What are the responsibilities and job description for the Drug Testing Technician position at Pretrial Services Agency?
Summary
The Office of Defendant Engagement and Systems Support is responsible for the full range of PSA's defendant engagement services, including risk assessment, supervision, treatment and compliance monitoring.
If you have great people skills and interested in learning and applying drug testing procedures, this job is for you! You will be a valued team member in the Drug Testing and Release Services Unit.
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This job is open to
- Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference
Military spouses relocating under PCS orders or whose spouse is 100% disabled or died while on active duty.
Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.
Clarification from the agency
Status Candidates (Merit Promotion and VEOA Eligibles)
Duties
As a Drug Testing Technician, you will :
1. Monitor the submission of urine samples by defendants, offenders or respondents under court and post-sentence orders for drug testing and ensure effective maintenance of chain of custody procedures for samples.
2. Take photographs, verify addresses and update information in automated systems.
3. Explain drug testing procedures and distribute collection materials to individuals.
4. Input information into the Pretrial Real-Time Information System Manager (PRISM).
5. Apply rules and policies on confidentiality and release of protected information.
6. Perform other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Bargaining Unit Status and chapter : Covered, AFGE Local 1456
This is a law enforcement position.
This position is covered under the special provision for law enforcement retirement. By law, applicants for such law enforcement positions must be between 21 and 37 years old to be considered for initial appointment (that is, first appointment to a federal law enforcement position). The maximum age for entry on duty in a law enforcement covered position is the date immediately proceeding, the applicant's 37th birthday except for veterans' preference eligibles.
APPLICANTS MUST PROVIDE DATE OF BIRTH!!!!
A candidate appointed at a lower grade level may be promoted up to the full performance level without further competition.
Conditions of Employment
1. Must be a U.S. Citizen
2. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
3. Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
4. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period, if not already completed
5. All applicants are subject to a comprehensive criminal background investigation, and required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment
6. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice
7. Status applicants for promotion must have 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade
8. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the close of this announcement
9. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
HOURS : The incumbent of this position will be required to work in shifts or at unusual hours, including nights, weekends and holidays.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic professional requirements, or specialized experience requirement below.
Basic professional requirement : Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, psychology, social work or a related field. OR
One year of specialized experience related to the duties of the position that was comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS / GL-4 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as explaining drug testing or medical procedures, reviewing confidential information and the input of data into a computer system; OR
Combination of education and specialized experience as described above. (To qualify on this basis, you must have completed more than 60 semester hours of undergraduate education. Education beyond 60 semester hours is counted toward this requirement at a rate of 30 semester hours, or equivalent, for 6 months of specialized experience.)
NOTE : Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the experience requirements will result in an "Ineligible" rating.
Education
There is an education substitution at this grade level.
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated : (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
PASS / FAIL COURSES : If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass / fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
FOREIGN EDUCATION : If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit : https : / / www.ed.gov / laws-and-policy / higher-education-laws-and-policy / college-accreditation
Additional information
1. If you are an eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) applicant, you may apply for special selection over other applicants for this position. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal / PSA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. Click here for more information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility.
2. If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility , you must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" and / or a copy of the SF-50 that reflects career or career-conditional tenure, or you will not be considered under the merit promotion process. Also, you should submit your most recent performance appraisal.
3. You can apply for a non-competitive appointment if you meet the basic eligibility requirements and you are eligible for special appointment such as those authorized for the severely disabled; certain Vietnam era and disabled veterans; returned volunteers from the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps Vista, etc. Please indicate the type of special appointment you are seeking, if any, on your application and follow all other instructions for applying shown in this announcement.
4. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement . Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review in our office, in other Federal agency personnel offices, and on OPM's web site at http : / / www.opm.gov / qualifications.
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.
Review our 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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your rating will be based on your responses to the job specific information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly show how you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities will result in a rating of "Qualified" by the rating panel.
1. General knowledge of court operations as they relate to drug testing procedures and processes.
2. Familiarity with Windows-based computer systems and protection of confidential information.
3. Ability to work effectively with people in a criminal justice system.
Once the application process is completed, your application will be reviewed to ensure you meet the job requirements. You will be evaluated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training, job- related awards and supervisory appraisal of performance. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your resume will be forwarded to a panel for rating. Category Rating will be used to evaluate applicants using the following categories to further determine which applicants will be referred to the selecting official for final consideration.
Best Qualified : Applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a superior level on all evaluation criteria.
Well Qualified : Applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a satisfactory level on evaluation criteria.
Qualified : Applicants possessing the specialized experience described above.
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.
Review our 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.
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes :
1. Your Resume listing hours worked per week, salary, dates of employment and duties performed.
2. Other supporting documents :
College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education. Transcripts must include the school name, student name, degree and date awarded, if applicable. (Note : If you are selected for the position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day) May be required to satisfy the basic professional requirement.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements :
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11 : 59 PM (EST) on the closing date (03 / 12 / 2025) to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and / or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
Agency contact information
Tara Stoney
Phone
202) 220-5586
Tara.Stoney@psa.gov
Address
Defendant Engagement and Systems Support
633 Indiana Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004
Next steps
Once the on-line application and supporting documents are received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and / or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Criminal history inquiries
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes :
1. Your Resume listing hours worked per week, salary, dates of employment and duties performed.
2. Other supporting documents :
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements :
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.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11 : 59 PM (EST) on the closing date (03 / 12 / 2025) to receive consideration.
Agency contact information
Tara Stoney
Phone
202) 220-5586
Tara.Stoney@psa.gov
Address
Defendant Engagement and Systems Support
633 Indiana Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004
Next steps
Once the on-line application and supporting documents are received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and / or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
