Job Title: Behavior Specialist

10 Month Contract

Reports To: Special Education Coordinator

Supervisory Responsibilities: No

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mission

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School's mission is to empower young adults (18-20 year-olds) to develop skills and connect to opportunities by fostering an environment of love, support, and respect for their whole person. Students graduate high school and successfully transition to college and career as critically conscious leaders, committed to positive change for themselves and their communities.

Vision

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School provides an outstanding alternative education that activates the capacity of all students to learn, achieve and grow. YBPCS will be recognized as a model of authentic experiential learning, not only among programs serving out-of-school youth, but also among all high-achieving schools and youth programs in the country.

High expectations, a nurturing climate, personalized culture and rigorous real world learning experiences ensures that graduates are poised for life-long learning and career advancement. It is our vision that YouthBuild graduates will emerge as highly accomplished, self-sufficient, self –aware and socially conscious citizens. Graduates will be energized about their futures and build support networks for their personal, social and emotional health and well-being.

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School will maximize its capacity to engage each student’s passion, tap into his or her individual potential and provide him or her with real opportunities for personal and professional transformation.

Values

YBPCS’ values are deeply held and come from a love of humanity and a perspective that views each student as a community asset. The program's three core values - respect, excellence and perseverance – are reinforced through all aspects of the program.

Impact Statement

Young people in Philadelphia who are disconnected will build skills and access resources and opportunities to achieve economic stability and personal development, and become critically conscious leaders within their communities.

Job Summary:

The Behavior Specialist assists the Special Education Program by providing expertise in the assessment of student behaviors and the development of behavior support plans to help students manage their unproductive behaviors. She also consults with other School staff on understanding why students behave the way they do and developing behavior-change strategies for staff to use.

Responsibilities and Duties:

The Behavior Specialist is required to perform the following responsibilities:

• Conduct functional behavioral assessments and develop behavior support plan which includes the following:

               Observe students and identify their unproductive behaviors

               Meet with both students and staff to identify replacement behaviors for those unproductive behaviors

               Design and draft behavior support plans to address those unproductive behaviors

               Monitor the effectiveness of the plans and, if necessary, modify them.

• Work with students in coaching them on adopting more productive/replacement behaviors.
• Work with staff in helping them identify any triggers in their educational environment that may be inadvertently provoking students’ unproductive behaviors.
• Work with the Dean of Students to identify those students who are experiencing difficulties in managing their behaviors and, as a result, have been involved in a disciplinary process.
• Consult with the Student/Alumni Success staff to foster the behavioral success of alumni.
• Design and lead trainings for staff that enhance their awareness, knowledge and understanding of both the Why of student behaviors and methods to change unproductive student behaviors.
• Continue to develop your own professional skills through training and professional development offered both at the School and outside.
• Other duties as assigned by the Special Education Coordinator.

Qualifications:

Formal training at the Master-level in designing and implementing behavior-change plans.

Common Competencies

• Mission driven to work with YB’s student body
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office skills
• Intermediate to advanced Google Suite skills
• Commitment to social justice
• Demonstrated values that align to restorative practices
• Willingness to prioritize data collection, analysis, and sharing
• Willingness to reflect on impact data and incorporate that information into routine decision-making

Clearance Requirements

• FBI - Criminal History Report 
• PATCH - Pennsylvania Police Department - Criminal Background Check (and/or applicable based on State of residency)
• PA Child Abuse History Clearance
• TB Test Results
• Act 24 - Arrest Conviction Form
• NSOPW - National Sex Offender Clearance

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, medical condition, veteran status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.