The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of New York City’s children and families by providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and early care services. In child welfare, ACS contracts with private nonprofit organizations to support and stabilize families at risk of a crisis through preventive services and provides foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home. Each year, the agency’s Division of Child Protection responds to more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In juvenile justice, ACS manages and funds services including detention and placement, intensive community-based alternatives for youth, and support services for families. ACS is also a key part of NYCs early childhood and education continuum, providing childcare assistance to thousands of child welfare involved and low-income children so they can access safe, affordable, quality care.

Within the juvenile justice unit, ACS manages and funds services including detention and placement, intensive community-based alternatives for youth, and support services for families. The Division of Youth and Family Justice (DYFJ) is responsible for oversight and management of secure and non-secure detention services for juveniles awaiting disposition in family, criminal, and supreme courts. Are you passionate about improving educational opportunities and creating pathways to success for juvenile justice-involved youth. We are seeking an Assistant Commissioner to lead our educational services, with a focus on creating opportunities that empower young people in NYC. This is an opportunity to make a real impact on the lives of young people and shape the future of education and youth development initiatives in NYC. In collaboration with DYFJ leadership, the Assistant Commissioner will work to advance the strategic priorities of the division by leading the design, development, and implementation of high-quality, comprehensive educational services and programming for court-involved youth in secure, non-secure and close to home settings, as well as building public-private partnerships and increasing the capacity of community-based organizations to support this work.

The Assistant Commissioner of Education will oversee, guide, and develop the educational options available across the juvenile justice continuum. This position will have responsibility for managing and expanding public/private partnerships to improve educational opportunities. The Assistant Commissioner will work closely with the agency’s DOE partners to ensure that the educational and vocational needs of the students receiving DYFJ services are met and to align educational and vocational offerings across the Passages sites. This will include an assessment and the development of metrics of the educational needs of young people participating in Juvenile Justice Initiative (JJI), Family Assessment Program (FAP) and Mentoring and Advocacy Program (MAP), close to home and detention. The range of strategies to be considered will address literacy through college access and work readiness. Additional functions of the Assistant Commissioner of Education will include developing best practices for educational advocacy for young people throughout the DYFJ continuum; fostering relationships with college partners, work readiness programs, schools in the community providing transition options for youth in care; identification of supports for students with special education needs; and the creation of programming to support the academic growth of students. This position will collaborate with and provide general direction to the Executive Director of Education for Detention.

The selected candidate will be responsible for performing the following duties, but not limited to:
- Lead, manage and expand the development of educational services across the juvenile justice continuum of ACS, including young people and families involved in preventive services, non-secure and secure detention and close to home placements.
- Collaborate with the NYC Department of Education, community-based organizations, local colleges, mental health providers and workforce development organizations to create and support innovative strategies for education, workforce and youth development.
- Create new opportunities for students in the juvenile justice continuum to explore their interests and build skills for success.
- Partner with public and private agencies to create high quality educational and career and technology opportunities including preparation to enter the workforce and college.
- Explore and implement measures to support literacy, academic interventions for students with special needs, pathways for non-traditional students and meaningful transition to educational and workforce opportunities in the community.
- Develop standards and quality assurance measures and align with other student-serving organizations and agencies to ensure educational excellence and opportunities for workforce readiness.
- Coordinate with other correctional systems to build a continuum of educational services for students in ACS custody who transition into the custody of other City or State systems.
- Oversee educational service programming provided by NYC DOE for non-secure detention and Close to Home Bronx Hope and Belmont Schools.
- Create strategic alliances and collaborate with partners to develop and implement innovative strategies for education and youth development.
- Lead professional development initiatives of unit staff through supervision, coaching, and training grounded in the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Undertake other duties as assigned by the Associate Commissioner.

*Note, the candidate is expected to regularly work in a secure detention setting and must be willing to travel among sites and attend offsite meetings and events. Candidate must be available to work outside regular business hours, evenings, and weekends.

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, and four years of full-time teaching experience or of child care experience in an officially accredited child care institution in the area of educational and/or social programming, or counseling; and

2. A New York State Certificate as a School Administrator and Supervisor within 18 months of the date of appointment.

A master's degree in education or an appropriate related field from an accredited college may be substituted for two years of teaching experience or of childcare experience in an officially accredited childcare institution in the area of educational and/or social programming, or counseling.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.