Correctional Program Specialist (National Policy and Program Coordinator)

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

Responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing programs for female offenders and other special populations.

Responsible for gathering, organizing, and summarizing information related to female offenders for review by the Branch Administrator and dissemination to Executive Staff which includes data regarding management of female institutions, evidence-based programs for women, and relevant legislation or state/local initiatives.

With oversight from the Administrator, develops instruments to measure the needs of special populations.

Prepares analytical reports assessing the impact and success of female offender activities.

Prepares responses to inquiries from the public, Congress, courts and other government agencies regarding the classification, treatment, and conditions of confinement for female offenders.

Independently develops reports, concise publications and articles in larger publications that communicate significant, sometimes sensitive, and critical information to Bureau of Prisons personnel, the correctional and criminal justice community, Congress, federal and state agencies and the general public regarding female offenders.

Salary

• $103,409 - $158,860/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is Required.
• See Special Conditions of Employment Section.

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 eligibility, 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 score 85 or better on established ranking 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 qualification requirements:

GS-13 and GS-14

Education:

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position.

GS-13 and GS-14

Experience:

You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level in federal service. Specialized experience is directly related experience that included substantial involvement with a correctional program and provided a thorough knowledge of correctional techniques, or experience in meeting and dealing with people that demonstrated the ability to work effectively with inmates and associates in a correctional environment. Experience must have also demonstrated the ability to perform supervisory or administrative duties successfully. This includes:

(1) Understanding the problems of custody, treatment, training, and release of inmates of penal or correctional institutions;
(2) A thorough and comprehensive knowledge of an institution's internal policies, programs, regulations, and procedures; and
(3) Training subordinates, coordinating and directing activities and functions, evaluating performance of operations and the effectiveness of programs, and maintaining high standards or work objectives.

This experience must have been gained in an administrative position, or in other positions that included the successful direction, or assistance in the direction of, an entire correctional program or a major phase of such a program.

Some examples of this qualifying experience are:

GS-13:

• Experience investigating grievances submitted as administrative remedy appeals, regarding Women and Special Populations policies and procedures.
• Experience implementing and/or evaluating evidence based programs for women or members of other special populations (aging offenders, parents or pregnant inmates, transgender offenders, inmates living with disabilities, and/or veterans); based on analysis of outcome data or other measures effectiveness.
• Experience providing training for Bureau of Prisons and non-Bureau of Prisons personnel on Bureau of Prisons policies and procedures related to female offenders and special populations (aging offenders, parents or pregnant inmates, transgender offenders, inmates living with disabilities, and/or veterans).
• Experience gathering data for statistical analysis of programs, and assisting in its evaluation and its impact on female offender and specialist populations (aging offenders, parents or pregnant inmates, transgender offenders, inmates living with disabilities, and/or veterans) policies and procedure.
• Experience providing support or developing and conducting training sessions for Special Populations Coordinators and staff at institutions housing female offenders.

GS-14:

• Experience in the development and delivery of Bureau of Prisons training or research on a regional or national forum focused on identifying and meeting the needs of women or members of other special inmate populations(aging offenders, parents or pregnant inmates, transgender offenders, inmates living with disabilities, and/or veterans).
• Experience developing and evaluating evidence based programs for women or members of other special populations (aging offenders, parents or pregnant inmates, transgender offenders, inmates living with disabilities, and/or veterans) based on analysis of outcome data or other measures of effectiveness.
• Experience in engaging external stakeholder leadership on matters pertaining to gender-responsive or population (aging offenders, parents or pregnant inmates, transgender offenders, inmates living with disabilities, and/or veterans) specific policies through the provision of training, regular information sharing and/or providing briefings.
• Experience writing reports, policies, training guides, evaluations, Executive Staff papers, decision papers, and/or national training lesson plans that have been presented/reviewed by institution, Regional, or Central Office Executive Staff.

If applicable, 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

This position IS NOT included in the bargaining unit.

The representative rate for this position is $134,419 per annum ($64.41 per hour).

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

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.

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.

 Current Federal Law Enforcement Employees:

A prerequisite of the secondary law enforcement position is the completion of the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II".  If you have not completed the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II", you are ineligible for secondary law enforcement position(s) and coverage but may still be considered for a non-law enforcement position.

If you are not a current Bureau of Prisons employee, you must submit training records demonstrating you have completed the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II" to your hiring Human Resource office prior to appointment. 

Individuals selected who are under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and who have not had three years "primary" law enforcement retirement coverage, will not be covered by law enforcement retirement while in this position. To regain coverage, individuals must return to a position with "primary" coverage.

SALARY RANGE:  

Salary reflected on this vacancy announcement is for the “Rest of the U.S.”; however, the selectee’s salary may be higher based on the worksite/duty station of the appointee. See Salary Tables for your location.

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

• 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.
• 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.
• CTAP, Click Here, if applicable.
• A 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.)

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.

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.

NOTE: Failure to follow these application procedures will result in the applicant losing consideration for this position.

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.