Local Facility Chaplain

Position Title: Local Facility Chaplain – Full-Time
Location: Port Isabel Detention Center, Los Fresnos, Texas
Department: Veritas Management Group
Anticipated Start Date: October 19, 2026

Summary

Veritas Management Group (VMG) is a leading management consulting firm offering solutions to complex challenges involving public health, technology, and military domains. We serve government and commercial sector organizations, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations, domestically and globally. We are committed to transforming public health through equitable, data-driven solutions.

VMG is seeking a qualified, experienced, and culturally competent Local Facility Chaplain to support the Religious Services Program at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas. This full-time, onsite position is responsible for providing leadership and oversight of a comprehensive, multi-faith Religious Services Program serving a religiously and culturally diverse population.

The Local Facility Chaplain will provide pastoral care and spiritual support, coordinate religious programming and accommodations, oversee religious volunteers, and collaborate with facility personnel and community faith leaders to ensure equitable access to religious services and resources. This is a multi-faith institutional chaplaincy position requiring the Chaplain to respectfully serve individuals of all faith traditions, as well as those who identify with no particular faith.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, administration, and oversight of the facility’s Religious Services Program.
• Plan, coordinate, and oversee multi-faith religious services, programs, instruction, observances, and holy days.
• Provide pastoral care, spiritual counseling, crisis intervention, and individual support.
• Conduct pastoral rounds throughout the facility, including special management, medical, behavioral health, and other restricted units as permitted.
• Ensure equitable access to religious practices and services consistent with facility safety, security, and applicable requirements.
• Assist with religious accommodation requests involving diets, clothing and headwear, prayer and worship items, religious texts, and access to religious representatives.
• Recruit, coordinate, support, and oversee clergy and lay volunteers participating in the Religious Services Program.
• Assist with volunteer screening, orientation, training, scheduling, and compliance requirements.
• Develop and maintain relationships with local clergy, faith communities, religious organizations, and other community partners.
• Collaborate with facility leadership, food service, medical personnel, facility staff, and other departments regarding religious practices and accommodations.
• Identify, obtain, maintain, and distribute appropriate religious materials, scriptures, garments, worship items, and other faith-specific resources.
• Maintain required program documentation, service statistics, accommodation records, volunteer records, and reports.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for the Religious Services Program at the facility.
• Maintain availability for emergency religious-services needs and be able to report to the facility within 120 minutes when called for an emergency, either personally or through a designated qualified substitute.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Religion, Religious Studies, Theology, Ministry, Divinity, or a related field and a minimum of five (5) years of ministry experience; OR
• A minimum of ten (10) years of ministry experience without a qualifying bachelor’s degree.
• Demonstrated experience working in a detention and/or correctional/prison setting.
• Fluency in English and Spanish.
• Demonstrated experience providing pastoral care and spiritual counseling.
• Experience working with diverse religious and cultural populations.
• Experience leading and coordinating volunteers and supporting a comprehensive Religious Services Program.
• Knowledge of diverse religious beliefs, practices, observances, dietary requirements, religious items, and accommodation needs.
• Familiarity with multiple faith traditions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Rastafarian traditions, and Eastern and Western Orthodox Christian traditions.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated sound judgment, emotional maturity, professionalism, tact, and ability to remain composed in stressful environments.
• Ability to work effectively within the security requirements and operational structure of a secure facility.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active federal fitness determination, suitability determination, or federal clearance.
• Current or recent experience working at the Port Isabel Detention Center or another federal detention facility.
• Experience providing institutional chaplaincy services in detention, correctional, military, hospital, or similar structured environments.
• Experience administering multi-faith religious programs.
• Experience processing or evaluating religious accommodation requests.
• Experience addressing religious dietary requirements, including Kosher, Halal, vegetarian, and other faith-based practices.
• Experience coordinating religious volunteers and community faith organizations.
• Experience providing pastoral care to immigrant, migrant, refugee, or culturally diverse populations.
• Experience providing crisis pastoral care in secure institutional environments.
• Established relationships with diverse faith communities in the Los Fresnos/South Texas area.

Work Environment

• Full-time, onsite position at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas.
• Anticipated start date: October 19, 2026.
• Work is performed in a secure institutional environment serving a religiously and culturally diverse population.
• The Chaplain must be comfortable supporting religious practices that differ from their own and providing services without favoritism, proselytizing, or discrimination.
• Position requires maturity, compassion, cultural awareness, appropriate professional boundaries, and the ability to work effectively in a high-stress environment.
• Employment is contingent upon successful completion of all required facility access authorization, background investigation, fitness, suitability, credentialing, and other applicable screening requirements.