Probation Counselor I

Salary : $60,894.29 - $106,565.06 Annually
Location : JUVENILE DETENTION CTR, 10650 PAGE AVE, FAIRFAX (FJ25), VA
Job Type: FT Hourly W BN
Job Number: 26-01288
Department: Juv & Domestic Relations Court
Opening Date: 08/22/2026
Closing Date: 9/4/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Pay Grade: S21
Posting Type: Open to General Public


Job Announcement


Responsible for direct care of a majority male resident population, providing security and controlling the Juvenile Detention Center. Including monitoring the residents living units, security desk and court holding during designated shift. Provides in-depth counseling to detainees on such diverse topics as substance abuse, crisis intervention, mental health and conflict resolution. Conducts group and individual sessions with detainees to help ease their adjustment anxieties. Utilizes physical crisis intervention as needed to bodily control disruptive or aggressive residents.


Supervises residents during unit activities, health, recreation and in the school program. Performs security checks, wake-up and bedtime procedures, showering and hygiene functions, and unit housekeeping. Writes behavioral observations and disciplinary reports. Provides orientation of residents to the program.


This position is considered "essential personnel" and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency situation (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster).

This advertisement may be used to fill multiple full-time Probation Counselor I vacancies.

Illustrative Duties
(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position description.)
Residential Services

Positions located in a residential facility supervise and direct house routines and therapeutic programs;

Ensures that residents maintain behavioral norms;


Maintains communication with a resident's probation counselor, school representative, employer, family, and significant others;

Coordinates and implements a residential program area (e.g., recreational, educational, or employment activities);

Coordinates and transports detainees between the courts, the residential detention facility or other various facilities;

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in social/behavioral sciences, law enforcement, or education.
CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

• Valid Driver's License (Required at the time of application)
• Medication Management (Required within 6 months)
• CPR/First Aid (Required within 30 days)
• Handle With Care (Required within 30 days)

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• This position is considered Emergency Service Personnel to ensure the continuity of essential operations, and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency situation (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster).
• The appointee to the position will be required to complete the following to the satisfaction of the employer:
  • Criminal Background Investigation
  • Child Protective Services
  • Driving Record Check
  • Pre-employment Medical Evaluation
  • Tuberculosis Test

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• Prior experience working in a secure facility or a residential setting for
  juveniles.
• Must be able to work in the day (7am-3pm), evenings (3pm-11pm), overnights, weekends, holidays, and during inclement weather and/or emergencies.
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Employees must be able to physically restrain acting out residents and is required to lift to 50 pounds.
• This position requires walking, standing for long periods of time, periodic running, visual and auditory acuity and the ability to operate keyboard-driven equipment and other electronic equipment.
• Ability to operate a motor vehicle.
• All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview and may include a practical exercise.
Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including ) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.


Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY View phone number on click.appcast.io. EEO/AA/TTY.

#LI-AL1

Requisition 26-01288
Merit Positions

Fairfax County is proud to offer employees an attractive and comprehensive benefits program, including the following:

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• LiveWell Program
• Flexible Spending Programs
• Paid Leave (annual, sick, parental, volunteer activity, and more!)
• Paid Holidays
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees' Child Care Center
• Continuous Learning Opportunities

Please click for a summary of our benefits.

NOTE: Fairfax County Government is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more information about the PSLF program:


For additional details please visit the
Non-Merit Positions

1. Non-Merit Benefit Eligible: scheduled to work a minimum 1,040 hours and no more than a maximum of 1,560 hours in a calendar year.
   • Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
   • Flexible Spending Program
   • Deferred Compensation
2. Temporary: scheduled to work a maximum of 900 hours in a calendar year.
   • No benefits

01


What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

• Less than 12th grade
• High school diploma or GED
• Some college
• Associate's degree
• Bachelor's degree
• Master's degree
• Doctorate degree

02


If you answered "Some college" for the highest level of education completed, please indicate the number of quarter or semester hours you have completed towards a degree.

• Less than 45 quarter hours
• 45 to less than 90 quarter hours
• 90 to less than 135 quarter hours
• 135 to less than 180 quarter hours
• 180 or more quarter hours
• Less than 30 semester hours
• 30 to less than 60 semester hours
• 60 to less than 90 semester hours
• 90 to less than 120 semester hours
• 120 or more semester hours
• Not applicable

03


(MAJORS MAIN) Please indicate your area(s) of study or major(s)/minor(s) towards a degree. Check all that apply.

• Criminal justice
• Social work
• Psychology
• Business administration
• Public administration
• Human services
• Law
• Political science
• Sociology
• Other (related field)
• Other (non-related field)
• Not applicable

04


If you answered "Other (related field)" or "Other (non-related field)" for the previous question, please list all of your majors and minors. If this question does not pertain to you, or you do not have a degree, enter "Not applicable".
05


Do you currently possess a valid driver's license?

• Yes
• No

06


How many years of full-time equivalent experience working in social/behavioral sciences, law enforcement or education do you possess?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four or more years

07


How many years of full-time equivalent direct care experience do you have working with juvenile offenders in a secure juvenile facility, or status offenders as part of Virginia's juvenile justice system?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four or more years

08


Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Word.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of creating, editing, formatting, and saving simple documents; inserting simple tables; and proofreading documents for accuracy)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of common commands such as creating a title; using, modifying, and creating styles; setting up the ruler; indenting paragraphs, using tabs and tables; inserting captions, footnotes, endnotes, special characters, or hard page breaks; using page numbering; creating headers and footers; inserting graphics; inserting an equation, adding comments and tracking changes.)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of almost all function of program including mail merge, macros, creating a table of contents, creating bookmarks and cross-referencing.)
• No experience

09


Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of creating a worksheet; performing calculations in a worksheet; modifying and formatting a worksheet; printing workbook contents)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of inserting and modifying graphic objects in a worksheet; customizing and enhancing workbooks; analyzing data using Pivot Tables, Slicers, and Pivot Charts)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of increasing productivity and improving efficiency by streamlining workflow; collaborating with others using workbooks; auditing worksheets; analyzing data; working with multiple workbooks; importing and exporting data, using Excel with the web)
• No experience

10


This position is considered essential personnel for purposes of continuity of operations. Essential personnel will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster). Are you willing and able to report to work during these situations?

• Yes
• No

11


This position is essential and is required to work rotating shifts throughout the week including days (7am-3pm), nights (3pm-11pm), overnights (11pm -7am), weekends, holidays, and inclement weather and/or emergencies. Are you able to meet these requirements?

• Yes
• No

12


This position requires physical intervention for acting-out youth. Are you able to physically restrain when it is necessary to maintain a safe and secure environment?

• Yes
• No

Required Question