Juvenile Counselor

Current employees: Please apply through the employee portal to be considered for this opportunity.

Pay Range:

$38.03 - $46.77 Hourly

Department:

Department of Community Justice (DCJ)

Job Type:

Regular Represented

Exemption Status:

United States of America (Non-Exempt)

Closing Date (Open Until Filled if No Date Specified):

November 01, 2026 The Opportunity:

Do you want to help shape the next chapter for justice-involved youth and help them build a foundation for success?

Are you an experienced case manager working with youth and families?

Do you believe that all youth are capable of turning their lives around?

If you answered yes to these questions, this job may be for you!

The Department of Community Justice Juvenile Services Division (JSD) is seeking committed and compassionate Juvenile Court Counselors (JCCs) to join our team! This recruitment may be used to fill both bilingual English/Spanish language required and non-bilingual positions.

Juvenile Court Counselors (JCCs) serve as essential navigators for at-risk youth and their families within the court system, operating under the legal framework of ORS 419A.012. JCCs perform comprehensive and complex case management, evaluation, and supervision for at-risk youth and their families, ensuring community safety, accountability, and skill development.

Central to their work is the Juvenile Services Division’s evidence-based case management model, which emphasizes an integrative and holistic approach. JCCs do not simply monitor behavior; they actively foster long-term change by tailoring strategies to a youth’s specific strengths, cultural background, and environmental needs. By building strong relationships with community partners and engaging families to provide proactive support, JCCs aim to balance accountability with the skill development necessary for a youth's successful transition out of the justice system.

The duties include but are not limited to:

• Assist youth and families through the pre- and post-adjudication process in the court system using best practices of intake, investigation and supervision.
• Provide probation supervision for low, medium, and high-risk youth, utilizing evidence-based strategies tailored to each youth’s issues, strengths, needs, culture, and environmental influences.
• Be responsible for youth on diversion and probation, ensuring strict compliance with a Judge’s court order.
• Monitor multiple dockets, conduct thorough evaluations and make critical recommendations regarding a youth’s placement during the court process.
• Assess and make recommendations to the court to address the youth's and family's needs, including for youth found within the jurisdiction or in violation of release or probation conditions.
• Provide evaluation, investigation, counseling, case planning, social services, and adjudication for juveniles and their families.
• Effective records management and documentation of all contacts with youth.
• Actively engage the family to provide proactive support and guidance during and after the termination of probation services.
• Utilize the Juvenile Services Division’s prescribed, evidence-based, integrative supervision and case management model.
• Maintain frequent direct contact through office, home, and community visits or other youth community events to implement specialized programs and foster long-term behavioral change.
• Transport youth when needed between detention locations, court or placements.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with community partners, including local law enforcement, to ensure a holistic approach to meeting the needs of juveniles and their families.

The Department of Community Justice is looking for experienced case managers who can demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:

• Knowledge of the juvenile justice system and court process.
• Knowledge of the symptoms of physical and mental disorders, substance abuse and adjustment problems of juvenile offenders.
• Knowledge of the theories, methods and techniques of social casework, counseling, motivational and strength-based interviewing, child psychology and adolescent development.
• Knowledge and experience working with youth and families from culturally diverse communities.
• Appreciation and understanding of family dynamics, gender issues, cultural diversity, gender non-conforming persons and individual differences.
• Familiarity with community resources available to support youth and their families.
• Exceptional collaboration, communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to build relationships with diverse clients and communities and interdisciplinary teams, including legal, law enforcement, and therapeutic partners.
• Highly self-reliant, extremely organized, skilled in time management, good at coordinating, prioritizing and distributing information.
• Ability to prepare well written reports to the Court.
• Extreme flexibility in terms of both work style and hours, and comfortable delivering services in client homes.
• Bilingual Spanish/English language proficiency (speak/read/write) for bilingual Spanish language required positions.
• Skilled in the areas of Multnomah County Core Competencies

ABOUT THE JUVENILE SERVICES DIVISION:

The Juvenile Services Division (JSD) ensures that the juvenile system will protect the public, provide fair and equitable accountability and deliver cost-effective, evidence-based services to system-involved youth and their families. JSD provides a continuum of juvenile services ranging from informal diversion, pre-adjudication support, formal probation, shelter care, electronic monitoring, mental health assessments and care coordination, outpatient and detention.

The Juvenile Services Division provides community supervision and diversion services for high-risk youth, and operates the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Facility. The Division is committed to reducing ethnic and racial disparities in juvenile justice, both increasing resources for at-risk youth and ceasing disparities in their treatment.

Come Find Your Why? (video)

WORKFORCE EQUITY

At Multnomah County we are committed to maintaining an effective, respectful and inclusive workplace. We value collaborative problem solving and strive for continuous improvement. We strongly believe in workforce equity, diversity and inclusion. Visit our Workforce Equity Strategies Plan (WESP) to see where Multnomah County is headed with these values.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY JUSTICE

Vision ~ Community Safety through Positive Change

More general information about the Department of Community Justice including our mission, vision, and strategies can be found at: www.multco.us/dcj.

Serving the Public, Even During Disasters

Everyday, Multnomah County staff work together to serve as a safety net for our communities. During a disaster, this safety net becomes even more critical. All County employees have a role in serving the public during inclement weather, natural disaster, or other types of community emergency response. During these emergency responses, while typically there begins with a call for volunteers, county employees may ultimately be reassigned from their current position to a role in the emergency response in order to support the critical needs presented by our communities. For more information, please visit the Disaster Service Worker Information page.

Internal candidates: After you have applied, you will receive an acknowledgement task and the Oregon Veteran Preference Questionnaire in your Workday inbox. Your application as an internal candidate is not complete until you complete and submit these tasks in Workday.

TO QUALIFY

We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying unless an item or section is labeled required. Please be clear and specific about how your background is relevant. For details about how we typically screen applications, review our overview of the selection process page.

Minimum Qualifications/Transferable Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree with major coursework in child psychology, social work, counseling, criminal justice or related field or equivalent years of related experience; AND
• Two (2) years of professional counseling and/or case management experience working with clients in a social service or rehabilitative setting which includes one (1) year of working with high risk and/or high need youth, clients and families; AND
• Valid driver’s license in good standing; AND
• Proficient in Bilingual Spanish/English language (for Bilingual Spanish/English language requirement positions only. Final candidate must successfully pass the proficiency assessment through our language testing vendor.); AND
• Must pass a thorough background investigation which includes, but is not limited to a review of applicant’s criminal, civil, driving, military, educational and employment history prior to employment.

Preferred Qualifications/Transferable

Skills

• You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills to qualify. However, keep in mind we may consider some or all of the following when identifying the most qualified candidates. Please clearly explain on your application how you meet any of the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills.*

• More than two (2) years of professional counseling and/or case management experience working with clients in social service or rehabilitative setting and includes one (1) year of working with justice involved and/or complex trauma youth, clients and families;

• Knowledge of the Juvenile Justice System

• Experience with Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS)

• Experience using evidence based practices such as Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Effective Practices In Community Supervision (EPICS) or related techniques

• Experience writing reports to convey information clearly, accurately and efficiently

• Ability to analyze information and provide appropriate recommendation

• Training and experience working with youth and families from culturally diverse communities

• Understand the stages of change (Prochaska and DiClemente) or related models

• Experience practicing trauma informed care and approach

• Strong organizational and time management skills

• Experience setting SMART goals or using related method

• Proficiency in using case management software, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite or other standard office software and equipment

• Transferable skills: Your transferable skills are any skills you have gained through education, work experience (including the military) or life experience that are relevant for this position. Be sure to describe any transferable skills on your application and clearly explain how they apply to this position.

• SCREENING AND EVALUATION

The Application Packet: Please be sure to provide all the required materials below in your application submission:

• Online application (required): Explain all related experience (paid or unpaid) and training in the education and work experience sections of the application.
• Attach a resume (required): Please indicate how you meet the required minimum qualifications. Attach the document to the on-line application. Be sure to explain in detail, including dates, all related work experience, paid or unpaid.
• Cover Letter (required): Please explain why you are interested in applying for this position and describe how you meet the minimum qualifications and any preferred qualifications of the position. In your description, please include your case management experience in a juvenile justice, social services or rehabilitative setting.

The Selection Process: For details about how we typically screen applications, review our overview of the selection process page. We expect to evaluate candidates for this recruitment as follows:

• Initial review of minimum qualifications
• Written exercise, reviewed and scored by a pane