Correctional Program Specialist (FSA Time Credit Coordinator)

Summary

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

Duties

• Coordinates, monitors, and supports the nationwide administration of FSA earned time credits and related risk assessment processes. Provides operational guidance to institutions and regional offices on time credit application, eligibility, and statutory requirements and supports correctional decision-making that directly affects inmate custody determinations, prerelease placement, and supervised release eligibility. Works in close liaison with the U.S. District Courts, U.S. Probation Offices, state agencies and institutions, U.S. Parole Commission, U.S. Marshals Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and various other agencies and divisions of the Department of Justice.

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements: Basic Requirement: 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 (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. AND In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must also have: Education: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position. Experience: Some examples of this qualifying experience are: Experience managing a complex federal program involving eligibility determinations, compliance tracking, and policy implementation affecting hundreds of participants. Experience in interpreting federal statutes and regulations to make eligibility decisions, resolve discrepancies in program documentation, and collaborate with legal counsel to ensure decisions aligned with current case law. Experience monitoring program outcomes and providing reports to senior leadership on program effectiveness and areas requiring procedural improvements. Experience conducting detailed analysis of inmate records, sentencing documents, and custody classifications to determine program eligibility and calculate benefits under federal guidelines and reviewing complex sentencing orders, judgments, and commitment documents to identify applicable statutory provisions and exclusions. Experience maintaining accurate databases, and tracking participant progress and program completion. Experience coordinating evidence-based recidivism reduction programs and productive activities for justice-involved populations. Experience assessing individual risks and needs using validated assessment tools and assigned appropriate programming based on assessment results. Experience tracking participant completion of educational, vocational, and behavioral programs. Experience in responding to inquiries from legal representatives, program participants, and oversight entities regarding complex eligibility criteria and program requirements, preparing briefing materials, memoranda, and reports, documenting policy interpretations and program statistics. 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.**

Requirements

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): 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 or ICTAP 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 or ICTAP 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 or ICTAP 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.

Key Requirements

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

How You Will Be Evaluated

If your composite score exceeds the average score for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your online assessment responses and utilized to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If your selections are not supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. There are several parts of the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application: Your resume, which is part of your USAJOBS profile; Your responses to the eligibility questions; Your responses to the online assessment; Your supporting documentation, if required. Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements for consideration. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position? The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required: Oral Communication. Writing. Planning and Evaluating. Technical Competence. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

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.

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. Veterans' Preference Documentation: Failure to submit all required documents at the time of application will result in the loss of claimed preference eligibility. DD-214: 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). 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, you must submit: A completed Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" AND all required documentation identified on the SF-15. NOTE: 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Proof of ICTAP/CTAP eligibility, Click Here, if applicable. 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: [email protected] Phone: 972-352-4200 How do I Apply for this Position if I am a Military Spouse applying under the Special Hiring Authority? Military Spouses who meet the requirement of Executive Order 13832 MUST include the vacancy announcement number on all supporting documentation, as well as the appointing authority used. For more information Click Here. To be considered for this Special Hiring Authority, applicants must submit package to [email protected]. Submit resume must contain all information listed in the Qualifications Section (i.e. transcripts, certification, registration, and/or license, if applicable). It is recommended you limit your resume to 2-pages in preparation for future announcement requirements. A copy of their spouse's Department of Defense (DD) Form 214 and/or orders verifying the military member's current active-duty status. Documentation confirming marriage to the service member. If applicable, a copy of documentation from either the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense indicating the service member possesses a disability rating of 100 percent due to a service-connected disability. Your completed application packet must be submitted to the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. You must include the last four digits of your social security number and the vacancy announcement number on your application packet. DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION ON-LINE.

Security Clearance

Other

Other Information

The representative rate for this position is $117,081 per annum ($56.10 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. NOTE: Telework eligible per agency policy.