Summary
Why work for the Federal Bureau of Prisons?
You can have a meaningful career with an agency that truly values a diverse workforce. You will find a diverse workforce employed from entry level jobs to senior management positions. We protect public safety by ensuring federal offenders serve their sentences of imprisonment in facilities that are safe, humane, and provide reentry programming. Employees at correctional facilities perform correctional work regardless of their specific occupation.
Clarification from the agency
• THIS IS A DIRECT HIRE ANNOUNCEMENT OPEN TO ALL U.S. CITIZENS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SERVES AS A PUBLIC NOTICE FOR DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY.
• DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPLY ONLINE. REFER TO THE “HOW TO APPLY SECTION” FOR APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
• Duty Location: FCC Yazoo City, MS
Duties
Provides supervision, care and correctional treatment of inmates and guidance to lower-graded Correctional Officers. Incumbent is concerned with maintenance of institution security contributing to the health and welfare of the inmates and the promotion of good public relations.
Enforces rules and regulations governing facility security, inmate accountability and inmate conduct to ensure judicial sanctions are carried out and inmates remain in custody. From time to time, may be authorized to carry firearms and to use physical force, including deadly force, to maintain control of inmates.
During institution emergencies or other periods of heavy workload or limited staff, may be required to work long and irregular hours, unusual shifts, Sundays, holidays and unexpected overtime. Information as to operations and procedures is provided by post orders, BOP program statements, local supplements, custodial manual, internal correspondence and staff meetings. Incumbent must be flexible and have a broad knowledge base to use own initiative in the resolution of problem situations.
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 qualification requirements:
Education:
GL-05: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in any field leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
GL-06: Nine (9) semester hours or fourteen (14) quarter hours of graduate level education in a major study in criminal justice, social science, or other field related to this position.
GL-07: One full academic year of graduate education with major study in criminal justice, social science, or other field related to the position is qualifying for GL-07.
OR
Experience:
GL-05: At least 3 years of full-time general experience, one year of which was equivalent to the GL-04 grade level. This experience must have demonstrated the aptitude for acquiring the qualifications required for correctional work, and, in addition, demonstrate the possession of personal attributes important to the effectiveness of correctional officers, such as:
- Ability to meet and deal with people of differing backgrounds and behavioral patterns.
- Ability to be persuasive in selling and influencing ideas.
- Ability to lead, supervise, and instruct others.
- Sympathetic attitude towards the welfare of others.
- Ability to reason soundly and to think out practical solutions to problems.
- Ability to make decisions and act quickly, particularly under stress.
- Poise and self-confidence, and ability to remain calm during emergency situations.
General experience may have been gained in work such as:
- Social case work in a welfare agency or counseling in other types of organizations.
- Classroom teaching or instructing.
- Responsible rehabilitation work, e.g., in an alcoholic rehabilitation program.
- Supervising planned recreational activities or active participation in community action programs.
- Management or supervisory work in a business or other organization that included directing the work flow and/or direct supervision of others.
- Sales work, other than taking and filling orders as in over-the-counter sales.
GL-06: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level in federal service. This experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, performing duties, such as, ensuring individuals confined in a correctional or mental health facility adhere to the rules and regulations; responding to domestic disturbances; or apprehending and arresting individuals violating the law.
Examples of occupations where specialized experience may have been gained:
- Correctional Officer
- Detention Officer
- Police Officer
- Border Patrol Agent
- State Trooper
- Sheriff
- Park Ranger
- Deputy Sheriff supervising inmates in a jail
- Mental Health Residential Facility Worker
Some examples of this qualifying experience are:
- Providing supervision, care and security of inmates and guidance to lower-graded Correctional Officers.
- Supervising inmates in living quarters and instructing them in proper housekeeping and sanitation.
- Experience working as a Police Officer responding to domestic disturbances and issuing citations for law violations.
- Experience in investigating crime scenes as a State Trooper.
- Experience as a Mental Health Worker in a Mental Health Lockdown facility.
- Enforcing rules and regulations governing facility security, inmate accountability and inmate conduct to ensure judicial sanctions are carried out and inmates remain in custody.
GL-07: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level in federal service. This experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, performing duties, such as, the supervision of individuals confined in a correctional facility, the application of rules and regulations relative to a correctional institution, or guiding lower graded correctional officers.
Examples of occupations where specialized experience may have been gained:
- Correctional Officer
- Jailer
- Detention Officer
- Deputy Sheriff supervising inmates in a jail.
- Military Corrections (Brig, Internment/Resettlement Specialist, etc.
Some examples of this qualifying experience are:
- Providing supervision, care and security of inmates in a correctional environment.
- Experience supervising inmates throughout the institution and providing instructions related to institutional procedures and sanitation.
- Enforcing rules and regulations governing correctional institution security, inmate accountability and inmate conduct.
- Experience with conducting various count procedures of inmates.
- Experience working various correctional posts, assignments (such as Control Room, Rear-gate, Housing Units, etc.)
AND
Medical Requirement:
The Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons has established the following medical requirements for Correctional Officer positions:
The duties of these positions involve unusual mental and nervous pressure, and require arduous physical exertion involving prolonged walking and standing, restraining of prisoners in emergencies, and participating in escape hunts. Applicants must be physically capable of performing efficiently the duties of these positions, and be free from such defects or disease as may constitute employment hazards to themselves or others. The duties of a Correctional Officer are arduous; and sound health as well as physical fitness is required.
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.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
ADDITIONAL SALARY INFORMATION:
A 25% of Initial Salary or $10,000 (whichever is greater) Recruitment Incentive for all eligible NEW Hire Correctional Officer who must enter on duty no earlier than March 26, 2023, and NO LATER than September 24, 2023:
Upon completion of the Recruitment Service Agreement, Retention Incentives may be initiated.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
This position is processed under Direct Hire Authority. Veteran’s Preference and Category Rating procedures do not apply.
Applicants will be evaluated utilizing the documentation submitted and considered for the grade level in which the resume and/or educational transcripts supports.
What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?
The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA’s) are required:
GL-05 and GL-06:
- Oral Communication
- Interpersonal Skills
- Writing
- Organizational Awareness
- Manages Human Resources
- Stress Tolerance.
GL-07:
- Ability to communicate orally.
- Ability to observe and pay attention to detail in order to recognize signs of discord, abnormal behavior, etc.
- Ability to communicate in writing.
- Ability to supervise inmates/participants.
- Ability to react and remain calm and make sound decisions in emergency situations.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
All applicants MUST submit the following Required Documents in your Application Packet directly to the hiring institution to receive consideration:
- Veterans' Preference Documentation: Veterans must demonstrate 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). Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD-214 indicating type of discharge); or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal).
- If you are currently on active duty, a statement from the appropriate Branch Personnel Office containing the following information: Name, Rank, Branch of Service, Active Duty time, Campaign Badges and Expeditionary Medals as applicable, Projected Separation Date, and type of anticipated discharge must be provided.
- SF-15: If you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or 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", and the other required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim. Documentation to support a service-connected disability rating must be an official combined service-connected disability rating provided by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Individual disability ratings are not creditable. Veterans must also demonstrate 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).
- Resume: Resume must include: your point of contact information and detailing relevant experience (cover letter optional).
- In order to receive credit for experience contained in an uploaded resume, 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.
- 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).
- SF-50: for proof of prior LEO coverage, if applicable.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
A complete application packet MUST be submitted directly to the following email address: YAZ-Hiring-S@bop.gov
You must include the last four digits of your social security number and the vacancy announcement number on your application packet.
All questions regarding this position should be directed to the Human Resource Staff, Rebecca Jackson at 662-751-4800 ext 4264 or Shamekia Potts at 662-751-4800 ext 4266.
PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPLY ONLINE.
Next steps
The Human Resource Office will notify you of the status of your application. Applicants will be notified via e-mail, to the e-mail address on your resume. The Human Resource Office may contact you for an interview if they wish and expect to make a final job offer within 80 days of interview.
Interviews- Applicants may receive an e-mail, mail or a telephone inquiry from the Human Resource Department.
Applicants MUST contact the Human Resource Department telephonically or via e-mail during normal business hours to schedule an interview.
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