with youth while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Create an environment where participants feel respected, included, heard, and encouraged to take healthy risks such as speaking up, trying something new, or asking for help.
• Adapt activities to meet different learning styles, developmental needs, cultures, personalities, and levels of participation.
• Recognize signs that a young person may need additional support and follow established procedures for connecting the participant with appropriate services.

Youth Leadership and Community Involvement

• Support the Youth Advisory Committee and help youth plan meetings, community projects, awareness activities, service opportunities, and special events.
• Encourage youth to identify concerns within their schools and neighborhoods and develop realistic, youth-driven solutions.
• Help young people strengthen communication, public speaking, teamwork, advocacy, and problem-solving skills.
• Create meaningful opportunities for youth to serve, lead, and represent FSS throughout the community.
• Treat youth as partners in program planning by listening to their ideas and incorporating their feedback whenever possible.

Family Engagement

• Assist with Parent Cafés, WOW Cafés, Dad Cafés, family nights, and other caregiver engagement activities.
• Help create welcoming spaces where caregivers can discuss parenting, communication, resilience, stress, and family relationships without judgment.
• Build respectful relationships with parents and caregivers and connect families with helpful community resources when needs are identified.
• Assist with family-focused events that combine education with creativity, recreation, food, and connection because families tend to learn better when no one feels trapped in a lecture.

Community and School Partnerships

• Develop positive working relationships with teachers, counselors, administrators, community organizations, volunteers, and other stakeholders.
• Represent Family Support Services professionally and communicate the purpose and value of CYD programming.
• Coordinate referrals to FSS programs and outside organizations when youth or families need services beyond the scope of CYD.

Planning and Team Participation

• Prepare lesson plans, activities, supplies, and materials before each group or event.
• Participate in staff meetings, training, professional development, program planning, and quality-improvement activities.
• Communicate scheduling changes, participant concerns, school needs, and program challenges promptly.
• Assist with community events and occasional evening or weekend activities.
• Work collaboratively with other FSS divisions to ensure youth and families receive coordinated support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social work, education, psychology, sociology, criminal justice, communication, child development, or a related field is preferred. Relevant experience may be considered in place of a degree.
• Experience working with youth, families, schools, prevention programs, mentoring, or community-based services is preferred.
• Ability to connect authentically with middle school and high school students while remaining a dependable and appropriate adult.
• Strong facilitation, communication, organization, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage a room full of energetic young people with patience, flexibility, humor, and a plan.
• Comfortable discussing sensitive topics in an age-appropriate, trauma-informed, and nonjudgmental manner.
• Ability to complete detailed documentation and meet deadlines.
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule that may include some evenings and weekends.
• Valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and the ability to travel to schools and community sites within the service area.
• Ability to pass required background checks.

Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Qualities

The strongest candidate will be:

• Dependable enough that youth know they can count on them.
• Flexible enough to adjust when a school schedule changes five minutes before a group.
• Creative enough to make prevention education feel relevant.
• Organized enough to keep paperwork from becoming a small mountain.
• Calm enough to respond thoughtfully when emotions are high.
• Humble enough to listen before assuming they understand.
• Energetic enough to keep young people engaged without trying too hard to speak teenager.
• Passionate about helping youth recognize their strengths, build healthy relationships, and imagine a future filled with possibility.

Physical and Work Requirements

The position requires regular travel between Family Support Services, schools, and community locations. Duties may include standing for extended periods, setting up program spaces, carrying supplies, participating in recreational activities, and occasionally working outside. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Why This Position Matters

Young people do not need another adult who only tells them what not to do. They need someone who listens, shows up consistently, sees their strengths, and helps them build the skills to make healthy choices for themselves.

The Youth Development Specialist gets to be that person. The work can be busy, unpredictable, paperwork-heavy, and deeply meaningful. Some days success looks like a packed family event. Other days it looks like one young person speaking for the first time, resolving a conflict, returning to group, or realizing there is an adult who believes in them.