QUALIFICATION STANDARDS
Federal Occupations
General Schedule - GS-0000 through GS-2199

GS 000 - 099 QUALIFICATION STANDARDS

 

• GS 006 Correctional Institution Administrative Series

• GS 007 Correctional Officer Series

• GS 011 Bond Sales Promotion Series

• GS 018 Safety and Occupational Health Management Series

• GS 019 Safety Technician Series

• GS-028 Environmental protection specialist series

• GS 020 Community Planning Series

• GS 023 Outdoor Recreation Planning Series

• GS 025 Park Ranger

• GS-028 Environmental protection specialist series

• Return to Qualification Standards index

The following Standards are reprinted from OPM's Operating Manual "Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions."

GS 006 Correctional Institution Administration Series GS 006

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions."

EDUCATION
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study¾correctional administration, criminology, psychology, social work, sociology, or other fields related to the position.
OR
EXPERIENCE
General Experience (for GS 5 positions): Responsible experience in dealing with people that demonstrated the ability to work effectively with inmates and associates in a correctional environment. Such experience may have been gained in a correctional institution, a community crime or delinquency prevention program, or in any line of work that involved extensive contacts with people for the purpose of rehabil-itating, teaching, instructing, or guiding them.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS 5): 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.

For positions at GS 11 and above, experience must also have 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.

MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements apply to employees occupying positions covered by this standard, as well as to applicants for such positions.

Applicants and employees must be physically and mentally able to performing efficiently the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing, or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant for appointment. The loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation may also be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties of a position. Reasonable accommodation may include, but is not limited to, the use of assistance devices, job modification or restructuring, provision of readers and interpreters, or adjusted work schedules. Also, all positions involving Federal motor vehicle operation carry the additional medical requirements specified in FPM Chapter 930, Appendix A, "Physical Standards for Motor Vehicle Operators and Incidental Operators."

GS 007 Correctional Officer Series GS 007

This is an individual qualification standard.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION
Undergraduate Education: Successful completion of a full 4 year course of study in any field leading to a bachelor's degree, in an accredited college or university, is qualifying for GS 5 level positions.

Graduate Education: One full academic year of graduate education with major study in criminal justice or one of the social sciences is qualifying for GS 7. Graduate education may be prorated according to the grade level of the position to be filled, however, it is not qualifying for positions above GS 7.
OR
EXPERIENCE
General Experience (for GS 5 positions): Three years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS 4, are qualifying for positions at the GS 5 level. This experience must have demonstrated the aptitude for acquiring knowledge, skills, and abilities 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.

Qualifying 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.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS 5): One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression is qualifying for positions at grade GS 6 and above. Specialized experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Experience may have been gained in work such as police officer, mental health counselor in a residential facility, or detention officer.

EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW
The personal qualities and characteristics of the applicant are the most critical of all the requirements for Correctional Officer positions. The applicant must be willing to perform arduous and prolonged duties on any of three shifts. In addition, the applicant must possess certain personal qualities in order to relate to inmates effectively in a correctional setting. These include empathy, objectivity, perceptiveness, resourcefulness, adaptability and flexibility, stability, and maturity.

Before appointment, candidates may be required to appear before a panel of specialists in correctional administration for an employment interview to determine the extent to which the candidates possess these and other qualities necessary to perform Correctional Officer duties adequately. The interview will also serve to acquaint applicants with further details of, and the environment surrounding, the position. A determination by the panel that a person who is otherwise qualified does not possess such personal charac-teristics to the required degree may result in removal of his/her application from further consideration.

MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS

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, and have no deformities, disfigurements, or abnormalities that tend to be conspicuous. Persons having remediable defects or curable diseases, and who are otherwise qualified, will be admitted to the examination but must submit proof, during the time the list of eligible competitors exists, that the defects or diseases have been remedied or cured before they may be considered for appointment. The duties of a Correctional Officer are arduous, and sound health and physical condition are required.

No height or weight limits are specified, but weight must be in proportion to height. Male applicants under 66 inches and female applicants under 63 inches in height will be especially evaluated for stamina and vigor.

Vision: Uncorrected vision must be no less than 20/100 (Snellen) in each eye, capable of full correction to 20/30 (Snellen) in each eye, provided that defective vision is not due to active or progressive organic disease.

Hearing: Hearing in each ear must be normal, i.e., 15/15 in each ear by the whispered voice test. Hearing aids are not acceptable.

General: Hernia (with or without truss); organic heart disease (whether or not compensated); severe varicose veins; serious deformities or disabilities of extremities (including weak feet); chronic consti-tutional disease; marked abnormality of speech; facial disfigurement; or other serious physical defect or disease will disqualify for appointment. Disease of the nervous system or history or presence of mental disease or emotional instability may disqualify an applicant for appointment. Before entrance on duty, appointees will be given, without expense to them, a physical examination by a Federal medical officer, and will be rejected if they do not meet the standards specified above. Any person reporting for duty at the place of assignment and found ineligible because of physical defects cannot be appointed.

GS 011 Bond Sales Promotion Series GS 011

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions."

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS 5): Experience that demonstrated the ability to perform work involving promoting and maintaining the sales of U.S. Savings Bonds. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
· Progressively responsible work using the methods, principles, practices, and techniques of promoting a sales program that dealt with analyzing and solving problems and evaluating needs of clientele to administer public promotional programs, including the press, radio, and television media.
· Management of a substantial fund raising campaign involving extensive public relations activities that demonstrated the ability to convey information orally and in writing and to work with volunteers to obtain their aid in support of a program or project.
· Scheduling, planning, and conducting meetings with officials to obtain their support and participation in marketing efforts and in establishing and maintaining two way communication between a promotion/sales organization and executives/managers of business, industry, financial organizations, communities, and government executives.
· Work as a financial broker or company sales representative promoting a concept or product, such as insurance sales or benefits in an assigned geographic area, and that involved identifying new areas for possible expansion.

GS 018 Safety and Occupational Health Management Series GS 018

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions."

EDUCATION
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours of study from among the following (or closely related) disciplines: safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, and industrial psychology.
OR
EXPERIENCE
General Experience (for GS 5 positions): Experience in scientific or technical work that provided an understanding of the basic principles and concepts of the safety and occupational health field. Creditable general experience must have demonstrated the achievement of knowledge equivalent to the education described above.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS 5): Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
· Managing safety or occupational health program elements.
· Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management.
· Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements.
· Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards.
· Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses.
· Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards.
· Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards.
· Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards.
· Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects.
· Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse.
OR
CERTIFICATES
Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written exam-ination meets the requirements for GS 5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience.

GS 019 Safety Technician Series GS 019

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Technical and Medical Support Positions."

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS 4 and above): Experience that involved: (l) identifying, preventing, or eliminating safety hazards in work methods or environmental conditions; or (2) safety training or promotion. Such experience must have provided a practical knowledge of occupational and environmental safety hazards, survey techniques, and control and preventive methods. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: biological technician, medical technician, engineering technician, fire prevention inspector, and environmental health worker.
OR
Education and Training:
For GS 4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours of courses in safety, fire prevention, industrial hygiene, psychology, engineering, or in the agricultural, biological, or physical sciences.
For GS 5: Successful completion of a full 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of subjects such as safety, fire prevention, industrial hygiene, or other directly related subjects.

GS 020 Community Planning Series GS 020

Use the individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Professional and Scientific Positions."

Basic Requirements:
A. Degree: community planning; or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance.

Note: Applicants with degrees in related fields, such as those listed above, who do not have the 12 semester hours of specified course work must have had at least 1 year of work experience in community planning acquired under the supervision and guidance of a community planner.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience¾courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disci-plines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

GS 021 Community Planning Technician Series GS 021

Use the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Technical and Medical Support Positions."

GS 023 Outdoor Recreation Planning Series GS 023

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions."

EDUCATION

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study¾outdoor recreation planning or a related field such as: sociology, forestry, landscape architecture, economics, biological science, park administration, earth science, natural resource management and conservation, civil engineering, urban planning, or recreation. Applicants who qualify on the basis of graduate work in related disciplines must have one or more courses in outdoor recreation.

OR EXPERIENCE

General Experience (for GS 5 positions): Experience that provided a knowledge of the requirements and practices of outdoor recreation planning or natural resource utilization and conservation.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS 5): Experience that demonstrated the ability to plan and coordinate the use of land, water, and related resources for recreation and conservation purposes. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
· Ability to deal with people of differing backgrounds and behavioral patterns.
· Analysis and evaluation of outdoor recreation interests, habits, and needs of diversified groups, and the means for meeting those needs.
· Evaluation of land or water areas for their recreation and related potential use, such as wildlife reserve.
· Preparation or review of plans and programs for natural resource utilization and recreation area development.
· Solution of administrative, intergovernmental, socioeconomic, and other problems involved in providing adequate recreation opportunities while preserving, restoring, and enhancing the quality of the outdoor environment.

GS 025 Park Ranger Series GS 025

This is an individual qualification standard.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

The following table shows the amounts of education and/or experience required to qualify for positions covered by this standard.

GRADE EDUCATION OR EXPERIENCE

General Specialized

GS 1  - None None None
GS 2  - High school graduation or equivalent 6 months None
GS 3 - 1 year above high school with 6 semester hours of related course work 6 months 3 months
GS 4 - 2 years above high school with 12 semester hours of related course work 6 months 6 months
GS 5 - 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours of related course work None 1 year equivalent to at least GS 4
GS 7 - 1 full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation or superior academic achievement None 1 year equivalent to at least GS 5
GS 9 - 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation None 1 year equivalent to at least GS 7
GS 11 - 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree related to the occupation None 1 year equivalent to at least GS 9
GS 12 and above None None 1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable.

EDUCATION


Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study¾natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforce-ment/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources.Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled.

OR EXPERIENCE

General Experience (for positions at GS 4 and below): Experience in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work that provided a familiarity with natural or cultural history; fish or wildlife habitat characteristics; techniques of resource protection and use; recreational use of public lands and facilities; enforcement of laws, rules, or regulations; fire prevention techniques and fire suppression methods; or the practice of interpersonal relations skills in dealing with the general public. Experience in substantive and relevant secretarial, clerical, or trades and crafts work is also qualifying if pertinent to the position to be filled. Experience of a routine nature, such as typing, filing, maintaining records, or other nonspecialized tasks is not qualifying.

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS 3 and above): Experience that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Park guide or tour leader.
· Law enforcement or investigative work.
· Archeological or historical preservation research work.
· Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area.
· Management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations.

USE OF SELECTIVE FACTORS

Some Park Ranger positions may require knowledge, skills, abilities or other qualifications that are in addition to those described in this standard. Examples include specialized certification(s), possession of a law enforcement commission, or other qualifications essential to successful performance in the position to be filled.

TEST REQUIREMENTS
Refer to Section V of this Handbook for information about test requirements.

GS-028 Envrionmental protection specialist series

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions."

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