Director Of Religious And Volunteer Services

Director of Religious and Volunteer Services

Department of Correction – Adult Operations – Nashville, TN

Closing Date: 03/03/2026

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

The Statewide Director of Religious and Volunteer Services oversees all volunteer and religious services functions. Responsibilities include establishing guidelines for consistent religious services statewide, reinforcing continuity, and ensuring religious holidays and practices are observed adequately in each facility. The Director develops and administers policies on religious beliefs and practices, monitors chaplaincy services statewide, and serves as the Department’s expert on religious engagement, providing statewide overview, technical assistance, and coordination of all activities related to religious and volunteer activities.

• 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
• Oversight of volunteer training, services, and approvals statewide

This position requires graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and three (3) years of full‑time, varied, increasingly responsible professional experience. Equivalent experience may be substituted for the required education on a year‑for‑year basis up to a maximum of four years. Applicants must also possess effective communication, organization, and training skills, strong presentation skills, and critical analysis proficiencies.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to fair and equal employment opportunities. The State's policy is to provide a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on 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.