Senior Psychologist, CF (Specialist) - Pleasant Valley State Prison, Coalinga

Job Description and Duties

This Job Control is listed Until Filled. Applications will be reviewed on the following dates.

8/27/2026, 9/10/2026, 9/24/2026, 10/08/2026,10/22/2026, 11/05/2026, 11/19/2026

This is a limited term position which may be extended or become permanent.

Effective July 1, 2025, in accordance with the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) was implemented in response to the status of the State budget. 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 PLP 2025 leave credits monthly for at least 16 months. Salaries do not reflect the recent changes. Part-time employees are subject to the same conditions as full-time employees, on a prorated basis equivalent to their time-base. Permanent intermittent employees are subject to the same condition as full-time employees, based on the number of hours worked in the pay period.

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

Effective May 01, 2022, employees in this class, employed within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and who are physically located at and assigned to the Psychiatric Inpatient Program, shall receive a pay differential equivalent to 15% of their monthly base pay.

Only employees who provide direct patient care, treating patients’ in-person, on grounds or at a facility more than 50% of the pay period, are eligible for this pay differential.

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 referringemployee’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.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Special Requirements

Please 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 (MQ) will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are meeting MQ’s with education, you must include your unofficial transcripts/diploma for verification . Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If it is determined that an applicant does not meet the MQ’s, 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.

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 .

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.

If using academic education above the twelfth grade to meet minimum qualifications, include a copy of your degree and/or Informal (Unofficial) School Transcripts.

When submitting supporting documents, PDF file format is preferred.

CCHCS utilizes E-Verify to confirm candidate’s identity and employment authorization. For more information about E-Verify, you may go to .

This advertisement may be used for other vacancies that occur during the life of this recruitment.

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 .

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

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 can be found on the CalHR Salary and Benefits 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.

Examination Information

To obtain list eligibility for the SENIOR PSYCHOLOGIST (SPEC) before applying for the position(s), you should first take and pass the examination here CalCareers .

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, active license from the State of California to practice as a Psychologist.

• Other -

  Education : If using academic education above the twelfth grade to meet minimum qualifications, include a copy of your degree and/or Informal (Unofficial) School Transcripts.