Regional Detention Administrator

Position Overview:

The Office of the Independent Juvenile Ombudsperson is seeking a motivated candidate to serve as the Regional Detention Administrator for the Cook County region. The ideal candidate for this role will possess previous experience with serving as an advocate for youth in detention by building trust addressing concerns and promoting systemic improvements that support the rights well-being and dignity of justice-involved this position the incumbent will investigate complaints or concerns raised by youth conduct regular site visits to regional detention centers to assess facility conditions and interview youth regarding their experiences and advocate for policy and practice reforms by providing informed recommendations to state and county leaders. If this sounds like an opportunity that would fit into your career path then click the apply button to get started. We encourage all interested and qualified individuals to apply!

Essential Functions:

• Serve as a dedicated advocate for youth in detention by building trust addressing concerns and promoting systemic improvements that support the rights well-being and dignity of justice-involved youth.
• Monitor and support compliance with established standards in county-operated juvenile detention centers through direct observation collaboration and technical assistance to ensure safe lawful and youth-centered detention practices.
• Develop and deliver clear accurate and timely reports that document detention center conditions youth concerns and policy recommendations ensuring transparency and accountability across all levels of oversight.
• Advise on juvenile justice policy by developing recommendations coordinating stakeholder communication and leading research efforts to inform best practices and improve detention standards across regional facilities.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Requires a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university.
• Requires four (4) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in areas such as juvenile/criminal justice child welfare investigations or civil rights advocacy as evidenced by verifiable experience in the field or by academic background.

Preferred Qualifications (In Order of Significance):

• Prefers two (2) or more years of direct service experience working with adolescents and young adults in or around the juvenile/criminal justice system.
• Prefers two (2) or more years of experience working collaboratively in or around Illinois government stakeholders (ie. municipal local/county state).
• Prefers completion training in restorative justice philosophy and peace-keeping circle practice.

Conditions of Employment:

• Required to pass an IDJJ/IDOC background screening.
• Required to pass an IDJJ/IDOC drug screening.
• Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties with overnight stays asappropriate.
• Requires ability to attend seminars conferences and trainings to stay current onmethods tools ideologies or other industry related topics relevant to the job duties.
• This position has been found to meet the requirements in section 4A-101 of theIllinois Governmental Ethics Act requiring the occupant/employee to file aStatement of Economic Interest. The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (5 ILCS420/4A et seq.) requires certain state officials and employees to file annualStatements of Economic Interest with the Office of the Secretary of State that willbe made available for examination and copying by the public. All employeesrequired to file a Statement of Economic Interest are also required to file theSupplemental Statement of Economic Interest with the Executive Ethics Commission. (See Executive Order 15-09) Fines and penalties apply to untimely filings.

The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the jobduties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency:

The Office of the Independent Juvenile Ombudsperson (OIJO) is an independent office co-aligned with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) created by statute in 2014. That statute now Public Act 103-037 was amended in 2023 to include both youth committed to IDJJandcounty operated juvenile detention centers. The role of the OIJO is to ensure that the rights of youth committed to Illinois carceral spaces are fully observed and to assist in pursuing services for committed youth and their families determined to need assistance. The Ombudsperson reports directly to the Governor Office of the Lieutenant Governor and members of the General Assembly. Beginning January 1 2025 the OIJO will be submitting reports toChief Judges (of applicable counties) and the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC).