SENIOR PSYCHOLOGIST, CORRECTIONAL FACILITY (SPECIALIST)

Job Description and Duties

Effective July 1, 2025, in accordance with the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) was implemented. PLP 2025 requires each full-time employee in Bargaining Unit 19, and related Excluded, Exempt and Statutory Exempt employees, will have their base salary reduced by 3 percent and will receive 5 hours PLP 2025 leave credits monthly through June 2027. Salaries do not reflect the recent changes.

Limited Term 12 months; may be extended up to 24 months or become permanent.

Please be advised of the following additional pay benefits individuals may be eligible for:

• Recruitment and Retention Bonus may be available for clinicians newly hired with California Correctional Health Care Services.

• Please note: Individuals may be eligible to receive a $10,000 one-time recruitment and retention stipend should they meet the eligibility criteria, including but not limited to remaining employed with CCHCS for six months. Additionally, individuals may be eligible to receive a monthly recruitment and retention differential during their first year with CCHCS (totaling $20,000), should they meet the eligibility criteria.

• IMPORTANT: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) employees may be eligible for a $5,000 referral bonus should you be selected for hire, and remain employed with CCHCS for 90 days. For a CDCR/CCHCS employee to be considered, a questionnaire must be completed to the best of your knowledge, including the referring employee’s name, classification, PERNR, and work location. The questionnaire will be provided to the selected candidate during the pre-employment process.

Under the general direction of the Chief Psychologist, Correctional Facility (CF) or Chief of Mental Health Services, the Senior Psychologist, CF (Specialist), Suicide Prevention, Training and Assessment Coordinator coordinates the institution’s suicide prevention program, including training, suicide risk evaluations, internal reviews of suicide attempts and completed suicides, and institutional audits, reviews, and improvement of suicide prevention practices. The Senior Psychologist, CF, (Specialist) also coordinates and monitors the Mental Health Program’s training activities and has oversight of the psychological assessment program. The Senior Psychologist, CF (Specialist), maintains order and supervises the conduct of the incarcerated and protects and maintains the safety of persons and property. Some travel is required.

Minimum Qualifications

License: Possession of a valid license as a Psychologist issued by the California Board of Psychology And

Education: Possession of an earned Doctorate Degree in Psychology from an educational institution meeting the criteria of Section 2914 of the Medical Board of California's Business and Professions Code.

Individuals who do not qualify for licensure by the California Board of Psychology or who are in the process of securing this license will be admitted into the examination and may be appointed, but must secure a valid license within three years of appointment or the employment shall be terminated. For persons employed less than full time, an extension of a waiver of licensure may be granted for additional years proportional to the extent of part-time employment, as long as the person is employed without interruption in service, but in no case shall the waiver exceed five years.

(Unlicensed individuals who are recruited from outside the State of California and who qualify for licensure may take the examination and may be appointed for a maximum of two years at which time licensure shall have been obtained or the employment shall be terminated. Additionally, they must take the licensure examination at the earliest possible date after the date of employment.)

And Experience: Either

1.  One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Psychologist Clinical, Correctional Facility, or Staff Psychologist (any specialty);

2. Two years of postdoctoral, postinternship experience in the practice of psychology involving assessment and treatment and either training, research, consultation, or program planning in mental health services.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

Additional Documents

Special Requirements

• The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired.
• The position(s) require(s) Medical Clearance prior to being hired.

Do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for a job vacancy, such as your State application, resume, or educational transcripts. Confidential information that should be excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your Social Security Number (SSN), birthdate, student identification number, driver’s license number (unless required), basis of eligibility, examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age. Confidential information on the first page of applications submitted electronically online, such as Easy ID number, SSN, examination related information, and driver’s license number will automatically be redacted upon submission.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are meeting Minimum Qualifications with education, you must include your unofficial transcripts/diploma for verification. Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet the Minimum Qualifications, the candidate will be withheld from the eligibility list, rendering them inactive and ineligible to be hired for the position. Candidates who have been withheld may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board.

Candidates new to CCHCS are required to submit to a background investigation process utilizing Live Scan Fingerprinting.

Tuberculosis (TB) testing is required for candidates new to CCHCS prior to appointment followed by department annual TB testing/evaluation thereafter.

Applicants who completed their education outside of the US (with foreign degrees/transcripts) must obtain and submit verification of U.S. course/degree equivalency. Foreign education credential evaluation services can be found at NACES | National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.

When submitting supporting documents, PDF file format is preferred.

Employment History on the STD 678 must be complete and include dates, accurate hours per week, total time worked, duties and responsibilities, and contact names and phone numbers of supervisors. To prepare for the State Application process, please visit .

Application Instructions

Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.

Final Filing Date: 9/22/2026

Who May Apply

Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s).

Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).

How To Apply

Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:

Address for Mailing Application Packages

You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:

California Correctional Health Care Services

Regional Human Resources–Northern

Attn: Kaontao Vue

Regional Human Resources - Northern

PO Box 588500, D1, Personnel

Elk Grove , CA 95758

Address for Drop-Off Application Packages

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

California Correctional Health Care Services

Pelican Bay State Prison

Liliya Wanner

Pelican Bay State Prison - CCHCS

5905 Lake Earl Drive

Crescent City , CA 95531

08:00 AM - 04:00 PM

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Other - License: Possession of a valid license as a Psychologist issued by the California Board of Psychology.
• Other - Education: If you are meeting minimum qualifications with education, you must include a copy of your diploma/degree and/or unofficial/informal transcripts for verification. Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If you are not using education to meet minimum qualifications, you may bypass this requirement.

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website, , and the CalPERS website, .

Information on benefits afforded by membership in the California Public Employees Retirement System Benefit can be found on the CalHR website at .

Information on the benefits and protections provided to public employees by the State Civil Service Act can be found on the CalHR website at .

This webpage is intended to provide general information. Benefit eligibility may be based on job classification, bargaining unit, time base and length of appointment.

Contact Information

The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process.

Hiring Unit Contact:
Liliya Wanner
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Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.

EEO Contact:
CCHCS EEO Office
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California Relay Service: View phone number on us.fitly.work (TTY), View phone number on us.fitly.work (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Additional Information

Priority consideration will be given to Reemployment, Departmental Restriction of Appointment (DROA), State Restriction of Appointment (SROA), and Surplus candidates.

All methods of appointments may be considered.

CCHCS accepts electronic applications. If interested, please submit an electronic application (STD 678) and resume through your CalCareer account at Your application must be submitted on or before the above Final Filing Date.

Paper App (If unable to submit an electronic application): To apply for this position, you may submit a Standard State Application (STD 678) and resume, along with copies of your most recent performance report, college transcripts/college diploma (if applicable) and license/certification (if applicable) to the contact person listed above.

PLEASE NOTE: All applicants must meet the minimum qualifications (MQ's) of the classification, per SPB Rule 250. Possession of MQs for list eligible applicants will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet MQs, the necessary steps will be taken to have the applicant's name withheld from the eligibility list.

This advertisement may be used for other LIMITED TERM/FULLTIME vacancies that may occur at this location during the life of this recruitment.

Resumes will be accepted in addition to the required STD. 678.

It is up to the hiring authority to accept Training and Development (T&D) assignments. If you are interested in a T&D assignment, you are not required to meet MQs; however, you must indicate T&D as your eligibility when applying.

The term VAR and/or XXX in the position number indicates that multiple vacancies may exist for this classification.

Interview Checklist

To prepare for the interview process, please refer to the .