Youth Development Specialist
County of Los Angeles
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Job summary
County of Los Angeles, Department of Youth Development, seeks qualified candidates for emergency Youth Development Specialist roles to address homelessness through program design, evaluation, and cross-agency collaboration across the County.
These positions focus on coordination & innovation, youth diversion, facility-based programming, and reentry planning, requiring experience with youth services, partnerships with community providers, and a commitment to equity.
Qualifications
- Two years of experience managing youth- or young adult programs at the level of Youth Development Ambassador or similar position.
- Ability to coordinate and manage partnerships with community-based organizations and law enforcement.
- Must possess a valid California Class C Driver License or have means to travel as required.
Responsibilities
- Coordinates and facilitates the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of youth development programs, policies, and projects.
- Conducts outreach, engagement, and storytelling to raise awareness of DYD programs and youth narratives.
- Provides relationship-based contract and project management to build capacity and collaboration with agencies and Community-Based Organizations.
- Monitors, evaluates, and facilitates learning and capacity-building among service providers.
- Conducts mixed-methods research to evaluate DYD programs and inform improvements.
- Builds relationships with city, county, educational institutions, and law enforcement to advance youth development.
- Prepares and manages program records and confidential files in compliance with legal requirements.
- Engages in reflection to identify gaps and opportunities for program enhancements.
Skills
Job description
TYPE OF RECRUITMENT: OPEN COMPETITIVE - EMERGENCY
Applications will be accepted from August 26th, 2026 at 8:00 AM PST until August 26th, 2026 at 5:00pm PST
EXAM NUMBER: YD8299F-EA
The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.
The Department of Youth Development is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Youth Development Specialist vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.
- Youth Development Specialist (Coordination & Innovation): to lead evidence-informed program and policy design, develop research and evaluation strategies and protocols in collaboration with programming teams and community providers, and facilitate strategic partnerships, community engagement, and analysis of opportunities to advance innovation, including activities to advance best practices in youth development among County staff, community providers, and the public; and
- Youth Development Specialist (Youth Diversion):to facilitate planning, implementation and ongoing review of youth diversion programming between community providers and law enforcement agencies across the County, as well as supporting learning exchanges between community providers to ensure sufficient and ongoing training and program maintenance opportunities; and
- Youth Development Specialist (Facility-Based Programming): to facilitate the development, planning, implementation and ongoing capacity-building of youth development programming delivered by community-based providers and other county agencies for justice-involved youth in the County's juvenile hall, camps and Secure Youth Treatment Facilities operated by the Los Angeles County Probation Department.
- Youth Development Specialist (Facility-Based Youth Development Coordination): to work directly with and engage youth in the County's juvenile halls, camps and Secure Youth Treatment Facilities operated by the Los Angeles County Probation to provide strengths-based youth development assessments, coordinate connection to supportive programming, facilitate positive youth engagement, and provide reentry planning.
Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.
Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%. Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Youth Development Specialist.
Policy Development: Countywide development, analysis, and advancement of policies, protocols, and governance structures that guide youth development programming, strengthen system alignment, - promote equity and accountability, and support effective implementation of youth-centered practices across county systems
Program Evaluation: Countywide assessment of youth development programs using data and outcomes to measure effectiveness, improve services, and inform decision-making.
Narrative Strategy: Countywide efforts that elevate youth voices, shift public narratives, and promote positive, strengths-based perceptions of young people.
Diversion: County wide program for youth referred by law enforcement for an alleged offense to community-based providers for an assessment and case management services.
Development: Countywide services that create equitable access to activities and services supporting health, social, vocational, cognitive and creative, leadership, and environmental competencies for all youth by addressing systemic disparities that limit a young person's development.
Facility-Based Programming: Youth development programming for incarcerated youth in the County's juvenile hall, camps and Secure Youth Treatment Facilities, including culturally relevant Credible Messenger transformative mentorship and care, and other youth development programming that helps youth to grow socio-emotionally, physically, mentally and in other key domains.
Youth Development Coordination: Strengths-based youth development assessments, reentry planning and coordination and connection of youth to supportive programming through positive youth engagement
- Coordinates and facilitates the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of youth development programs, policies, and projects, or of youth development care plans for youth who are incarcerated to support their connection to supportive programming and facilitate their safe reentry into the community, focused on expanding equitable access to youth development resources in Los Angeles County.
- Conducts outreach, engagement, and storytelling to increase awareness of DYD programs and priorities and to uplift youth narratives and successes to a wide range of audiences, including County partners, youth, and communities.
- Provides relationship-based contract and project management to facilitate capacity-building, shared learning, and cooperation with relevant agencies, institutions, and Community-Based Organizations
- Monitors, evaluates, and facilitates learning and capacity-building among service providers to ensure the program's consistency, flexibility, and overall effectiveness.
- Conducts mixed-methods research to evaluate DYD programs and build priority recommendations for continued learning and improvement in collaboration with program and County partners, youth, and communities.
- Develops and working relationships with various city, county, social, legal, court, and law enforcement entities, educational institutions, school officials, and staff to facilitate service delivery, information sharing, communication, and collaboration to advance a youth development framework.
- Composes, prepares, and processes a variety of correspondence, reports, data, forms, and other documents; establishes and oversees accurate and efficient program and case management records, including confidential and sensitive files subject to various legal requirements.
- Engages in reflection and analysis of gaps and opportunities, including receiving feedback from youth and families to inform active and ongoing improvement.
- Two years of experience managing youth- or young adult programs* at the level of Youth Development Ambassador** or similar position working with youth or young adults in community.
- Managing Youth Programs can be described as:
- Directly overseeing and managing youth reentry or youth development programs within or through community-based organizations, public organizations, or other youth-serving agencies
- Managing and conducting quantitative and/or qualitative research and evaluation to inform and develop or enhance programs and policies related to youth development or youth justice system involvement
- Independently analyzing and making recommendations towards the solution of operational problems as it pertains to budget, fiscal, or contracted personnel for youth development, or youth reentry services.
- In the service of Los Angeles County, a Youth Development Ambassador assists in the coordination and collaborative project management of a wide range of youth development services, opportunities and support—from prevention and early intervention to engagement and support for youth and their families involved in the justice system—so that all youth in Los Angeles County have access to youth development.
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
2-Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation maybe involved.
- Individuals with histories of contact with the justice system who can make a unique contribution to the responsiveness and effectiveness of services and policies focused on populations and communities most impacted by the justice system.
- Individuals with histories of personal exposure to the Child Welfare System. Individuals with histories of personal exposure to the negative elements and experiences as a- result to residing within an underserved community
- Individuals with histories of personal exposure to young people who have experienced homelessness. Personal exposure can be any exposure which involves you, same household family member, partner, child, etc.
Available Shift: Any – applicants may be required to days, weekends, and holidays.
The Department of Youth Development recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Youth Development is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst races. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.
Department Contact Email: hr@dyd.lacounty.gov
Employment Information
Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.
This document is intended to provide general information about the recruitment process of the County of Los Angeles. Applicants with questions about a specific job posting should contact the exam analyst listed on the posting.
The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/.
The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit: https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/.
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).
Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.
Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov.
Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions.
For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf
Revised September 2025
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