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Bureau of Prisons / Federal Prison System

Quality Assurance Specialist (Quality Assurance Manager - UNICOR)

Bureau of Prisons / Federal Prison System See More Job Openings by This EmployerArrow
  • Full Time
  • $66,717 - $101,558/year
  • Phoenix, AZ
March 25, 2026

Job Description

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Duties

This position is located in UNICOR at a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) federal correctional facility. The Quality Assurance Manager is considered a quality assurance expert in the industrial operations at this location and is part of the corporate quality assurance complement.

The incumbent is responsible to develop, implement and maintain a formal quality assessment program in compliance with the quality assurance program statement and leads the continuous evaluation and investigation of quality trends, deficiencies and customer related problems and is responsible to develop and implement acceptable alternatives. Selects and trains inmates to carry out specific elements of the quality assurance program. Prepares and presents orientation programs, instructional materials, and briefings relative to quality assurance for internal use and external use by other government agencies.

The QA Manager leads the continuous evaluation and investigation of quality trends, deficiencies and customer related problems and is responsible to develop and implement acceptable alternatives.

The incumbent conducts complex technical studies of production processes, materials and equipment to determine causes of losses and quality deficiencies. Prepares reports recommending action to prevent or eliminate the causes.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff's correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Salary
  • $66,717 - $101,558/year
Conditions of Employment
  • U.S. Citizenship is Required.
  • See Special Conditions of Employment Section.

Career Transition Programs (CTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:

  • 1. Meet CTAP eligibility criteria;
  • 2. Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and
  • 3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility:
    • A copy of the agency notice (i.e., separation notice or agency RIF letter),
    • Most recent performance appraisal, and
    • Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.
    • See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information.

NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements.

Basic Requirements:

Education:

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- quality assurance, statistics, mathematics, production management, industrial management, computer science, engineering, engineering technology, physical sciences, textiles, or other fields related to the position.

OR

Experience:

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that demonstrated a practical knowledge in monitoring, controlling, or maintaining the quality of products or services in quality assurance, procurement, inspection, production, or related areas. Examples include:

  • Reviewing production activities and capabilities in light of contract quality requirements.
  • Reviewing written quality or inspection procedures for adequacy, and evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of quality/inspection systems, including sampling plans.
  • Analyzing quality data to detect unsatisfactory trends or weaknesses in the quality/inspection system.
  • Verifying by test or inspection, using sampling inspection or intensive product inspection techniques, that products comply with requirements prior to acceptance.
  • Identifying inadequacies and requesting corrective action.
  • Computing data, summarizing results, and preparing reports or charts depicting pertinent relationships using statistical methods.
  • Investigating customer complaints and deficiency reports, and providing identification of causes to appropriate authorities.
  • Reading, interpreting, and applying technical data such as blueprints, engineering drawings, product specifications, or technical manuals.
  • Reviewing and evaluating supply systems operations and procedures through periodic audits and surveillance inspections.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must have:

Education

GL-9: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR LL.B or J.D., if related.

GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR LL.M., if related.

Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

OR

Experience

GL-09 and GS-11: You must have at least one year Of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of this qualifying experience are:

GL-09:

  • Experience conducting spot checks, follow-ups and audits of the work to ensure quality compliance with regulations and standards.
  • Experience providing quality assurance data or suggestions that are utilized to improve a quality assurance program.
  • Experience working in a product manufacturing process and performing tasks related to production.

GS-11:

  • Experience demonstrating a thorough working knowledge in all phases of the operation including: planning, procurement, contracting, production, engineering, inspection, testing, product design, shipping and customer relations.
  • Experience demonstrating technical and practical knowledge for the interpretation and utilization of engineering drawings, process flow charts, blueprints, contracts, specifications, standards, data collection and evaluation, and corrective action techniques.
  • Experience demonstrating comprehensive knowledge of quality assurance concepts, principles and practices as applied in private industry (ISO900X).

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:

Have a combination of education and experience. This experience must have equipped you with the qualifications to perform the major duties of this position as described above.

Credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as number of hours worked per week) spent in the activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Education See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable. ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty. Other Information In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for original appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution. The representative rate for this position is $85,931 per annum ($41.17 per hour). Special Conditions of Employment Section: Initial appointment to a supervisory/managerial position requires a one-year probationary period. The incumbent is subject to geographic relocation to meet the needs of the agency. Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a urinalysis, physical, and background investigation. All applicants are subject to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit checks. All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm. Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques," three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required. The addresses listed on the USAJOBS account/resume must be the primary residence at the time of application. You may be required to provide proof of residence. Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate. Although competitive and non-competitive applications are being accepted, the selecting official may elect to have only one group reviewed. Required Documents

Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration.  If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts.

  • Resume (limited to 2 pages) must include your name, contact information, and relevant experience (cover letter optional). Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee’s position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF-52, MOU, etc.). If providing a memorandum, it must follow the format below AND clearly cite the duties performed.
  • To receive credit for experience, your resume and/or any satisfactory evidence must include:
    • Start date and end date in month/year format (MM/YYYY) AND
    • Number of hours worked per week. 
  • SF-50: Current or former Federal employees NOT employed by the Bureau of Prisons MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment, tenure group, and salary. If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. If you are applying for a higher grade, and your experience was gained at a Federal agency other than the Bureau of Prisons, you MUST provide the SF-50 Form which verifies the length of time you have been in your highest grade and supports your claim for time in grade.
  • Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment.
  • Current federal employees NOT employed by the BOP and former federal employees MUST submit a copy of their latest yearly performance appraisal/evaluation.
  • Proof of CTAP eligibilityClick Here, if applicable.
  • College transcript: includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree, and Date Awarded (if applicable).
    • NOTE: If you are selected, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.

For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - What should I include in my resume?

We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.

How to Apply

You must apply through the online application system at www.USAJOBS.gov. Follow the prompts to register, answer a few questions and submit all required documents.

Limit your resume to 2 pages. If the only resume(s) received is/are longer than two pages, your application is ineligible for further consideration. Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. This position may require the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described under the Required Documents section. Please carefully review the complete job announcement and the "How to Apply" instructions. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in your application not being considered for employment.

We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. USAJOBS Help Center - How to add a resume to your profile

Required supporting documentation must be electronically uploaded or transferred from USAJOBS (uploaded).

All required supporting documentation MUST be received by the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. You MUST include the vacancy announcement number on your supporting documentation.

Supporting documentation for announcements with an application limitation MUST be uploaded the same day you apply, as these positions may close earlier than stated in the announcement.

Paper applications: If applying online is impossible, please contact the Consolidated Staffing Unit at the telephone number listed below, prior to the closing date of the announcement for the alternate application procedure.

If applicable see Notice for Preference Eligible Veterans Applicants

Contact for Assistance in Applying On-Line:
DOJ, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Consolidated Staffing Unit
346 Marine Forces Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75051
E-Mail: BOP-HRM-HRSC-ConsolidatedStaffingUnit-S@bop.gov
Phone: 972-352-4200



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