Assistant Warden of Training and Staff Development in TRENTON, New Jersey at COUNTY OF MERCER

ASSISTANTWARDEN OF TRAINING AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT: Mercer County Correction Center

SALARY: $125,000 annual

LOCATION: Hopewell Township, NJ

SCHEDULE: Full-Time (Schedule based onoperational needs)

REPORTSTO: Warden orDesignee

APPOINTMENTTYPE: Unclassified

ORGANIZATIONALLEVEL: DivisionHead

VACANCIES: 1

POSITIONOVERVIEW

The MercerCounty Correction Center is seeking an experienced, innovative, andcollaborative correctional executive to serve as the Assistant Warden ofTraining and Staff Development. This senior leadership position isresponsible for the strategic planning, administration, and oversight ofinstitutional training, employee development, supervisory education, leadershipdevelopment, field training, remedial instruction, instructor development, andworkforce-readiness initiatives.

Reportingto the Warden or designee, the Assistant Warden serves as the institution'sexecutive leader for training and staff development, ensuring correctionalpolice officers, civilian employees, supervisors, managers, and executivepersonnel receive the training and professional development necessary toperform their responsibilities safely, lawfully, ethically, professionally, andconsistently.

Thesuccessful candidate will lead comprehensive training and professionaldevelopment initiatives designed to strengthen operational readiness, employeeperformance, leadership capacity, regulatory compliance, and organizationaleffectiveness while supporting a culture of accountability, continuouslearning, and professional excellence.

ESSENTIALDUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilitiesinclude, but are not limited to:

ExecutiveLeadership & Training Strategy

• Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for institutional training, employee development, supervisory education, leadership development, field training, remedial instruction, instructor development, and workforce-readiness initiatives.
• Develop and administer the institution's annual Training Master Plan.
• Conduct annual and periodic training-needs assessments based upon operational risks, inspection findings, changes in law or policy, employee performance, use-of-force reviews, internal affairs findings, emergency incidents, and institutional priorities.
• Develop measurable performance benchmarks for training compliance, academy outcomes, field training, instructor readiness, remedial instruction, supervisory development, and corrective-action completion.
• Participate in Executive Command Staff meetings, strategic planning, emergency planning, inspections, accreditation activities, policy development, and corrective-action initiatives.
• Prepare executive reports, operational analyses, annual plans, performance evaluations, resource recommendations, and strategic training priorities.

Academy,PTC & Licensing Coordination

• Serve as the institution's executive liaison to the New Jersey Police Training Commission, approved police academies, New Jersey Department of Corrections, educational institutions, and professional training organizations.
• Coordinate correctional police recruit enrollment, academy attendance, progress monitoring, graduation, certification, and post-academy development.
• Oversee the collection, verification, submission, and retention of records required for law-enforcement licensing, license renewal, instructor certification, and other Police Training Commission requirements.
• Ensure required training and licensing information is accurately maintained in ACADIS or another state-designated system.
• Monitor officer, instructor, and specialized-assignment certifications and identify approaching expirations, deficiencies, or noncompliance.

InstitutionalTraining & Workforce Readiness

• Direct orientation, annual in-service training, refresher training, roll-call training, remedial training, specialized instruction, emergency exercises, and professional development programs.
• Ensure training programs contain approved lesson plans, measurable learning objectives, qualified instructors, attendance documentation, examinations or practical evaluations, and competency-verification requirements.
• Coordinate training responsive to changes in law, regulation, Attorney General directives, institutional policy, professional standards, and operational requirements.
• Promote consistent training practices supporting institutional safety, employee preparedness, professional accountability, and effective correctional operations.

FieldTraining & New Officer Development

• Develop and administer a structured Field Training Officer Program for newly appointed correctional police officers.
• Establish qualifications, selection standards, instructional requirements, evaluation procedures, and accountability expectations for Field Training Officers.
• Ensure probationary officers receive documented post-academy orientation, supervised institutional experience, performance evaluations, coaching, and remedial assistance before independent assignment.
• Evaluate field-training outcomes and identify opportunities to strengthen officer readiness and performance.

Leadership,Supervisory & Staff Development

• Develop progressive supervisory and leadership programs for correctional police officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains, civilian supervisors, managers, and executive personnel.
• Utilize National Institute of Corrections leadership-development principles and resources to strengthen frontline supervision, mid-level management, executive leadership, succession planning, strategic thinking, team development, and organizational improvement.
• Establish mentoring, coaching, career-development, and succession-planning initiatives to prepare qualified employees for future instructional, supervisory, management, and executive responsibilities.

InstructorDevelopment & Curriculum

• Establish standards for the selection, certification, assignment, evaluation, and continued development of institutional instructors.
• Review lesson plans, curricula, examinations, practical exercises, scenarios, and instructional materials for accuracy, consistency, and compliance with current law, policy, regulation, and professional standards.
• Promote adult-learning methods, competency-based instruction, scenario-based training, and practical evaluation techniques.

RemedialTraining & Organizational Improvement

• Coordinate remedial training when employees demonstrate deficiencies in knowledge, judgment, performance, policy compliance, report writing, supervisory practice, or practical skills.
• Work collaboratively with Internal Affairs, Professional Standards, Human Resources, Risk Management, legal counsel, and executive leadership to identify performance or conduct patterns requiring individual, work-unit, or institution-wide retraining.
• Establish procedures for documenting, assigning, monitoring, verifying, and closing training-related corrective actions and recommendations.
• Analyze institutional incidents, inspection findings, employee performance trends, internal-affairs findings, and operational risks to identify opportunities for targeted training and organizational improvement.

StaffWellness & Workforce Development

• Support staff-wellness and resiliency initiatives addressing occupational stress, critical-incident exposure, fatigue, physical readiness, peer support, employee assistance, and workforce retention.
• Incorporate workforce readiness, professional development, employee resilience, and leadership development into the institution's broader training strategy.

Compliance,Accreditation & Performance Management

• Ensure assigned training and staff-development functions comply with applicable New Jersey Police Training Commission requirements, law-enforcement licensing requirements, New Jersey Attorney General directives, N.J.A.C. Title 10A, New Jersey Department of Corrections requirements, American Correctional Association standards, Prison Rape Elimination Act standards, OSHA and PEOSH requirements, and Mercer County policies and procedures.
• Support inspections, accreditation activities, compliance reviews, and corrective-action planning.
• Maintain appropriate training records, licensing information, accountability measures, and compliance documentation.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, annual, and special reports concerning training compliance, licensing, academy performance, instructor certifications, remedial instruction, leadership development, corrective actions, benchmarks, resource needs, and future priorities.
• Promote continuous quality improvement across institutional training and staff-development operations.

ExternalRelations & Professional Partnerships

• Represent the Mercer County Correction Center at meetings with County officials, state agencies, police academies, educational institutions, correctional organizations, and professional associations.
• Establish effective partnerships with external training providers, educational institutions, government agencies, and professional organizations to expand training and professional-development opportunities.

EDUCATIONAND EXPERIENCE

Candidatesshould possess a combination of education, professional training, andprogressively responsible experience that demonstrates the leadership,operational knowledge, and organizational capabilities necessary to overseeinstitutional training, staff development, and complex correctional operations.

EDUCATION

ABachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Criminal Justice,Public Administration, Education, Organizational Leadership, Human ResourceDevelopment, Behavioral Science, or a closely related field is preferred.

Candidateswho do not possess a Bachelor's Degree may qualify through substantial relevantprofessional experience in corrections, law enforcement, public safety,institutional training, correctional administration, specialized operations, orother comparable operational environments.

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in corrections, law enforcement, public safety, institutional training, correctional administration, specialized operations, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory, management, command, or executive-level responsibility.
• Qualifying experience may include responsibility for institutional or employee training, correctional operations, academy coordination, field training, leadership development, specialized units, large-scale operations and logistics, K-9 operations, emergency or critical-incident response, policy implementation, compliance, accreditation, professional standards, or organizational planning.
• Experience should demonstrate the ability to plan and coordinate complex operations or programs; supervise and develop personnel; manage training, operational, or logistical requirements; collaborate across organizational functions; and maintain accountability within a structured public-safety or institutional environment.

AlternativeQualification Through Experience

Candidateswithout a Bachelor's Degree may be considered based upon substantial qualifyingprofessional experience that demonstrates progressively responsible leadership,operational expertise, training experience, and responsibility for complexprograms, specialized operations, or organizational functions.

Relevantexperience in specialized operations, large-scale operational and logisticalcoordination, K-9 operations, institutional training, emergency operations,field training, or comparable correctional or public-safety functions may beconsidered in evaluating a candidate's overall qualifications.

The Countywill consider the candidate's combination of education, training, professionalexperience, leadership responsibility, and demonstrated ability to successfullyperform the responsibilities of the position.

BENEFITSOF WORKING WITH MERCER COUNTY

MercerCounty is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports thehealth, financial security, and professional development of our employees.Benefits include:

• Access to health and wellness coverage
• Retirement and deferred compensation plans
• Generous paid time off and leave programs
• Ongoing training and tuition assistance

Mercer County EEO/ Civil Service Statement & Residency Requirements:

Mercer County is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and accessible workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, familial status, religion, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, disability, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.

As a Civil Service employer under the State of New Jersey, all candidates must comply with New Jersey Civil Service Commission regulations and guidelines. Mercer County residency is required. Non-residents must establish residency within one (1) year of employment.

Mercer County is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state laws, specifically in accordance with the New Jersey State Policy Prohibiting Discrimination in the Workplace.