Functions as a School Counselor within the secure confines of a Bureau of
Prisons (BOP), federal correctional facility.
Acts as the primary liaison between the Education department, Unit Team, as
well as other departments, to provide counseling and direction of the
educational process for offenders.
Provides the necessary skills, abilities, training, and experience to counsel
offenders through the educational process in a successful manner, including
those requiring special services.
Promotes positive social-emotional-behavioral supports for offenders while
ensuring necessary accommodations, interventions, and modifications
are implemented as needed.
Helps to create a safe, proactive educational experience, strengthens
community partnerships and improves Bureau-wide accountability.
Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is
charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The
staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this
position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.
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:
- Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
- Be rated well-qualified for the position, 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:
- 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.
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: U.S Department of Justice - Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
Key Requirements:
- U.S. Citizenship is Required.
- See Special Conditions of Employment Section.
- Selective Service Requirement
Basic Requirements:
Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours
appropriate to the position to be filled in one or a combination of the areas
described below. At least one course must have been from (1) or (2) below.
For guidance counselor positions, a college or university-sponsored practicum
in counseling is also required.
- Test and measurement: Study of the selection, evaluation,
administration, scoring, interpretation, and uses of group and individual
aptitude, proficiency, interest, and other tests.
- Adult education: Study of the adult as a learner, teachinglearning
theories for adults, models and procedures for planning, designing,
managing, and evaluating adult learning activities.
- Educational program administration: Study of the foundation and
methods in organizing for adult and continuing education programs.
- Curriculum development or design: Study of the principles and
techniques for development of curricula for adult or vocational education
programs.
- Teaching methods: Study of teaching strategies and learning styles
of the adult learner.
- Guidance and counseling: Study of the purposes and methods in
counseling and guidance, the role of the counselor in various settings,
approaches to counseling, and the uses of tests in the counseling
situation.
- Career planning: Study of career development, learning activities,
systems, approaches, program coordination, use of educational and community
resources, and vocational counseling systems..
- Occupational information: Study of theories of occupational choice
and vocational development and their application to the guidance process.
Identification and utilization of various types of occupational information
and resources.
AND
In addition to having the above Basic Requirements, applicants must also meet
the following:
Education:
Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a
Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
OR
Experience:
One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to
the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have
equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform
successfully the duties of the position and must typically be in or related
to the position to be filled.
Some examples of this qualifying experience could be:
- Experience in serving as a school counselor and delivering evidencebased
school counseling practices to students while independently creating
school counseling lesson plans, instructional materials, student worksheets,
and progress monitoring charts and graphs as well as documenting all student
progress for learning and social-emotional-behavioral indices.
- Experience in serving as lead school counselor and supervising graduate
practicum students in their completion of required university program
assignments.
- Experience in developing and delivering in-service training to fellow
school counselors on the four sets of school counseling standards as defined
by the American School Counselors Association (ASCA).
- Experience in developing and delivering in-service training to school
faculty and staff on American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Student
Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success.
- Experience administering, scoring and interpreting criterion-referenced
and standardized academics test, followed by developing intervention
strategies to address individual academic and social-emotional-behavioral
needs of students.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience:
Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and
specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements.
Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next
lower grade level may be combined with experience. This experience must have
equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the major
duties of this position as described above.
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.**
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.
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for original appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution.
If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you MUST submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage.
Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans may be exempt from meeting the maximum age. Please refer to the Required Documents Section for the appropriate documentation to submit to validate veteran eligibility.
Special Conditions of Employment Section:
Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.
All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.
All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.
Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques", three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.
Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire CompetencyBased Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
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.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.
You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
- Attention to Detail
-
Flexibility
-
Integrity/Honesty
-
Interpersonal Skills
-
Reasoning
-
Self-Management
-
Stress Tolerance
-
Teamwork
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are found qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to the responses you provided on the online assessment.
NOTE: Candidates within the top-quality category and who are eligible for veterans' preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veteran's preference you are claiming on your resume.
Although veterans' preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under "How You Will Be Evaluated", veterans preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified.
Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). As noted above, an agency may not select a non-preference eligible in lieu of a preference eligible in the same category unless there are grounds for a passover and the agency has complied with the passover procedures at 5 U.S.C. § 3318(b).
To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13039366
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:
- The military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and
- The character of service (must be an honorable or general discharge); and
- 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: for proof of prior LEO coverage, if applicable.
- Proof of ICTAP/CTAP eligibility, Click Here, if applicable.
For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.
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.
