Records Specialist 1

THE POSITION

Are you a highly organized professional who would enjoy a career working with important information that helps guide key decisions in the corrections system?  Become a Records Specialist 1 with the Department of Corrections (DOC) and help to accurately maintain a wide-range of essential documentation.  Within this role, you will enhance your analytical skills by reviewing criminal history records and ensuring accurate sentence information is documented.  Your efforts will help staff and partner agencies work with confidence and clarity.  Apply today to take the next step in your career with a role that values precision and responsibility!

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

This position is responsible for maintaining inmate records and verifying detailed criminal history information within the Centralized Sentence Computation Unit (CSCU).  Your work will also support sentence computation activities and ensure that records are accurate, complete, and properly documented.  As a Records Specialist 1, you will perform the following duties:

• Record Verification: Review criminal history documents and confirm dispositions using research tools and communication with agencies
• Data Management: Enter accurate information into departmental systems following established procedures
• Sentence Review: Compute and analyze sentence structures to confirm accuracy and identify needed updates
• Information Coordination: Cross-reference inmate data with courts, law enforcement agencies, and correctional partners
• Document Preparation: Prepare reports, affidavits, and written responses requested by supervisors
• Inquiry Response: Provide information to inmates, staff, and agencies regarding sentence structures

Interested in learning more?  Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

Work Schedule and Additional Information:

• Full-time employment, 37.5 hours/week
• Work hours are 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch.
• Telework: You may have the opportunity to work from home (telework) part-time, up to 3 days per week with approval from your supervisor and after successful completion of the probationary or training period.  In order to telework, you must have a securely configured high-speed internet connection and work from an approved location inside Pennsylvania.  If you are unable to telework, you will have the option to report to the headquarters office in Harrisburg.  The ability to telework is subject to change at any time.  Additional details may be provided during the interview.
• Salary: In some cases, the starting salary may be non-negotiable. 
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email.  Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE, TRAINING & ELIGIBILITY

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

• Two years of clerical or correctional custodial experience; or
• An equivalent combination of experience and training.

Other Requirements:

• Successful completion of basic training in Elizabethtown, PA is required.
  
• You must meet the PA residency requirement.  For more information on ways to meet PA residency requirements, follow the link and click on Residency Guidelines. 
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Legal Requirements:  

• You must pass a background investigation and meet Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance requirements. 

This position is subject to the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement or memorandum of understanding.  

You must be eligible for selection in accordance with merit system employment regulations. 

Recruitment Methods: 

• Applicants must meet one of the following methods to be considered for this vacancy:
  • Promotion Without Exam
  • Reassignment (Only current civil service employees in the same agency who hold the same or similar job title, with the same maximum salary, within the same occupational group or where there is a logical career movement, will qualify for reassignment.) 
  • Voluntary Demotion
  • Reinstatement (Former civil service employees may only be reinstated to the job title from which they resigned. Current civil service employees are not eligible through reinstatement.)

Promotion Without Examination (PWOE):

• Class Restrictions for Promotion Without Examination Only - You must have or have held regular civil service status in one of the following classifications:
  • Clerical Assistant 2
  • We will also consider applications from current Commonwealth employees in pay scale group ST03 for which there is a logical occupational, functional, or career developmental relationship to this position.  All applicants must meet the minimum experience and training requirements. 
• Employees who previously held regular civil service status in the job title of the position being filled are also eligible for promotion without examination.
• The promotion without examination requirements are issued in accordance with merit system employment regulations.
• Meritorious service is defined as (a) the absence of any discipline above the level of written reprimand during the 12 months preceding the closing date of the posting, and (b) the last regular or probationary performance evaluation showing an overall rating of satisfactory or higher. 
• Applicants must have a minimum of one year in the next lower classes by the posting closing date with no break in service. 

How to Apply:

• Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position.  Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
• If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements.  Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.   
• Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date.  Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.
• Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.
• All application materials and interview responses must reflect the applicant’s own experience, qualifications, and work.  Applicants may use generative AI tools for preparation purposes only.  Use of AI to misrepresent or falsify information, or to assist during interviews, is not permitted.  Review the Guidance for Generative AI Tools & Job Seekers for additional information.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce.  The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania.  The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law.  All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

Benefits

Learn more about our Total Rewards by watching this short video!

See the total value of your benefits package by exploring our benefits calculator.

Health & Wellness

We offer multiple health plans so our employees can choose what works best for themselves and their families. Our comprehensive benefits package includes health coverage, vision, dental, and wellness programs.*

Compensation & Financial Planning
We invest in our employees by providing competitive wages and encouraging financial wellness by offering multiple ways to save money and ensure peace of mind including multiple retirement and investment plan options. 

Work/Life Balance
We know there’s more to life than just work! Our generous paid leave benefits include paid vacation, paid sick leave, eight weeks of paid parental leave, military leave, and paid time off for most major U.S. holidays, as well as flexible work schedules and work-from-home opportunities.* 

Values and Culture
We believe in the work we do and provide continual opportunities for our employees to grow and contribute to the greater good. As one of the largest employers in the state, we provide opportunities for internal mobility, professional development, and the opportunity to give back by participating in workplace charitable giving.

Employee Perks
Sometimes, it is the little “extras” that make a big difference. Our employees receive special employee-only discounts and rates on a variety of services and memberships.

For more information on all of these Total Rewards benefits, please visit www.employment.pa.gov and click on the benefits box.

*Eligibility rules apply.

Supplemental Questions

Required Question

Agency Information

EmployerCommonwealth of PennsylvaniaAddress 613 North Street

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17120 Website http://www.employment.pa.gov