Program Support Specialist Ii Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Position Description: Agency Mission & Purpose:
Roy Maas Youth Alternatives (RMYA) creates brighter futures for children in crisis by promoting individual success and healthy relationships in a safe, healing environment, giving children and families the tools to end the cycle of abuse. RMYA provides youth with basic living needs, including food, clothing, shelter, hygiene, education, vocation, transportation, recreation, and extracurricular needs. We provide treatment programs for traumatized youth who most often are victims of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse and who present behavioral and mental health needs. RMYA uses trauma-informed techniques and relationship-based approaches to create safe environments that provide consistency, structure, and care for the youth we serve.
Job Summary:
The Program Support Specialist (PSS) supports all residential programs by providing structured, hands-on training, and ongoing coaching to shelter staff within the daily operating environment. Following the RMYA Treatment Model and youth’s individualized plan of service, the PSS engages youth in using positive/Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practices to respond to emergency and crisis situations, providing support, training, coaching and de-escalation techniques. The PSS utilizes TBRI techniques to build rapport with youth, and seeks to engage, support and coach youth and direct care employees This role focuses on developing staff competency through observation, mentorship, and progressive skill-building, ensuring staff are prepared to independently maintain a safe, structured, and supportive environment.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
Program/Operational Responsibilities
• Ensure responsibilities and performance are in alignment with RMYA’s Treatment Model.
• Facilitate a structured continuous development process for shelter staff through hands-on training, coaching, and real-time support within the shelter environment.
• Introduce and train staff on core shelter responsibilities, including resident supervision, documentation, crisis response, safety procedures, and program expectations.
• Support staff transitioning between roles (e.g., YEA to YES) by providing targeted coaching, skill development, and performance readiness to independently manage a safe and structured shift.
• Bridge together pre-service training concepts with daily shelter operations, ensuring staff effectively apply learned skills in practice.
• Remain actively engaged on shift, offering real-time coaching and intervention to staff during challenging situations with residents.
• Collaborate with shelter leadership to identify staff development needs and respond to coaching or mentoring requests.
• Assist the shelter nurse by coordinating and supporting resident medical appointments, including transportation and follow-up needs, while reinforcing proper procedures and expectations for staff involvement in healthcare-related activities.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to new and existing staff while they learn and perform essential job duties.
• Work directly with residential employees to provide support focused on anticipating and averting crises; modeling TBRI, redirection, and restraint techniques; and offering direct support as appropriate when a youth is in immediate crisis.
• Respond to emergency and crisis situations, providing support, training, coaching and de-escalation techniques, as needed, and serving as a role model for direct care employees.
• At the direction of the clinical team, assist employees with clinical interventions targeted at stabilizing each youth’s placement and improving their path toward positive goal attainment and a positive placement outcome.
• Assist with youth medication as needed, ensuring accuracy in administration and documentation.
• Provide emotional support utilizing trauma-informed techniques, praise, positive feedback, choices and empathy to build the youth’s self-esteem and ability to self-regulate.
• Assist with youth supervision to maintain ratio as needed. Provide one-to-one supervision for youth as needed.
• Ensure all documentation is complete and accurate for PSS responsibilities (i.e., Client Management System (CMS), Program Support Specialist report, Incidents Reports, etc.)
• Be cross trained for both RMYA campuses and attend scheduled meetings.
• Transportation of youth in an agency vehicle as needed.
Relationships and Collaboration
• Foster a program-wide culture of coaching, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Contribute ideas and solutions to the Compliance and Quality Improvement Plan regarding Cross-System Coordination.
• Model a consistent training and coaching style to promote clarity, confidence, and reduced stress among staff.
• Collaborate closely with Program Manager and leadership to support staff development while allowing operational staff to focus on resident care and program responsibilities.
• Build strong, professional relationships with staff to encourage growth, accountability, and skill development.
• Serve as a resource and role model for best practices in youth engagement, safety, and trauma-informed care.
• Support teamwork by promoting shared responsibility for both staff development and resident well-being.
• Foster teamwork by working collaboratively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problems, and ensure decisions are made in the best interest of the youth, families and the agency.
• Maintain compliance with all RMYA training requirements, DFPS, T3C, SSCC and COA policies and procedures and with all federal, state and local laws.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications:
• High School Diploma or GED required; bachelor’s degree in education, social work, psychology, counseling, or other related fields is preferred.
• 2-3 years of direct-care experience with emotionally or behaviorally challenged youth and youth in a residential, shelter, school, hospital, or community-based setting is required.
• Certification/Licenses: Valid Texas driver’s license, Military ID, or ability to obtain within 90 days of hire. Must have an acceptable driving record.
• Successful clearance of Department of Family and Protective Services licensing background checks, (to include fingerprinting and drug testing) and maintenance of cleared status.
Competencies:
• Ethical Decision Making: Understand ethical behavior and business practices and ensure that own behavior and the behavior of others is consistent with these standards and aligns with the values/commitments of the agency.
• Focus on Client Needs: Anticipate, understand, and respond to the needs of youth and families to meet or exceed their expectations within the agency parameters.
• Foster Teamwork: Work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problems, and make decisions that enhance organizational effectiveness.
• Crisis Prevention and Conflict Resolution: Knowledge of potential crisis situations or behavior, and the appropriate procedures to de-escalate the situation or minimize the likelihood of danger.
• Initiative: Demonstrates a willingness to work and persists in accomplishing tasks even when conditions are difficult or deadlines are tight, setting challenging goals and can work independently.
Physical Requirements:
• Physical Requirements: Standing up to eight hours at a time, no scheduled breaks, few opportunities to relax during shifts; constant walking, standing, sitting, bending, squatting, reaching, twisting, arm and wrist rotation; occasional kneeling, climbing stairs; occasional physical interventions with distressed youth. Ability to restrain youth up to 200 plus pounds to a height up to six feet with the assistance from one other employee. Ability to drive.
• Reading & writing – able to understand and comprehend written information in a variety of formats and able to use standard business English
• Use of sensory demands i.e., hearing, vision, speech, spatial perception; dealing with multiple, complex, and repetitive tasks, working under pressure and deadlines, and confrontational situations.
Work Environment:
• Fast-paced, youth focused high energy environment.
• Trauma informed
• Ability to work flexible hours outside of your scheduled shift, including weekend and evening hours.
• Shifts in environmental conditions i.e., hot, cold, outdoor, indoor, dry, humid, noise, and congested areas.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
RMYA is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions, and lactation), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.
$24.00 - $25.00 Hourly