New job STAFF DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST I in Illinois

Position Overview

Under general supervision of the Professional Development and Training Manager, participates in the development and presentation of orientation and in-service training programs for Department of Juvenile Justice employees regarding all applicable training curriculums. Prepares trainings aids, researches and evaluates current training programs and staff training needs. Participates in professional development opportunities. Maintains attendance records and informs supervisor of training needs. Travels in the performance of duties.

Job Responsibilities

• Participates in the development and presentation of facility orientation and in-service training programs for Department of Juvenile Justice employees regarding all applicable training curriculums in accordance with the Office of Professional Development and Training (OPDT)
• Prepares training aids and written materials for instructional programs and assists in the applications and usages of audio and visual training aids
• Travels to participates in professional development through OPDT, travels to instruct, present, and observe at other Juvenile Justice training sites and facilities.
• Schedules employees for facility trainings and tracks staff needing DOC/outside training.
• Attends department head meetings and gathers information on staff training needs and report to OPDT
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college.
• Academic coursework should include quantitative measures (introductory statistics or business mathematics or social science analytical tools), educational methods, psychology of individuals, organizational or group behavior, labor relations or equivalent.
• Requires two (2) years of professional experience in education or a related field.

Specialized Skills

• Requires four (4) years of experience working in a State of Illinois Correctional Center or Juvenile Justice Center.
• Requires one (1) year of training/teaching experience.
• Requires working knowledge of Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice Administrative Directives.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Requires working knowledge of labor relations, employee development and training theories, methods and techniques as are current.
• Requires working knowledge of the organizations and responsibilities of state and local governments.
• Requires ability to effectively present written and pictorial instructional information before employee groups of diverse social/economic/educational background.
• Requires ability to operate audio/visual equipment.
• Requires ability to evaluate the effectiveness of training programs by pre-post tests or by usage of other methods.
• Requires ability to articulate subjects with word usages that have meaning and to translate specialist/technical terms to understandable terms.
• Requires ability to use templates, lettering guides and other mechanical aids in preparation of instructional materials.
• Requires ability to write with meaning and clarity in presenting facts, figures, symbols, ideas, theories, concepts, analogies in a manner that achieves comprehension.
• Requires working knowledge of grammatical construction and exactness.

Conditions of employment

• Requires a valid, appropriate, driver's license and ability to travel statewide.
• Ability to pass the IDOC/IDJJ background check.
• Ability to pass a drug screen. On January 1, 2020, the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act made it legal for residents over the age of 21 to produce, consume and sell cannabis in Illinois. Please note that although the law has changed, the Department will continue to enforce the Department’s zero tolerance Drug Testing policy. The use of unauthorized drugs, including cannabis, by an employee, regardless of the position held is prohibited.

About the Agency

The mission of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is to build youth skills and strengthen families by promoting community safety and positive youth outcomes. Over 900 staff members from across various departments—security, programming, education, mental health, and more—collaborate with the understanding that youth are physically, emotionally, and cognitively different from adults. The department provides extensive services to young people through a developmental, treatment-focused model of care that builds youth resiliency, engages families, and promotes community safety at the five youth facilities it operates across the state. IDJJ serves and houses approximately 150 youth and is responsible for approximately 500 youth on Aftercare in various Illinois’ communities.