Chaplain - SCI Coal Township

Full Job Description

The Department of Corrections at SCI Coal Township is seeking a dedicated and highly motivated Chaplain to join our Chaplaincy Department. This is a meaningful opportunity to provide spiritual guidance, emotional support, and compassionate care to individuals in a correctional setting. As a valued member of our team, you will help foster a supportive environment that promotes personal growth, rehabilitation, and well-being. If you are committed to service and ready to make a positive impact within the Commonwealth, we encourage you to apply today.

Requirements

As a Chaplain with the Department of Corrections, you will play a vital role in providing spiritual care and support to inmates across all faith traditions. In this position, you will minister to individuals of every background while also administering the sacraments, rites, and ceremonies specific to your own faith tradition for those who identify with it.

Your responsibilities will include leading faith-specific religious gatherings for inmates who share your broad faith tradition and coordinating or supervising comparable accommodations for individuals of other faiths. You will conduct regular rounds throughout the facility to ensure access to spiritual care, and you will provide spiritual guidance, grief counseling, and emotional support to any inmate seeking assistance—regardless of their religious beliefs or spiritual identity.

If you possess the required religious experience and are seeking a meaningful career where you can share your gifts while earning competitive pay and excellent benefits, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections invites you to apply. This is an opportunity to make a profound difference in the lives of others while serving the Commonwealth with compassion and purpose.

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

Work Schedule and Additional Information:

• Full-time employment, 37.5 hours per week
• Work hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM Thursday, with a 30 minute lunch.
• This position is eligible for full retirement benefits at age 50 or 55.
• Telework: You will not have the option to telework in this position.
• Salary: Selected candidates who are new to employment within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $59,345.00 (before taxes).
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

• Two years of professional pastoral experience and a bachelor’s degree; or
• An equivalent combination of experience and training that includes one year of professional pastoral experience.

Special Requirements:

• All candidates are required, at the time of application, to provide documentation from an officially sanctioned faith group dated within one year of the application date stating they are officially sanctioned or authorized to conduct worship/sacred services, and specifying which sacraments, rites, ceremonies, or rituals they are authorized to perform as a religious leader.
• All employees in the Department of Corrections must complete the Correctional Chaplains Training Course within six months of hire.
• All employees in the Department of Corrections must maintain their credentials with an officially sanctioned faith group on an annual basis for the duration of employment.

Additional Requirements:

• Successful completion of basic training in Elizabethtown, PA is required.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.
  
  

Legal Requirements:

• You must pass a background investigation and meet Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance requirements.
  
  

How to Apply:

Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position.

Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).

If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.

Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.

All application materials and interview responses must reflect the applicant’s own experience, qualifications, and work. Applicants may use generative AI tools for preparation purposes only.

Use of AI to misrepresent or falsify information, or to assist during interviews, is not permitted. Review the Guidance for Generative AI Tools & Job Seekers for additional information.

Veterans:

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce.

The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania.

The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law.

All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.