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Job Description
Position/Program Information
EXAM NUMBER: YD8299E-EA Applications will be open for filing on Monday, August 25th, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) to before 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).
The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness , and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.
The Department of Youth Development is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Youth Development Specialist vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.
At this time, the Department seeks Youth Development Specialists to provide program and project management for the following specific areas of work:
A) Youth Development Specialist (Coordination & Innovation): to facilitate strategic partnerships, community engagement, and analysis of opportunities to advance innovation, including facilitating Youth Development Learning Collaborative strategies and activities to increase shared knowledge of best practices in youth development among County staff, community providers, and the public; and
B) Youth Development Specialist (Youth Diversion): to facilitate planning, implementation and ongoing review of youth diversion programming between community providers and law enforcement agencies across the County, as well as supporting learning exchanges between and community providers to ensure sufficient and ongoing training and program maintenance opportunities; and
C) Youth Development Specialist (Reentry): to facilitate planning, implementation and ongoing capacity-building of youth development programming for justice-involved youth, especially those who are or were detained in the County’s juvenile hall, camps and Secure Youth Treatment Facilities.
Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.
Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%. Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Youth Development Specialist.
Definitions
Youth Development Learning Collaborative (YDLC) : A framework that includes a range of strategies focused on increasing shared knowledge of best practices in youth development for County staff, community providers, and the public. These strategies are managed by DYD’s YDLC team, who is responsible for designing evidence-informed YDLC strategies and materials to address gaps; managing collaborative planning processes and partnerships; facilitating learning activities; making adjustments based on feedback to improve the YDLC’s positive impact; and managing administrative processes including project budgets, training and consultant contracts, and updates to funders and stakeholders.
Diversion : Countywide program for youth referred by law enforcement for an alleged offense to community-based providers for an assessment and case management services.
Development : Countywide services that create equitable access to activities and services supporting health, social, vocational, cognitive and creative, leadership, and environmental competencies for all youth by addressing systemic disparities that limit a young person’s development.
Reentry: Countywide services through community partnerships for justice system-involved youth, especially for those who are or were detained in the County’s juvenile hall, camps and Secure Youth Treatment Facilities, with a focus on linking youth to culturally relevant Credible Messenger transformative mentorship and care.
Essential Job Functions- Coordinates and facilitates the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of youth development programs, policies, and projects focused on expanding equitable access to youth development resources in Los Angeles County.
- Conducts outreach, engagement, and storytelling to increase awareness of DYD programs and priorities and to uplift youth narratives and successes to a wide range of audiences, including County partners, youth, and communities.
- Provides relationship-based contract and project management to facilitate capacity-building, shared learning, and cooperation with relevant agencies, institutions, and CBOs
- Monitors, evaluates, and facilitates learning and capacity-building among service providers to ensure the program's consistency, flexibility, and overall effectiveness.
- Develops and maintains collaborative working relationships with various city, county, social, legal, court, and law enforcement entities, educational institutions, school officials, and staff to facilitate service delivery, information sharing, communication, and collaboration to advance a youth development framework.
- Composes, prepares, and processes a variety of correspondence, reports, data, forms, and other documents; establishes and oversees accurate and efficient program and case management records, including confidential and sensitive files subject to various legal requirements.
- Engages in reflection and analysis of gaps and opportunities, including receiving feedback from youth and families to inform active and ongoing improvement.
GENERAL COMPETENCIES and ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF JOB DUTIES:
For detailed information regarding Youth Development Specialist competencies and examples of additional job duties, please visit Youth Development Specialist | Class Spec Details .
Requirements
SELECTION REQUIREMENT:
Two years of experience managing youth or young adult programs * at the level of Youth Development Ambassador** or similar position working with youth or young adults in community.
LICENSE:
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
PHYSICAL CLASS:
2 - Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:
*Managing Youth Programs can be described as:
A) directly overseeing and managing youth reentry or youth development programs within or through community-based organizations, public organizations, or other youth-serving agencies or
B) managing and conducting quantitative and/or qualitative research and evaluation to inform and develop or enhance programs and policies related to youth development or youth justice system involvement or
C) independently analyzing and making recommendations towards the solution of operational problems as it pertains to budget, fiscal, or contracted personnel for youth development, or youth reentry services.
**In the service of Los Angeles County, a Youth Development Ambassador assists in the coordination and collaborative project management of a wide range of youth development services, opportunities and support-from prevention and early intervention to engagement and support for youth and their families involved in the justice system-so that all youth in Los Angeles County have access to youth development.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:- Individuals with histories of contact with the justice system who can make a unique contribution to the responsiveness and effectiveness of services and policies focused on populations and communities most impacted by the justice system.
- Individuals with histories of personal exposure to the Child Welfare System.
- Individuals with histories of personal exposure to the negative elements and experiences as a result of residing within an underserved community.
- Individuals with histories of personal exposure to young people who have experienced homelessness.
Personal exposure can be any exposure which involves you, a same household family member, partner, child, etc.
Additional Information
EXAM CONTENT:
Before the end of your initial work assignment, the appointing department will evaluate your performance. Those who achieve a passing score on this evaluation will be considered for permanent appointment.
BACKGROUND PROCESS:
Appointment to this position is contingent upon successful clearance of all pre-employment screening and onboarding requirements. This position requires livescan clearance.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:
Applications must be filed online only. You MUST include a recent resume as part of your application submission. APPLICATIONS WITHOUT A RESUME ATTACHED WILL BE DEEMED INCOMPLETE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add hr@dyd.lacounty.gov , as well as noreply@governmentjobs.com , and info@governmentjobs.com to your email contact list and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.
You can opt out of emails from LACounty. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.
Plan to submit your online application on Monday, August 25th, 2025, before the 5:00 p.m. deadline, as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty , you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.
Computer and Internet Access at Public Libraries: For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.
Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI)
The Department of Youth Development recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Youth Development is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst races. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.
Department Contact Name: HR General
Department Contact Phone:
Department Contact Email: hr@dyd.lacounty.gov
Teletype Number: (800) 735-2929
For detailed information, please click here
Closing Date/Time: 8/25/2025 5:00 PM Pacific -
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Los Angeles County
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