Associate Youth Ombudsperson

Position SummaryThe Office of the Ombudsperson Associate Ombudsperson shall serve under the direction of the Ombudsperson. We are looking for someone who is compassionate, inquisitive, and fair-minded with a demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality.The City seeks a candidate who is energized by the importance of the work and the opportunity to leverage resources and relationships in furtherance of protecting vulnerable youth.  The position will collaborate with youth groups, law enforcement, community members, investigators, data scientists and other stakeholders in an environment where objectivity and diligence are critical to credibility and overall effectiveness.Essential FunctionsEngaging & EducatingAssist with monitoring and responding to queries and complaints that come through the OYO’s email account, website complaint form, phone number/hotline, walk-ins, etc.Visiting and inspecting sites to evaluate service quality and youth wellbeing.Developing and delivering informative materials and educational programs for youth in residential placements, family members, advocates, and other stakeholders.Developing and maintaining an independent avenue to receive complaints and grievances.Conducting or leading interviews of facility personnel, City employees, youth, and others.Supporting best practices research and secondary research, theory, and practice relevant to youth residential placements.Monitoring & Data CollectionAnalyzing short and long-term data to identify issues that may be affecting quality of service and may require corrective action.Monitoring and evaluating City agency action in response to complaints, grievances, or incidents.Receiving, documenting, and resolving complaints using a variety of conflict resolution strategies.Monitoring system performance, analyzing data and preparing written reports.Conducting administrative investigations and evaluation of services.Communicating ResultsAssist with drafting written reports and recommendations to City agencies and officials to address complaints, adjust policy or procedure and otherwise improve the residential placement process.Assist with annual reporting on the work of the OYO.Assist with publishing data and informational resources to guide youth, family members and policymakers.Conduct community outreach and appearing in public forums to present the OYO’s work and encourage community and stakeholder engagement.Assist with the creation and dissemination of fliers, brochures, and other written materials needed to promote the OYO.Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, and AbilitiesInvestigatory and Analytical Skills:Monitoring and evaluating City agency action in response to complaints, grievances, or incidents.Receiving, documenting, and resolving complaints using a variety of conflict resolution strategies.Monitoring system performance, analyzing data and preparing written reports.Conducting administrative investigations and evaluation of services.Identifying and analyzing complex issues of fact and policy.The objectives, styles, and methods of various types of investigations and reviews.Investigative and interviewing methods and techniques.Quantitative and qualitative statistical analysis.Common office software, such as Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.Interpersonal Skills and Core and Cultural Competencies:The scope, applicability and operational practice of the juvenile justice, child welfare and behavioral health systems in the City of Philadelphia.The various agencies and stakeholders with distinct roles in the juvenile justice, child welfare and behavioral health placement processes, including at the city, state, and national level.Diverse communities and families.Be a strong, visionary, and decisive leader.Promote and embrace best practices, collaboration, innovation, and transparency.Proven ability to lead an organization through a strategic planning and implementation process.Be politically astute and able to build trust, complemented by superior interpersonal and communication skills to act as an advocate to initiate discussions and gain support from stakeholders.Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully, very outcome focused, steadfastly pushes self and others for results.Decisive, able to process facts and circumstances and make quick decisions.Relates well to all kinds of people, uses diplomacy and tact, builds constructive relationships.Can orchestrate multiple activities at once, uses resources effectively and efficiently.Can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the good of all, is a team player and is cooperative, encourages collaboration.Accurately scopes out length and difficulty of tasks to simultaneously advance both short-term and long-term projects.Sets objectives and goals, measures performance against goals, evaluates results.Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems, probes all fruitful sources for answers, can see hidden problems, is excellent at honest analysis.Significant discretion and care in handling confidential and sensitive information.Strong cultural competency and commitment to racial equity and social justice.