Digital Intelligence Specialist

Overview

Youth Villages has been a national leader in the implementation of research-based treatment philosophies in the field of children's mental and behavioral health. Our commitment to helping troubled children and their families find success spans 30+ years and includes a comprehensive array of programs and services. With a high-performing and dedicated staff of more than 3,400 working in 24 states as well as the District of Columbia and an annual operating budget over $400 million, the organization serves more than 36,000 emotionally and behaviorally challenged youth annually through its comprehensive, evidence-based programs: intensive in-home services, residential treatment, foster care, adoption, group homes, transition-age youth services, specialized crisis services, and intensive residential treatment.

The organization, founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1986, measures its success in reunited families and in children who are able to live at home and do well in school. Since 1994, when Youth Villages began an emphasis on helping children in the least restrictive environment -- preferably in their own homes -- success rates have soared: in 2020, 87% of the children who received at least 60 days of service at Youth Villages were still living successfully in the community one year after their discharge. Youth Villages’ success rate is extraordinary when compared with a 60 percent failure rate for traditional child welfare services.

Memphis Allies

We have launched Memphis Allies as a collaborative initiative bringing together community groups and resources to create safer neighborhoods in Memphis and Shelby County. Many Ally organizations, of which Youth Villages is only one, will join the gun violence reduction efforts of the City of Memphis and others, multiplying impact and results. Memphis Allies will work in both intervention and prevention of gun violence. In conjunction with experts from across the country, our clinical staff has developed a program model for gun violence reduction called SWITCH (Support With Intention To Create Hope). This will allow us to intervene with adults, as the average age of a person charged with
murder in Memphis is 28. At the same time, we are dramatically increasing intensive services to more delinquent youth, especially those at the highest risk of involvement with gun violence. Youth Villages believes that it is time for all of us—individuals, foundations, business leaders, the Governor and the state legislature—to step up and do what must be done to support our city and ensure that all of our children have the opportunity grow up safely and thrive as adults.

Responsibilities

As a Digital Intelligence Specialist, you can join the movement to reduce gun violence in Memphis. Your primary role is listening, monitoring, researching, identifying, understanding, and analyzing digital and social media conversations so that individuals at high risk of gun violence can receive support and help. We are looking for a candidate who can parse quantitative and qualitative data to summarize thoughts, feelings, and feedback from at-risk neighborhoods. The ideal candidate has an intuitive ability to search the internet and uncover information where others cannot. They have advanced knowledge and hands-on experience with multiple social media platforms and internet research skills, are tech- and cyber-savvy, have good report writing skills, and are highly organized and detail oriented. The position includes working with numerous stakeholders and requires strong interpersonal and communication skills.

The Digital Intelligence Specialist will work as part of the Youth Villages Communications team to support Memphis Allies, an initiative launched by Youth Villages to bring together community groups and resources to reduce gun violence so that children, families and our city can thrive. www.memphisallies.org

• The ideal candidates will be savvy using all platforms and tools of social media
• Monitor breaking news, trends, threats of violence and the online narrative to help detect and inform risk of psychosocial factors and conditions that could assist Memphis Allies and community partners to help reduce the risk of gun violence
• Gather information from a wide variety of platforms including traditional media, social media, third party research sources, and more
• Follow and report increased engagement or activity or a change in the messaging and tone of communications
• Monitor, evaluate, and report online behaviors and annotations to help inform intent or threats
• Assess and communicate real-time analytic judgments regarding specific threats and intelligence gaps
• Support outreach specialists, life coaches and case managers as they identify, support and serve individuals at highest risk of gun violence involvement
• Be flexible to adapt schedule to real-time events that occur within the community
• Work with a small team to articulate findings to a wide range of business stakeholders, including leadership throughout the organization
• Conduct multiple in-depth research reports at once while maintaining work quality and turnaround time
• Knowledge of best practices, trends, and developments in the area of social media, youth development and violence prevention
• Generate reports and inform internal teams of findings
• Work with the Research Department as needed to create and implement data collection processes to track social media indicators
• Must be a fast learner and able to work independently to meet deadlines
• All other assigned duties

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Intelligence Studies, Law Enforcement, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Communications, Digital Marketing or a Related field preferred but not required
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted
• 2-4 years of experience in report writing, data collection, and social media analysis
• Strong familiarity with social media on all platforms
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Excel, Word, and Outlook and overall computer literacy
• Strong ability to parse, analyze, frame, and summarize discussion within a large community
• Knowledge of gun violence and/or a very passionate researcher with the ability to digest a wide variety of slang terminology
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Ability to work well either alone or as part of a team
• Extremely detail oriented and organized
• Ability to exercise discretion and strict confidentiality

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Comprehensive knowledge of social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter and YouTube
• Comprehensive knowledge of messaging platforms such as Messenger, Discord and WhatsApp
• Ability to work under pressure within time constraints

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

As of October 15, 2021, Youth Villages has required the COVID-19 vaccine for all employees, excluding those with an approved medical or religious exemption, as a condition of employment to help ensure the safety of all employees and youth and families served.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug Coverage and Vision
• 401(k)
• 2 weeks paid vacation
• 12 paid sick days per year
• 10 paid holidays
• Mileage & Cell Phone Reimbursement (when applicable)
• Paid parental leave
• Tuition & licensure reimbursement

Youth Villages is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Youth Villages is committed to not only advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace but also in our work with children and young adults. We know that children, families and young people of color can face inequity in child welfare and justice systems, and we train our employees to build the skills they need to work with the communities that we serve, as well as, other employees from different cultures and backgrounds. Youth Villages is opposed to racism in any of its forms and is committed to inclusion, equity, and diversity. We believe that respect for each other is crucial in the work that we do each day.

We can recommend jobs specifically for you! Click here to get started.