YOUTH TRANSITION SPECIALIST

Socket.dev; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision

Retirement plan

Paid holidays

Job summary

The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections is seeking a Youth Transition Specialist to manage a diverse caseload of juveniles and young adults through their transition from the Adobe Mountain facility to community-based settings.

The role coordinates access to inpatient/outpatient services, insurance benefits, residential programs, and educational, vocational, and employment resources, ensuring strong liaison with ADES, AHCCCS, ADCS, and other stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Employment is contingent on a comprehensive background investigation, drug screening and pre-placement physical examination.
• This position requires driving or use of a vehicle as an essential function on the job; a current, valid driver’s license and insurance are required.

Responsibilities

• Manage a diverse caseload of juveniles and young adults through transition from ADJC Adobe Mountain facility to community-based settings.
• Coordinate educational, vocational, employment, and treatment resources to connect individuals with essential services.
• Travel frequently within Arizona to support reentry efforts and collaborate with state agencies and service providers.
• Provide educational support to bridge transitions between academic programming and post-release opportunities.
• Engage with multidisciplinary teams and maintain consistent communication with case managers and stakeholders.

Job description

DEPT OF JUVENILE CORRECTIONS

Our vision is to make Arizona’s community safer by delivering effective rehabilitative services to the young people entrusted to our care. The mission of the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections is to provide the young people in our care with evidence-based rehabilitative services that enhance their well-being and equip them with the skills and resources they need to thrive as successful members of society.

YOUTH TRANSITION SPECIALIST

Address:

Community Corrections/ Parole Office

100 N. 15th Ave

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Salary: $61,156

Grade: 19

Closing Date: September 6, 2026

The Youth Transition Specialist is responsible for managing a diverse caseload of juveniles and young adults, providing comprehensive case management services throughout their transition from the ADJC Adobe Mountain facility to community-based settings. Key responsibilities include facilitating access to inpatient and outpatient services, insurance benefits and residential programs, as well as coordinating educational, vocational, employment, and treatment resources to ensure individuals and their families are effectively connected with essential community services. Serving as the primary liaison, the Specialist collaborates with various key stakeholders, including the Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES), the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the Arizona Department of Child Safety (ADCS) and residential stakeholders throughout AZ. Furthermore, this role may be involved in crisis intervention, assessments and follow-up.

Job Duties:

• Facilitating pre- and post-reentry service coordination for juveniles releasing or discharging from the ADJCAdobe Mountain facility
• Connecting resources by linking juveniles and families to local programs and insurance benefits
• Weekly travel to the Adobe Mountain Phoenix facility and throughout Arizona as required
• Providing educational support to juveniles to bridge the transition between academic programming andpost-release educational or vocational opportunities
• Participating in multidisciplinary team meetings, including Child and Family Team and Adult Recovery Team meetings
• Collaborating effectively within a team environment to ensure program objectives are met
• Conducting comprehensive case reviews and maintaining consistent communication with case managers to ensure program integrity
• Performing initial in-home assessments
• Coordinating essential services for juveniles and their families
• Assisting in the development of transitional plans for juveniles and young adults
• Engaging and maintaining professional relationships with internal, external stakeholders, service providers, community agencies, and partner entities
• Compiling statistical data and generating reports regarding program services
• Managing case files, documentation, and data entry
• Operating a vehicle for official State business
• Provide additional support and guidance to assist the juveniles in securing viable employment opportunities
• Performing other duties as assigned within the scope of the position

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):

Knowledge of:

• Transition and reentry planning
• Health and Human Services
• Micro level community organization
• Components of Family dynamics
• Diagnostics and assessment terminology
• Components of a home assessment
• Case planning and case management processes
• Adolescent development
• Educational and vocational resources
• Employment resources
• AZ State Medicaid program, eligibility, enrollment and services
• Local, state and federal programs and resources
• Research methodologies and report preparation
• Best practices in community reentry
• Computer operations and programs including Google Suite and Microsoft Office

Skill in:

• Transition and reentry planning
• Interpersonal skills regarding interactions with difficult and complex families
• Conducting and evaluating family systems and therapeutic modalities
• Assessing juvenile and families’needs and providing appropriate referral for intervention
• Understanding family dynamics, communication and interaction patterns in families
• Crisis intervention, mediation and interpersonal dynamics
• Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships
• Multi-tasking, organization and time management
• Discharge and reintegration planning
• Coaching and Motivational Interviewing
• Research and connection to potential employment placements
• Collaborating with community providers and various educational establishments
• Establish linkages between academic coursework and post release educational or vocational options
• Being digitally literate
• Public speaking
• Professional report writing
• Collecting and maintaining accurate data/documentation and program records
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Areas of analysis, problem solving, formulation of alternatives and strategy development
• Development and maintaining positive working relationship with internal and external customers
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential
• Problemsolving
• Working independently with minimal supervision

Ability to:

• Travel frequently throughout the state of AZ, including overnight stays, as needed
• Manage a varied caseload by prioritizing and strategizing
• Manage time effectively
• Work well with others individually and in a group setting
• Work on a variety of assignments with minimal supervision
• Prioritize assignments with crisis situations taking precedence
• Recognize emergency or dangerous psychiatric emergencies and take appropriate interventions to ensure safety of juveniles and families
• Collaborate with human service, educational, vocational, and employment entities to enhance well-being and help meet basic and complex needs of juveniles and young adults
• Work in a secure care facility
• Work closely with adjudicated youth and their families

Selective Preference(s):

• The preferred candidate will possess: A Post-Secondary Degree in Social Services/Social Work OR; 60 hours of college credits and two (2) years of experience working with at risk youth in a social services arena
• Bilingual skills in Spanish/English preferred but not required

Pre-Employment Requirements:

Employment is contingent on the selected applicant passing a comprehensive background investigation, drug screening and pre-placement physical examination.

This position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function on the job. The following requirements apply. Any employee operating a motor vehicle on State business must possess and retain a current, valid class-appropriate driver’s license, complete all required training, and successfully pass all necessary driver’s license records checks. The license must be current, unexpired, and neither revoked or suspended. Employees who drive on state business are subject to driver’s license record checks, must maintain acceptable driving records, and must complete all driver training. An employee who operates a personally owned vehicle on state business shall maintain the statutorily required liability insurance (see Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R2-10-207.010).

Current State of Arizona employees: In order to be considered for this position, it requires acceptable performance history as demonstrated by not have been issued a letter of suspension or have been involuntarily demoted within one year preceding this job posting close date, and have an overall rating of “meets expectations” or higher on the most recent employee performance evaluation.

All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

Benefits:

• Affordable medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short-term disability plans
• Top-ranked retirement and long-term disability plans
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Vacation time accrued at 4.00 hours bi-weekly for the first 3 years
• Sick time accrued at 3.42 hours bi-weekly
• Deferred Compensation Program
• Wellness Plans

For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

Retirement:

This position participates in the Corrections Officer Retirement Plan (CORP).

CORP Tier 3 is a Defined Contribution, 401 (a) retirement plan. Employer matches contributions. Contributions are made on a pre-taxed basis. Employees can choose investments that suit their goals and risk tolerance. Employees are fully vested after 3 years of service.

Attention if you are a current Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) member with a minimum of five years you may request to remain in ASRS. Should you have any questions, please reach out to our Human Resources Office by calling 602.542.9268 or emailing [e-mail].

Contact Us:

The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Persons with a disability may request reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter or an alternative format by calling [phone]. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.