Remote Behavioral Science Research Jobs in Washington

Summary
Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.
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Duties
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Designs and conducts research and data collection to evaluate all aspects of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
Serves as a source of knowledge for other BOP researchers and BOP staff in the following areas of sociology: criminology, criminal justice, corrections, evaluation research and research methods.
Maintains familiarity with current research methodologies and research findings in the social sciences relevant to BOP goals and interests, bringing this knowledge to bear on the research conducted, and reports written.
Oversees and coordinates researches contracted to do research in the BOP, critically evaluating the appropriateness and usefulness of their work.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is Required.
• See Special Conditions of Employment Section.
• Selective Service Requirement: http://www.sss.gov

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 or ICTAP 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.

NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP or ICTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.
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: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
Qualifications
To be considered for the position, you must meet the following:
Basic Requirements:
A. Degree: that included at least 24 semester hours of course work in the behavioral or social sciences.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience - that included at least 24 semester hours of course work in the behavioral or social sciences, and that provided applicants with knowledge of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a 4-year degree as shown in A above.
Evaluation of Education - Courses, such as sociology, correctional administration, criminal justice, government/political science, psychology, social work, counseling, and other related social or behavioral science courses may be used to satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement.
Evaluation of Experience - Experience must have been gained in (1)casework in a correctional institution or in another criminal justice setting; (2) counseling in any setting, provided it required diagnostic or treatment planning skills to achieve specific social or occupational goals; or (3) work treating persons in need of social rehabilitation.
AND
In addition to the basic requirements, you must have:
Education:
GS-11: Master's or equivalent graduate degree.
GS-12: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
NOTE: Graduate Education: Completion of graduate level education in addition to meeting the basic requirements is qualifying for positions at grades GS-11 and GS-12 research positions if it provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.
OR
Experience:
GS-11 and GS-12: 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.
GS-11 and GS-12 only: Applicants who furnish positive evidence that they have performed highly creative or outstanding research that has led or can lead to major advances in a specific area of research, to a major advance in the discipline or field of science involved, or to major advances in science in general, can be rated under this provision for highly demanding research positions requiring similar abilities. Under these circumstances, applicants can be rated eligible for the next higher grade level above that for which they would normally be rated, provided they have not been rated eligible at this higher grade on the basis of meeting the graduate study requirements described above. To receive this rating, the work must have been creative in the sense that it developed a basic principle, product, concept, method, approach, or technique, or provided a body of basic information that opened the way for a major advance in the discipline or field of science involved, or to advances in science in general, by providing a method of solving other problems, opening areas of research, or providing the means of exploiting the application of science in a major area. Some examples of this qualifying experience are:
GS-11:

• Experience organizing and assessing pertinent research literature, developing a research design and methodology, and coordinating data collection.
• Experience interpreting research related policies in order to develop appropriate research audit guidelines.
• Experience using various types of research methodologies for the observation and measurement of behavior and attitudes, including interview techniques, unobtrusive measurement and survey methods.
• Experience providing technical support for a research study.
• Experience preparing technical reports, memoranda and other correspondence.

GS-12:

• Experience in theories and data in sociology, corrections, criminal justice and criminology.
• Experience in various types of research methodologies for the observation and measurement of behavior and attitudes, including interview techniques, unobtrusive measurement, and survey methods.
• Experience working with statistical computer programs and programming skills available for data analysis, including SAS, SPSS, STATA, R and others.

AND
Quality Ranking Factor:

• Applicant who possesses a Master's or PhD degree in a Social or Behavioral Science from a college/university accredited by United States Department of Education is preferred. Applicants must upload a copy of their transcript(s) at the time they apply to the vacancy announcement to verify education.

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 number of hours worked per week) spent in the 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
Special Conditions of Employment Section:
For non-law enforcement positions, the Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting the EEO Office in the Central Office at BOP-PRD-EEOOffice-S@bop.gov.
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.
Current Federal Law Enforcement Employees:
This is a non-law enforcement clerical or administrative support position (one-grade interval). Individuals selected for these positions will lose law enforcement coverage and will need to return to a position with "primary" law enforcement coverage to regain coverage.
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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.
Benefits
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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.