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Correctional Program Officer (Chief, Digital Forensics Unit)

Department of Justice
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System
This job announcement has closed

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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Job closed
Open date: 09/01/2026
Closed date: 09/01/2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—Telework eligible as per agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$143,913 - $187,093 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Promotion potential
14
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required for training and/or work related issues.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
ITD-26-13052080
Control number
882983300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

THIS IS A DELEGATED EXAMINING ANNOUNCEMENT OPEN TO ALL U.S. CITIZENS. • Division: Information Technology & Data Division, Office of Security Technology, Digital Forensics Unit, Central Office, Washington, D.C. • Duty Location: Central Office, Washington, D.C.

Duties

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The Chief serves as the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) technical authority for selection and application of Digital Forensics Unit (DFU) forensic tools and is responsible for a variety of complex intelligence and forensic analyses in support of the BOP.

Provides invaluable substantive assistance to the supervisor in supporting the DFU's complex security technology mission, and regularly acts as an expert spokesperson at high-level working groups within the law enforcement community.

Supervises, oversees, plans, coordinates, and assists in directing the national DFU mission supporting the entire BOP.

Must train and assist in the certification of other staff assigned to work in the DFU.

Supervises the forensic analysis of all digital forensics of all electronic devices recovered throughout the BOP and disseminates raw intelligence to all field sites.

Provides guidance to field sites on the intelligence forwarded and its potential relativity to their investigative efforts.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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 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:

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 serving as a senior digital forensics subject matter expert.

  • Experience providing briefings and operational support to investigative teams.

  • Experience providing oversight of training and evaluating the performance of team members.

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

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.

Additional information

NOTE: Telework eligible as per agency policy.

Special Conditions of Employment Section:
Initial appointment to a supervisory/managerial position requires a one-year probationary period.

The incumbent is subject to geographic relocation to meet the needs of the agency.

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.

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

This is a secondary/non-law enforcement coverage position. Individuals that DO NOT have three years of law enforcement coverage gained in a primary law enforcement position by the closing date of the vacancy announcement are ineligible for secondary law enforcement position(s) and coverage but may still be considered for a non-law enforcement position.

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.

Current Federal Law Enforcement Employees:
Completion of the mandatory courses "Introduction to Correctional Techniques (ICT) Phase I and Phase II" is a condition of employment for this secondary law enforcement position. Employees who have not yet completed ICT Phase I and II will be required to do so after entering the position. This requirement does not apply to non-law-enforcement positions.

Eligibility for secondary law enforcement coverage is determined in accordance with applicable regulations. Coverage may be attained through any qualifying federal law enforcement officer service that meets the definitions in 5 U.S.C. 8401(17) and satisfies the conditions in 5 CFR 842.803.

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.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Based upon your responses to the assessment questions during the application process, your application will be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Applications will be reviewed from the top-quality category.

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. ยง 3318(b).

What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?
The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:

  • Managing Human Resources
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Problem Solving
  • Writing

Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System

Agency contact information

Consolidated Staffing Unit

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Learn more about what it's like to work at Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.bop.gov

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