JPD - Chief Juvenile Probation Officer

Chief Juvenile Probation Officer

The Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department (Juvenile Probation) is one of the largest juvenile probation departments in the country, overseeing an active caseload of approximately 2,000 youth including approximately 1,000 on pretrial supervision and a staff of approximately 330. The department administers a wide range of services and programs including probation supervision, pretrial and pre-sentence services, electronic monitoring, shelter care, and community-based programming. Under the direction of the Director of Juvenile Services, the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer (Chief) is the chief executive of Juvenile Probation and bears full operational and strategic responsibility for the department. The Chief is accountable for the outcomes of youth on the department's caseload, the professional development of staff, and the department's compliance with applicable law, standards, and court orders. The Chief is not only a department administrator this is a reform leader. Juvenile Probation has been the subject of significant external review, and is expected to implement broader best-practice reforms in supervision practice, diversion, community engagement, and youth- and family-centered service delivery. The Chief must be equally capable of managing a high-volume, complex department and driving sustained practice and culture change within it.

Principal duties and responsibilities include:

• Directing all aspects of Juvenile Probation operations, including supervision, pretrial services, pre-sentence investigations, electronic monitoring, shelter care, community-based programming, use of assessment tools, fiscal management, human resources, and administrative functions, ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery across all units.
• Ensuring the department operates in full compliance with all applicable statutes, court orders, judicial directives, state regulations, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) standards, and nationally recognized best practices in juvenile probation and court services.
• Establishing and maintaining effective systems for records management, data integrity, and reporting; providing accurate, timely reports on youth outcomes, caseload data, program participation, and other required metrics to the Director of Juvenile Services and court leadership.
• Managing contracts with vendors and service providers in communication with the Director of Procurement and JTDC Superintendent (when appropriate); monitoring contract performance; and ensuring service delivery quality meets departmental standards and youth needs.
• Leading implementation of best practices and other applicable reform directives; developing implementation plans with clear milestones, accountability mechanisms, and progress metrics; and reporting regularly to the Director of Juvenile Services on reform status.
• Embedding nationally recognized best practices into all aspects of probation practice, including risk-needs-responsivity (RNR) principles, validated assessment tools, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed supervision, and positive youth development frameworks.
• Driving culture and practice change within Juvenile Probation to shift toward a youth- and family-centered model that prioritizes diversion, community-based alternatives to supervision, and the least restrictive interventions consistent with community safety.
• Developing and implementing data-driven strategies for the prevention of delinquency, reduction of recidivism, and promotion of youth success in school, family, and community grounded in current research and evidence-based practice.
• Ensuring that services for youth and families are culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate, and individualized to the assessed needs and strengths of each young person; establishing mechanisms for youth and family voice in case planning and departmental programming.
• Planning and developing service programs designed to protect the community, prevent delinquency, reduce recidivism, keep youth connected to school and family, and build competency and resilience in justice-involved youth.
• Ensuring robust reentry and aftercare planning for youth transitioning from detention or residential placement back to the community; collaborating with JTDC leadership, community providers, schools, and families to ensure continuity of support.
• Developing and maintaining strong diversion pathways and community-based alternatives to formal supervision, including partnerships with community organizations, restorative justice programs, and family support services.
• Leading a large, complex workforce across multiple units and locations; establishing clear performance expectations; conducting or overseeing formal evaluations; and ensuring timely corrective action when standards are not met.
• Directing recruitment, selection, onboarding, and retention of qualified probation officers and support staff; building a workforce that reflects the communities served and is committed to the department's reform mission.
• Developing and implementing a comprehensive staff training and professional development program that builds competency in evidence-based supervision practice, trauma-informed approaches, cultural responsiveness, motivational interviewing, and professional ethics; ensuring training is ongoing and tied to performance expectations.
• Promoting a workplace culture of professionalism, accountability, and genuine commitment to youth well-being and community safety; addressing staff misconduct promptly and consistently; and modeling the values and behaviors expected of all staff.
• Developing and implementing data-driven goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and work standards for the department; reviewing and updating policies regularly to reflect evolving law, standards, and reform commitments.
• Establishing and maintaining a performance management framework for Juvenile Probation, including key metrics for supervision quality, youth outcomes, diversion rates, recidivism, compliance, and staff performance; using data to drive continuous quality improvement.
• Monitoring department performance against established benchmarks; identifying deficiencies; developing and implementing corrective action plans; and reporting performance data and improvement progress to the Director of Juvenile Services.
• Preparing and administering Juvenile Probation's annual budget, subject to the approval of the Director of Juvenile Services; ensuring expenditures are aligned with mission, strategic priorities, and fiscal accountability standards.
• Identifying resource needs and gaps; developing proposals for addressing them; and ensuring effective utilization of available resources, including state and federal funding streams, to sustain and expand quality services.
• Working collaboratively with the Superintendent of the JTDC and JTDC leadership to ensure coordinated, seamless services for youth across the detention-to-community continuum; participating in joint planning, shared programming, and cross-system initiatives.
• Working collaboratively with, and promptly responding to concerns raised by, the Presiding Judges of the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Divisions; escalating issues requiring Director-level attention.
• Promoting acceptance of departmental goals and objectives through active collaboration with juvenile judges, JTDC leadership, and community-based partners; representing the department in relevant convenings and forums with dignity, integrity, and a spirit of cooperation.
• Maintaining strong working relationships with Illinois Redeploy, Illinois deferred prosecution programs, Chicago Public Schools, and other key system partners; leading joint planning efforts to expand community-based alternatives and reduce reliance on detention and formal court involvement.
• Engaging youth, families, and community stakeholders as partners in the department's reform and improvement efforts; establishing accessible mechanisms for raising concerns and providing input.
• Identifying and in collaboration with the Director of Juvenile Services, acting upon proactive opportunities to enhance public transparency regarding JPD operations, programs, engagement of youth and families, and outcomes.
• Performing other duties as assigned by the Director of Juvenile Services consistent with the executive operational scope of this role.

The duties listed above are not set forth for the purpose of limiting the assignment of work. They are not to be construed as a complete list of the duties to be performed under the job title or those to be performed temporarily outside an employee's normal line of work.

Minimum qualifications are as follows:

• A master's degree in management, public administration, criminal justice, social services, or a related field, and at least five (5) years of experience in juvenile probation, court services, or a related field, at least three (3) of which are at a supervisory or administrative level, with at least two (2) of those years in juvenile probation or residential services. OR
• A bachelor's degree in criminal justice, social services, or a related field, and at least seven (7) years of experience in juvenile probation, court services, or a related field, with at least four (4) years at a supervisory or administrative level, including at least two (2) years in juvenile probation or residential services.
• United States Citizenship.
• Primary residence in the State of Illinois within 90 days of the date of appointment.
• Pass a pre-employment medical exam, drug screen, and background check, and professional references.
• A negative result from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services child abuse registry.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Demonstrated experience leading reform implementation in a juvenile probation, court services, or youth-serving system, including adoption of evidence-based supervision practices, risk-needs-responsivity frameworks, or diversion-first models.
• Demonstrated experience with validated risk and needs assessment tools (e.g., YLS/CMI, ORAS-YV) and their integration into supervision practice and case planning.
• Certification or demonstrated training in motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, or restorative justice.