Juvenile Behavior Specialist

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced, confident, and highly engaged Juvenile Behavioral Specialist to work within a therapeutic residential program serving adolescent male youth with complex behavioral, emotional, social, and trauma-related needs.

This is not a traditional residential or facility management position. We are specifically seeking a professional who has demonstrated success working directly with high-acuity adolescents, particularly youth involved with the juvenile justice, probation, child welfare, behavioral health, or residential treatment systems.

The ideal candidate understands how to connect with young men who may have experienced significant trauma, placement instability, disrupted family relationships, community violence, juvenile justice involvement, school disruption, substance-use concerns, exploitation, aggression, AWOL/elopement behaviors, impulsivity, oppositional behaviors, or significant emotional and behavioral dysregulation.

This position requires someone who can establish structure without intimidation, accountability without unnecessary confrontation, and meaningful relationships without compromising professional boundaries.

The Role

The Juvenile Behavioral Specialist will provide hands-on behavioral leadership within the residential environment and serve as a consistent, stabilizing adult presence for youth.

The Specialist will work directly with youth throughout their daily routines, helping them regulate emotions, navigate conflict, develop problem-solving skills, understand consequences, strengthen interpersonal skills, and make safer behavioral choices.

This individual must be comfortable working with youth during both successful moments and periods of significant behavioral escalation. The successful candidate knows how to enter a tense situation calmly, assess what is occurring, communicate effectively with the youth, support staff, and help bring the environment back to stability.

The position requires active participation in the program. We are looking for someone who is comfortable being present with youth—not simply supervising from an office.

Primary Responsibilities

The Juvenile Behavioral Specialist will:

• Develop appropriate, professional, and consistent relationships with adolescent male youth.
• Provide behavioral coaching, mentoring, redirection, and crisis-prevention support.
• Identify behavioral triggers, escalation patterns, safety concerns, and opportunities for early intervention.
• Utilize trauma-informed approaches to support youth experiencing emotional or behavioral dysregulation.
• Provide effective verbal de-escalation and assist in preventing behavioral situations from progressing into crises.
• Reinforce individualized behavioral expectations, treatment objectives, safety plans, and program structure.
• Assist youth with developing emotional regulation, conflict-resolution, communication, decision-making, and independent-living skills.
• Maintain appropriate boundaries while establishing credibility and rapport with youth.
• Support staff during behavioral incidents and model effective engagement and intervention techniques.
• Participate in crisis response and approved emergency interventions when necessary and consistent with training and program policy.
• Provide increased supervision and behavioral support for youth presenting with elevated safety or behavioral concerns.
• Support youth during school preparation, appointments, community activities, recreation, transportation, meals, household responsibilities, and other components of daily residential life.
• Complete timely, objective, and professional documentation regarding significant behaviors, interventions, incidents, progress, and follow-up.
• Communicate behavioral observations and emerging concerns to residential and clinical leadership.
• Collaborate with the Administrator, clinical team, residential staff, social workers, probation officers, placing agencies, educational professionals, and other members of the youth's treatment team.
• Participate in staff meetings, treatment-team discussions, Child and Family Team Meetings when appropriate, training, incident reviews, and quality-improvement activities.
• Help maintain a residential environment characterized by safety, consistency, accountability, respect, and therapeutic engagement.

Who We Are Looking For

We are particularly interested in candidates who have successfully worked with adolescents who require a higher level of behavioral structure and supervision.

Relevant professional backgrounds may include juvenile justice, probation, juvenile detention or rehabilitation, STRTPs, behavioral health, residential treatment, crisis stabilization, community violence intervention, intensive youth mentoring, residential counseling, behavioral intervention, or other high-acuity youth programs.

The strongest candidate will understand that effective work with high-acuity youth requires more than simply enforcing rules.

You should know how to hold a firm boundary without creating an unnecessary power struggle. You should be capable of recognizing when aggression or defiance may be masking fear, trauma, frustration, or poor emotional regulation—while still maintaining appropriate expectations and accountability.

We are seeking someone who can be firm, fair, observant, composed, approachable, and consistent.

Preferred Qualifications

Previous experience working directly with high-acuity adolescent males is strongly preferred.

Candidates with experience working with probation-involved youth, justice-involved youth, youth with significant behavioral challenges, or adolescents within residential or institutional settings are strongly encouraged to apply.

Experience or training in trauma-informed care, crisis prevention, verbal de-escalation, behavioral intervention, motivational interviewing, restorative practices, conflict resolution, youth development, or similar approaches is highly desirable.

Candidates must meet all applicable education, experience, background-clearance, health-screening, training, and personnel requirements for their assigned position within a California STRTP.

A valid driver's license and acceptable driving record may be required for transportation-related responsibilities.

The Right Candidate

This role may be an excellent fit if you have spent meaningful time working with young people whom others may consider "difficult" or "challenging," and you understand that behavior is only one part of the young person standing in front of you.

You can walk into a tense environment without becoming part of the tension.

You know when to talk, when to listen, when to redirect, and when to give a young person appropriate space.

You understand that respect cannot simply be demanded—it is developed through consistency, integrity, accountability, and follow-through.

Most importantly, you believe young men with complicated histories can develop healthier behaviors, stronger judgment, greater accountability, and a different vision for their future when surrounded by adults who are prepared to consistently show up and do the work.

If you have the experience, presence, judgment, and commitment required to work successfully with high-acuity adolescent males, we encourage you to apply.

Open Arms Safe Haven Trauma Recovery Centers is a Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program serving boys, ages 10-17 + non-minor dependents.