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Clinical Psychologist (Staff Psychologist)

Department of Justice
Justice, Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System

Summary

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

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/11/2025 to 01/05/2026
Salary
$73,939 to - $115,213 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
Pekin, IL
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required for training and/or work related issues.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
NCR-2026-0100
Control number
852171500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

• BOP Employees nationwide • DOJ Surplus and Displaced (CTAP) Employees in the local commuting area. • Duty Location: FCI Pekin, IL

Duties

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Participates in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of a wide variety of personality evaluation methods and is responsible for the preparation of comprehensive psychological reports for various purposes.

Assists in interdisciplinary classification of inmates by identifying behavioral, emotional, organic, drug/alcohol, or personality problems and the subsequent development of appropriate programs on an individual basis.

Completes reports for institutional staff on inmates who may manifest sudden bizarre behavior or thoughts, insomnia, psychosomatic complaints, suicidal preoccupations, depression, somnambulism, anxiety, situational crisis, or long-term disciplinary and segregation cases, etc.

Conducts individual treatment and crisis intervention sessions on an as-needed or emergency basis.

Responsible for providing assessment and referral services for staff referred to psychology services by their supervisors or for staff personally requesting assistance with problems of alcohol use, drug use, or emotional problems which are affecting job performance.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staffs correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Requirements

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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:

  • 1. Meet CTAP eligibility criteria;
  • 2. 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
  • 3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility.

NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP 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:

Basic Requirements:

Satisfactory completion of all the requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology.

NOTE: If you are within nine (9) months of completing all the requirements for your PH.D in Clinical or Counseling psychology, you MUST electronically upload a copy of your unofficial transcript documenting current enrollment in a PHD program AND upload an official letter from the Registrar office or Dean validating current enrollment in Clinical or Counseling and your program projected completion date (MM,DD,YYYY). If selected, you MUST provide a letter from the university validating the completion date (MM,DD,YYYY) of all degree requirements to the local Human Resource prior to entering on duty. If your official letter from the Registrar office or Dean verified completion of all degree requirements with the sole exception being completion of your internship, an official letter from your Internship Program Coordinator, prior to entry on duty, is acceptable.

Applicants who meet the above basic requirements are fully qualified for the GS-11 level.

AND

In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must have:

Education:

GS-12: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position at this level.

OR

Experience:

GS-12: You must have at least 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 successfully perform the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of qualifying experience are:

  • Experience in making professional decisions concerning diagnosis and treatment of inmates under their care.
  • Experience in assisting in interdisciplinary classification of inmates by identifying behavioral, emotional, organic, drug/alcohol, or personality problems and the subsequent development of appropriate programs on an individual basis.
  • Experience in completing reports for the courts on study and observation cases.
  • Experience in providing assessment and referral services for staff referred to psychology services by their supervisors or for staff personally requesting assistance with problems of alcohol use, drug use, or emotional problems which are affecting job performance.

AND

Quality Ranking Factor:

  • Satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) from an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited educational institution, directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology.

NOTE: The above quality ranking factor is preferred. Therefore, applicants who possess the quality ranking factor can be ranked above those who do not, but no candidates can be rated ineligible solely for failure to possess a quality ranking factor.

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.

Additional information

Although 5 U.S.C. 3307 established a maximum entry age for original appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution, Applicants can be considered up to age 39.  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.

The representative rate for this position is $97,485 per annum ($46.71 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.

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.

The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office. On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered. The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score of 68 must be obtained. Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score. Note: The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques," three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.

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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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.

If you applied to more than one grade level, BE ADVISED that you may be selected at ANY grade level for which you applied and are found qualified (i.e., if the job is announced at the 9/11 grade levels and you apply for the GS/GL-9 and the GS-11,and you are found qualified at BOTH grade levels, you may be selected at either grade level).

What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?

The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:

GS-11 and GS-12:

  • Psychological Assessments
  • Intervention
  • Interdisciplinary Communication
  • Professional Development

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