Youth Development Specialist

Full Time

Albany, NY, US

Salary Range: $21.00 To $24.48 Hourly

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Title: Youth Development Specialist

Location: Albany, NY

Program : Prevention - Stronger Together

Type: Non-Exempt (hourly)

Pay Range: $21-24.48

Schedule : Monday - Friday; 9am-5pm w/flexibility as needed

Notes : In Office and Remote - flexibility required; Valid NYS Driver’s License and personal vehicle is required

Job Ref. # : 0111

Our Mission

St. Catherine's Center for Children provides a comprehensive range of human services designed to offer hope, foster growth, and improve the lives of the children, families and adults we serve.

Our Vision

St. Catherine’s willingness to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support the human service needs of children, families, and adults throughout the region.

Position Overview

The Youth Development Specialist works with the Prevention Program Social Worker, Case Planner(s), and Family Advocate, to provide services to families within Albany County. The Youth Development Specialist will work with all targeted youth to provide concrete support and skill building, to strengthen age-appropriate life skills and support their educational/vocational and recreational interests. The Youth Development Specialist works with their team on each case to determine the needs of the targeted child in regard to community resources, after school programming, and enrichment activities.

Position Requirements & Specifications

• Schedule & Education: Monday-Friday, 9am–5pm, with flexibility as needed. Associate’s degree in human services or education required; Bachelor’s preferred.

• Experience: Experience working with multi-issue families, and helping them to address their goals.

• Skills: Excellent written, organizational, and interpersonal skills.

• Community Savvy: Knowledge of community resources, including school districts, law enforcement, local churches, recreational sites, and clubs.

• Travel: Local travel is required; A Clean & Valid New York State Driver’s License (actively licensed at least one year) and reliable vehicle for transporting clients to community resources, meetings, etc. (Required)

• Composure: Competence to remain composed and in control, especially under crisis conditions.

• Empathy: Ability to nurture and show compassion and understanding for clients/children in crisis.

• Professionalism: Qualities of positivity, flexibility, and adaptability to day-to-day changes with client needs and functioning, alongside a professional record of integrity, reliability, and dependability.

• Tech Literacy: Proficiency in computer applications (Microsoft Office Suite, Google Business Workspace) and use of secure Internet practices.

• Work Ethic: Self-motivated and engaged, with strong attention to detail.

• Cultural Humility: Capacity and openness to work with populations from culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, including a broad range of people with various developmental and functional levels.

• Judgment & Confidentiality: Capable of exercising ethical, independent judgment and discretion, and handling sensitive data with strict confidentiality.

*Staff in driving positions must be able to meet the agency’s minimum requirements of our insurance policy for authorized drivers; including, but not limited to the minimum age of 21 at time of hire, and the ability to maintain insurability throughout employment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities include:

• Accept all referrals from Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families Prevention intake department for the prevention program; Attend intakes within 24 hours of receiving referral.

• Attend home visits with the families in order to assess the needs of the children for essential community linkages.

• Make the linkages for youth to the community activities that align with their goals and interests.

• Ensure that all children on caseload have a primary care doctor, dentist; school aged children are enrolled in, and attending school or an educational alternative.

• Coordinate services by attending service plan reviews and other meetings, and via phone contacts.

• Coordinate with the families and the Primary Clinician/Case Planners around the child(ren)’s needs and progress.

• Transporting families or children to and from appointments (e.g., counseling sessions, Parent Skills Training, supervised visits).

• Administer the NYS Child Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment to help identify targeted areas of need.

• Complete progress notes and contributions to the Family Assessment and Service Plans within the NYS OCFS Connections system, in a timely and efficient manner.

• Complete additional paperwork as needed for the program.

• Advocate for the program and our clients with other agencies in the community.

• Work as a team with the Primary Clinician/Case Planner/Family Advocate, and the Program Supervisor, who will team lead for all prevention cases.

What We Offer You**

• Competitive Pay with an Excellent Benefits Package

• Health Insurance options: Medical, Dental and Vision

• $600 Well-being Reimbursement Benefit

• Generous Combined Leave Time (CLT) and Paid Holidays!

• We are a 501(c) (3) agency, which is a qualifying employer for eligible staff under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

• Pension Plan with Generous Agency Contribution

• 403b Retirement Savings Plan

• Life Insurance – Automatic Benefit at no cost to employee

• Paid Training, including TCI and CPR/AED/First Aid Certification & Update courses, if role appropriate

• Tuition Reimbursement & Travel/ Mileage Reimbursement

• Professional Development & Career Growth Opportunities

• The Comfort of a Business Casual Environment

• Our Commitment to Embrace & Foster Mindfulness, Relevance, Respect and Solidarity.

**To qualify, certain conditions may apply

About Us

St. Catherine’s Center for Children is a non-profit organization located in the Greater Capital Region of New York. We offer a wide array of human services designed to meet the needs of vulnerable children, families and adults, including residential and therapeutic foster care programs for children and youth, Kinship support, homeless and community-based services for adults and families, a special education elementary school for ages 5-13, and so much more.

St. Catherine’s is committed to cultivating a culture where all employees feel safe to bring their authentic and best selves to the workplace. We are invested in fostering an equitable, inclusive and diversified workplace; collaboratively embracing mindfulness, relevance, respect and solidarity.

If you would like to learn more about our agency or one of our many programs, please visit our website at:

EEO Statement

St. Catherine’s Center for Children is committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, reproductive health and pregnancy, family history and genetics, disability, age, military status, veteran status, politics, or other beliefs, and any other characteristics protected by law.