Psychology Technician

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities. Our highly-skilled, diverse, and innovative workforce creates a strong foundation of safety and security. Through the principles of humanity and normalcy, we develop good neighbors.

Duties

Under the supervision of a Psychologist, is responsible for the administration, mechanical or computerized scoring and distribution (or storage) of a variety of psychological tests, including Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory.

Responsible for the implementation of the Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) automated/computerized psychology data entry system including initial implementation of Psychology Data System (PDS), training of all psychology staff, routine data entry and retrieval, automated test scoring and reconciling discrepancies in the files.

Types, duplicates and distributes letters, memos, agendas, forms, certificates, meeting minutes, and reports for the Chief Psychologist.

Maintains tracking logs for Special Housing Unit monthly monitoring, clinical contacts as determined by Mental Health Care Level assignments and treatment plan requirements, monthly psychotropic compliance, suicide watch monitoring and follow-up, request for services, and incoming inmates (for Admissions and Orientation (A&O) purposes).

Purchase card holder for the department; verifies obligated expenditures do not exceed yearly budget allotments; prepares purchase orders, requisitions, and maintains accounting of department expenditures and adjustments.

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

Salary

• $52,868 - $72,178/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is Required.
• See Special Conditions of Employment Section.
• Selective Service Requirement: http://www.sss.gov

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1)this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: Click Here

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: Click Here

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following:

Education:

GL-06: One half year of graduate education (9 semester hours or 13.5 quarter hours) meets the basic requirements for GL-06.

GL-07: One full year of graduate education (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) meets the basic requirements for GL-07.

Graduate education or an internship meets the experience required only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position with courses in psychology, statistics or other directly related subjects.

OR

Experience:

GL-06 and GL-07: Applicants must have one year specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have involved the observation of and assistance in the application of techniques relating to behavior, capacities, traits, interests, and activities of either humans or, under laboratory conditions, animals. Experience may have been gained in connection with a program of research or direct services in psychology that gave a practical understanding of some of the principles, methods, and techniques of psychology needed to assist professional psychologists.

Some examples of the qualifying experience are:

GL-06:

• Experience in composing complex but non-technical correspondence, locating and assembling information for various reports, briefings, conferences, etc., designing and organizing filing systems, and organizing the flow of clerical processes in the office.
• Experience in performing notarial services for staff and inmates.
• Experience in maintaining tracking logs for various programs such as monthly contracts, monthly psychotropic compliance, suicide watch monitoring, requests for services, etc.
• Experience submitting court ordered psychological evaluations, and responding to request for inmates records.
• Experience in being a credit card holder for the department, including verifying that obligated expenditures do not exceed yearly budget allotments.

GL-07:

• Experience in administering, scoring, distributing, and storing a variety of psychological tests.
• Experience assisting in researching, interpreting, and applying a variety of complex regulations, rules and laws regarding psychological procedures and practices.
• Experience in implementation of the BOP's automated/computerized psychology data entry system including initial implementation of PDS, training of all psychology staff, routine data entry and retrieval, automated test scoring and reconciling discrepancies in the files.
• Experience in obligating expenditures, preparing purchase orders, requisitions, and maintaining accounting of department expenditures and adjustments.
• Experience in providing security escort for volunteers, guest speakers, and visitors including running NCIC background checks and preparing paperwork for volunteers, guest speakers and visitors.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:

GL-06 and GL-07: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all grade levels and positions for which both education and experience are acceptable.

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

This position IS included in the bargaining unit.

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for initial appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution. If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you MUST submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage. 

Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans may be exempt from meeting the maximum age. Please refer to the Required Documents Section for the appropriate documentation to submit to validate veteran eligibility.

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.

All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.

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.

The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office. On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered. The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score of 68 must be obtained. Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score. Note: The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques", three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required. 

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Required Documents

• Veterans' Preference Documentation:  Veterans MUST provide a DD-214 demonstrating that they have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions (i.e., the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge).
• If you are on active duty and expect to be discharged or released from active duty service within 120 days, you may submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty from the appropriate Branch Personnel Office containing the following information: (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; (2) and the character of service (must be an honorable or general discharge); and (3) any qualifying service/campaign/expeditionary medals.
• SF-15: If you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, submit a completed Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference"; all other required documentation identified on the SF-15, in addition to the veteran's DD-214 described above.  A Department of Veterans Affairs letter must contain: the Veteran’s Name and Combined Service-Connected Evaluation. For a copy of the most current SF-15, Click Here.
• Failure to submit all required documents at the time of application will result in the loss of claimed preference eligibility.
• Resume: showing relevant experience (cover letter optional).
• In order to receive credit for experience contained in an application, your employment history must be documented in month/year format (MM/YYYY), reflecting starting date and ending date and include the number of hours worked per week.  Failure to follow this format may result in disqualification.
• College transcript: which includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). (Note:  If you are selected for this position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day).
• SF-50: for proof of prior LEO coverage, if applicable.

Failure to provide these documents could possibly result in removal from consideration for this vacancy.  If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc.  Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD214, or Transcripts.

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.

NOTE: 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.

Claiming Veterans Preference? If yes, you MUST claim preference on-line during the application process and upload documentation to support preference claimed. Failure to claim Veterans Preference or provide supporting documentation may result in you not receiving appropriate consideration during the assessment process.

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.

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.

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

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.