BEACON (Building Employment and Career Opportunities Network) is CIYJ's reentry intermediary model, connecting moderate- to high-risk justice-involved youth — including emerging adults who remain under juvenile justice jurisdiction — to education and employment pathways before and after release from residential placement.
Rather than another siloed program, BEACON operates as a neutral backbone that aligns the work of facilities, probation, schools, training providers, employers, and community-based organizations around a single accountable plan for each young person.
Planning begins no later than 90 days before release and continues through at least 12 months of community follow-up, across three phases:
Pre-Release Preparation — assessment-informed planning and an individualized education and employment pathway plan.
Transition — release coordination and immediate activation of school, training, or employment placements.
Community Reintegration — high-frequency contact and persistence check-ins at 30, 90, and 180 days, with coaching through the first year.
In Massachusetts, BEACON's partners include the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, Massasoit Community College's Future of Work Institute, New England Culinary Arts Training (NECAT), and Haley House, with additional employer and community-based partners engaged through formal MOUs.
Position Summary:
The BEACON Program Director is the operational leader of the Massachusetts BEACON initiative, accountable for running the program day to day — from pre-release enrollment through community reintegration — while building and managing the network of correctional, residential, probation, educational, employer, and community-based partners that make the model work.
This is a hands-on operational role: the Program Director carries direct responsibility for enrolling and tracking youth, coordinating with facilities and probation, and ensuring partner commitments are executed, not just an oversight function.
In Year 1, the Program Director may also carry a direct service caseload of Youth Opportunity Advocacy work in addition to program leadership, transitioning fully into leadership and supervision as the Massachusetts team grows.
Program Operations & Reentry Coordination Own end-to-end execution of the BEACON model in Massachusetts: pre-release planning, release-day transition coordination, and community reintegration through at least 12 months of follow-up.
Conduct or oversee intake and enrollment using validated risk and needs assessment tools, in coordination with correctional and probation partners, beginning no later than 90 days before release.
Cultivate referral pipelines from community residential programs and probation departments as an additional source of eligible youth and emerging adults, ensuring the enrollment pipeline is not limited to secure residential release alone.
Broker enrollment with schools and training providers, match youth to fair-chance employers and apprenticeships, and administer scholarships and transitional employment stipends through CIYJ's Education and Employment Foundation.
Ensure persistence monitoring and check-ins occur on schedule at 30, 90, and 180 days post-release, and drive corrective action when a young person's plan stalls.
Deliver a true warm handoff to community-based organizations for wraparound supports, including housing, mental health, and transportation.
Partnership Development & Management Correctional & Probation Agencies — maintain pre-release access agreements, serve as the designated staff liaison, and manage data sharing that supports case planning and outcome tracking.
Community Residential Programs & Probation Departments — build and maintain referral relationships with community-based residential programs and probation offices as an ongoing intake source, ensuring youth and emerging adults supervised in these settings have equal access to BEACON pathways.
Educational Institutions — manage expedited enrollment pathways, coordinate financial aid navigation, and ensure attendance verification and reporting are current.
Employer Partners — recruit and vet employers, negotiate entry-level positions at an agreed wage floor, and monitor fair-chance hiring practices and outcome tracking.
Community-Based Organizations — manage referral relationships, coordinate with CIYJ case managers on family engagement, and maintain the wraparound service network.
Negotiate, execute, and maintain formal MOUs with all Massachusetts partners, ensuring each agreement reflects current program needs and is actively followed.
Represent CIYJ and BEACON with existing and prospective Massachusetts partners, including site visits, partner meetings, and outreach to expand the network as the program grows.
Performance, Data & Accountability Maintain accurate, timely data on participation and outcomes across education, employment, stability, and justice-system domains, feeding CIYJ's real-time dashboards.
Track and report on education/employment persistence, retention, and recidivism metrics for continuous quality improvement across all Massachusetts partner sites.
Prepare site-level performance reports for the Executive Director/CEO, funders, and partner agencies.
Leadership & Organizational Contribution Supervise Youth Opportunity Advocates and other Massachusetts BEACON staff as the program grows.
Partner with the Executive Director/CEO on funder reporting, grant compliance, and program budget management for Massachusetts BEACON funding.
Contribute program-level insight to CIYJ's broader reentry strategy and support replication planning for future BEACON states.
Qualifications REQUIRED
5+ years of professional experience in reentry, workforce development, juvenile or criminal justice, or a closely related human services field.
Demonstrated operational experience running a program or service line — not solely case management — including responsibility for outcomes, budget, and reporting.
Proven track record building and managing partnerships with community-based organizations, schools, employers, or correctional/probation agencies.
Comfort working directly with justice-involved young people and families, with sound judgment in high-stakes, sensitive situations.
Strong organizational and data-management skills; ability to track multiple youth, partners, and deadlines simultaneously.
Valid driver's license and ability to travel regularly to Massachusetts facilities, schools, employer sites, and community locations.
Ability to work hybrid, with regular in-person presence in the Braintree office and across Massachusetts partner sites.
PREFERRED
Experience with juvenile residential facilities, probation, or parole systems in Massachusetts.
Familiarity with FAFSA/financial aid navigation, workforce intermediary models, or apprenticeship/credentialing pathways.
Experience managing formal MOUs or contracts with government agencies, schools, or employers.
Bachelor's degree in social work, criminal justice, education, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
Salary range of $75,000–$85,000, commensurate with experience. CIYJ offers a competitive benefits package; details are provided as part of the offer process.
CIYJ is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team reflective of the communities BEACON serves.
About Center for Improving Youth Justice The Center for Improving Youth Justice (CIYJ) is a national nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes for young people in the juvenile justice system. Through Performance-based Standards (PbS), CIYJ builds performance improvement and accountability into agency, facility, and program operations using a three-part cycle: collecting data, analyzing performance outcomes and summary reports, and at the heart of PbS using that data to drive improvement and reform. CIYJ's PbS model identifies, monitors, and improves conditions of confinement and treatment services in residential facilities and programs across 22+ states, grounded in national standards and performance outcome measures. Alongside PbS, CIYJ takes a holistic approach to serving young people and families through mentoring, educational support, and job placement.
