DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES - 74963

Executive Service

Background Check: This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position

Who we are and what we do:

The Tennessee Department of Correction operates and oversees 14 adult prisons across the state, housing some 21,000 offenders. In the community, TDOC supervises 79,000 offenders on probation, parole, or community corrections. The department operates 44 probation/parole offices in 13 districts across the state. The Tennessee Department of Correction operates safe and secure prisons and provides effective community supervision in order to enhance public safety.

Job Overview:

The Statewide Director of Religious and Volunteer Services incumbent oversees all volunteer and religious services functions. Responsibilities include establishing guidelines for facilitating consistent religious services statewide, reinforcing continuity, and ensuring religious holidays and practices are being observed adequately in each facility. In addition, the Director will be responsible for developing and administering policies on religious beliefs and practices and monitoring chaplaincy services statewide. This position serves as the Department's expert on religious engagement, providing a statewide overview, technical assistance, and coordination of all activities and services related to religious and volunteer activities within the Department of Correction.

Key Responsibilities:

• Developing and implementing long-range and strategic planning modules
• Monitoring and ensuring equity and fairness for all faith and volunteers statewide
• Ensuring constitutionally protected religious worship services and sacred scripture studies for inmate faith groups
• Serving as the Department's expert on religious accommodations and inmate religious litigation
• Collaborating with local religious community stakeholders on religious issues
• Training Chaplains and Volunteer Coordinators
• Receiving and processing National Crime Information Center (NCIC) information
• Recruiting faith-based and non-profit organizations for various TDOC programs
• Corresponding with volunteers and providing information on their application status
• Resolving issues with current volunteers and maintaining the volunteer database and website
• Creating status reports and conducting policy reviews
• Managing the planning and preparation of all aspects of meetings, retreats, and training
• Serving on the Tennessee Community Resource Board as the TDOC liaison and Chairperson of the Religious Activities Committee (TAC) RAC
• Traveling to all facilities across the state as needed
• Oversite of volunteer training, services, and approvals statewide.

Minimum Qualifications:

This position requires graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and experience equivalent to three (3) years of varied, increasingly responsible professional experience: qualifying full-time professional experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of four years. In addition, it requires effective communication, organization, and training skills, as well as strong presentation skills and critical analysis proficiencies. This position should include a minimum of an advanced degree in theology from an accredited seminary or graduate school, at least one unit of CPE certification from an ACPE approved program (4 units preferred), experience in leading complex programs or organizations. Non-profit management experience would be a huge plus. Ordination and in good standing with a faith tradition would also be advantageous. Most of these are the minimum standards for any chaplain in the state.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.