PROBATION/PAROLE DISTRICT DIRECTOR - 70358

Executive Service

For more information, visit the link below:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/correction/documents/PositionDirCommSpvnEBI.pdf

Background Check:

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Who we are and what we do:

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is to operate safe and secure facilities and provide effective Community Supervision in support of successful reentry. The department manages and operates or oversees 14 state prisons housing approximately 20,000 offenders. In addition, the department supervises approximately 75,000 offenders on probation, parole, or community correction and operates eight Day Reporting/Community Resource Centers across the state. The department is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA).

How you make a difference in this role:

The Director of Community Supervision Evidence-Based Initiatives is assigned to Central Office and will oversee the development of new pilot programs, initiatives, and special projects based upon research and best practices in the field of Community Supervision. Additionally, this position will ensure Community Supervision policies and practices evolve to promote safety, rehabilitation, and efficiency for Community Supervision staff and offenders.

Key Responsibilities:

Research:

1. Conduct independent research and remain current on Community Supervision best practices, policies, initiatives, innovative ideas, and other areas that promote staff engagement and offender success.
2. Understand and relate to the top 8 criminogenic factors to successful offender supervision.

Leadership:

1. Provide strategic direction and leadership, ensuring programs are implemented with fidelity and that staff understand, practice, and demonstrate the goals and objectives of evidence-based supervision.

Statewide Oversight:

1. Ensure consistency and effectiveness by guiding local field offices with policy implementation and ensuring best practices are applied uniformly with a pro-social positive approach.

Innovation and Evaluation:

1. Analyze programs and initiatives, including reviewing data, staff/offender feedback, and other key metrics to assess the overall effectiveness, ultimately assisting with implementing new policies and practices.

Compliance and Oversight:

1. Maintain statewide oversight of personnel actions, including employment, promotions, demotions, transfers, retention, and performance evaluations, in accordance with policy and statutory guidelines.
2. Educate staff, as appropriate, in effective correctional practices to bring about offender behavior change.

Collaboration and Communication:

1. Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including probation and parole officers (PPOs), community treatment providers, community organizations, and other government agencies, to help shape practical, sustainable, and adaptable policies.
2. Also, demonstrate strong communication skills to keep staff engaged, motivated, informed, and aligned with statewide policies and objectives.

Training & Development:

1. Coordinate education and professional development to equip staff with the knowledge regarding the latest best practices in Community Supervision.
2. Ensure training is provided to aid staff in understanding and implementing evidence-based methods effectively.
3. Data Management and Reporting: Collect and compile data as required to report metrics related to the overall effectiveness of evidence-based supervision programs and new initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and experience equivalent to five years of full-time professional-level work in one or more of the following: probation/parole, counseling, social work, criminal investigations, or law, of which three years must be at a lead or supervisory level in probation/parole work.

Substitution of Education for Experience:

Graduate coursework credit received from an accredited college or university in social science, behavioral science, criminal justice, criminology, social work, and/or law may substitute for the required experience to a maximum of two years (e.g., 36 graduate quarter hours in one or a combination of the above-listed fields may substitute for one year of the required experience), or a combination of the above-listed fields may substitute for one year of the required experience.

1. All applicants must be U.S. Citizens, 21 years of age, and possess a valid Tennessee driver's license at the time of hire.
2. Applicants must successfully pass a structured interview and a background investigation.
3. Candidates must also participate in pre-employment, random, and all other drug and substance abuse testing as departmental policies and procedures require.
4. Have a good moral character, as determined by investigation.
5. Complete a criminal history disclosure form in a manner approved by the appointing authority.
6. Agree to release all records involving their criminal history to the appointing authority.
7. Supply a fingerprint sample in a manner prescribed by the TBI for a fingerprint-based criminal history records check.
8. Have no conviction for a felony or have been discharged under any other than honorable conditions from any branch of the United States armed forces.
9. Possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license at the time of appointment in some positions.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.