Youth Program Education Assistant

The Department of Public Safety\’s mission is to safeguard and preserve the lives and property of the people of North Carolina through preparation, prevention, and protection with integrity and honor. Our agency houses many public safety divisions, including Emergency Management, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Alcohol Law Enforcement, Samarcand Training Academy, and the North Carolina National Guard. Join us along with our more than 3,000 employees and 12,000 National Guard members in providing exceptional public safety services to the citizens of North Carolina.

Description of Work

We are looking for candidates who have a passion for helping 16–18-year-old at risk youth. Unleash your potential and make an impact! This is a Statewide continuous posting and may or may not reflect current vacancies. The Tarheel Challenge Academy (TCA), Youth Program Education Assistant (Assistant Team Leader) positions are located in two locations: Salemburg, Sampson County and New London, Stanly County. These positions work collaboratively to ensure continuous and adequate supervision, accountability, control, training, safety and well-being of cadets 24 hours/day, 7 days/week while cadets are in the residential phase of the program.

Job Responsibilities

• Functions as mentors, advisors, counselors and teachers, while communicating the program standards and expectations to the cadets.
• Identify factors that could lead to inappropriate behaviors and make immediate corrections.
• Serve as first line supervisors responsible for all aspects of academy life, including conducting inspections of cadets and their living quarters, physical fitness, basic first aid, transporting and supervising cadets when participating in off‑site TCA activities such as community service projects, job and college fairs, SAT testing and off‑site training.
• Responsible for documenting occurrences during shift and briefing following shifts, concerning any problems or issues.
• Initiate counseling statements/incident reports as needed to document inappropriate behavior.
• Required to perform physical fitness tasks (Marching, Running, Push‑ups, Sit‑ups, Calisthenics and Prolong standing).

Schedule

Individuals work approximately sixteen days a month and off fourteen days. Additionally, they work holidays and weekends unless the academy is closed. Shifts include the following:

• 1st Shift: 6 am to 7 pm (1 hour lunch/break)
• 2nd Shift: 10 am to 11 pm (1 hour lunch/break)
• 3rd Shift: 6 pm to 7 am (1 hour lunch/break)

Cadres working the weekend are off Wednesday–Friday; cadets off on the weekend work Wednesday–Friday. All cadres work 4 hours on Monday; cadres are off every other weekend; cadres are off every other Wednesday–Friday.

An example of a typical YPEA I (Cadre) 40‑hour per week is as follows:

• Monday (all cadres) – 4 hours
• Tuesday (select) – 13 hours (1 hour for lunch/break)
• Wednesday–Friday – Off
• Saturday to Sunday – 26 hours (1 hour per day for lunch/break)

Alternate schedule example:

• Monday (all cadres) – 4 hours
• Tuesday (select) – Off
• Wednesday to Friday – Three 13‑hour days – 39 hours (1 hour per day for lunch/break)
• Saturday to Saturday – Off

This is a full‑time position (40 hours per week) with State Benefits, including paid vacation, paid sick leave, paid holidays, retirement, and health insurance.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities / Management Preferences

Recruitment Range – $36,159.00 – $54,237.00.

DPS uses the Merit‑Based Recruitment and Selection Plan to fill positions subject to the State Human Resources Act with the most qualified individuals.

The Minimum Education and Experience (E&E) is REQUIRED to qualify for this position. Management Preferences, including Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs), are not required but may be used to determine the pool of most qualified applicants. Managers may also choose to interview/select applicants who demonstrate Management Preferences.

All work history and education (including accurate dates of employment/attendance) must be documented on the application. Work experience may include internships, volunteerism, and full and part‑time work. A complete, all‑inclusive application maximizes an applicant’s potential to qualify for the position, as well as receive the highest possible salary if selected for the position. Salary will be based on relevant qualifications, internal equity, and budgetary considerations for the advertised position.

Click here for more information and application resources.