Correctional Program Specialist (senior Designator)

Correctional Program Specialist

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities. This position functions as a Correctional Program Specialist for the Designations and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) of the Bureau of Prisons. The incumbent will be viewed as a senior member of an operations team within the DSCC. As such, the incumbent has responsibility for (1) designations to institutions for service of sentences; (2) State placement of offenders; (3) matters related to Central Monitoring Cases and (4) administrative cessions to attempt to "balance" inmate populations among various institutions. The Senior Designator works in close liaison with the United States District Courts, including the Probation Service, United States Marshals, United States Attorneys, the United States Parole Commission, State agencies, institutions, community offices, and various other agencies and Bureaus of the Department of Justice. As a senior member for the operations team, they provide guidance and assistance to other specialists and technicians within the unit. The incumbent helps the managers identify developmental and training needs for DSCC staff, as well as, looks to find ways to improve the quality and efficiency of work produced at the center.

Requirements:

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:

• Meet CTAP eligibility criteria;
• Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and
• Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility.

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

Qualifications:

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

Education:

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position. You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. 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:

• Understanding the problems of custody, treatment, training, and release of inmates of penal or correctional institutions.
• A thorough and comprehensive knowledge of an institution's internal policies, programs, regulations, and procedures.
• 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:

Experience that provided the knowledge of Custody Classification and Security Designation process in order to designate and re-designation prisoners to appropriate Federal facilities.

Experience and ability to write general correspondence, review reports, operational procedures, and other documents as required.

Experience in analyzing and interpreting national policy objectives and to articulate these objectives to managerial staff through training.

Experience in and professional knowledge of theories and practices in the field of corrections, correctional programs, institution management and the Bureau of Prisons' organizational structure.

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.

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.

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.

Additional Information:

This position IS NOT included in the bargaining unit. The representative rate for this position is $126,023 per annum ($60.38 per hour).

Special Conditions of Employment Section: 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Exceptions may apply. See 5 CFR part 11.

Current Federal Law Enforcement Employees: 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. This is a secondary law enforcement coverage position. Individuals that DO NOT have three years of law enforcement coverage gained in a primary law enforcement position by the closing date of the vacancy announcement, will not be eligible for this position.