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Ascension LLC is seeking an experienced Program Manager, Immigration Detention Compliance Audits to serve as the dedicated management lead for audit support services involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immigration detention and holding facilities. This role is designed for a senior professional with strong correctional, detention, law enforcement, compliance monitoring, audit, or facility oversight experience who can manage staff, schedules, quality control, reporting, client communications, and sensitive government deliverables in a high-visibility homeland security environment.

The ideal candidate will bring the maturity, judgment, and operational discipline needed to oversee complex audit activities in secure detention settings. This position is especially well suited for a former warden, assistant warden, senior jail or detention administrator, correctional compliance leader, PREA audit professional, detention monitoring official, or senior law enforcement / investigative professional with direct experience supporting confinement operations. The SOW requires the ICE PM to have a bachelor’s degree or higher, at least 10 years of relevant detention, corrections, confinement, investigative, monitoring, or quality control experience, and at least 5 years of project management experience supporting large, sensitive, high-risk projects.

This is a mission-critical role. DHS is seeking professional auditing services to assess facility compliance with DHS PREA Standards across ICE immigration detention facilities, ICE holding facilities, and CBP holding facilities. The ICE Program Manager will help ensure audits are planned, staffed, executed, reviewed, and delivered with accuracy, consistency, timeliness, and professional quality.

Summary of the Contractor Role

The Program Manager will serve as Ascension’s dedicated ICE management point of contact for contract services and will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of ICE-related PREA audit operations. This includes managing qualified audit personnel, coordinating audit schedules, supporting transition and mobilization activities, overseeing quality assurance and quality control, ensuring report consistency, resolving staffing and performance issues, and maintaining effective communication with the Contracting Officer’s Representative and other designated Government representatives.

The successful candidate must be highly organized, calm under pressure, and able to manage multiple priorities across geographically dispersed facilities. This role requires a leader who can work in an ambiguous, deadline-driven environment, anticipate operational risks, manage sensitive information, and ensure that all audit work products meet DHS requirements before submission. The PM will also support implementation of the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan, maintain staffing continuity, ensure completion of required training and certifications, and provide analytical support to identify trends and patterns from PREA audit findings when requested.

Day-to-Day Activities and Responsibilities

• Serve as the dedicated ICE management point of contact for contract services, audit coordination, staffing, deliverable quality, and technical guidance received from the Government.
• Oversee day-to-day contract support operations to ensure conformity with contract terms, DHS PREA requirements, schedule expectations, reporting standards, and quality control requirements.
• Manage ICE audit staff, including Certified PREA Auditors and supporting personnel, to ensure adequate workforce coverage for uninterrupted contract performance.
• Coordinate audit schedules, travel requirements, staff assignments, report timelines, corrective action plan reviews, and Government communications.
• Ensure all auditor work products are accurate, consistent, objective, professionally written, and of sufficient quality to require minimal Government revision.
• Review PREA audit reports, interim findings, provisional findings, final reports, CAP final determinations, working papers, and related deliverables for compliance with DHS PREA Standards and SOW requirements.
• Monitor personnel changes and notify the Government within required timeframes for key personnel resignations, terminations, replacements, and updates to the employee list.
• Submit replacement resumes for key personnel review and approval, as required by the COR.
• Support development, submission, and implementation of the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan within required contract timelines.
• Provide analytical support to summarize PREA audit findings and identify trends, patterns, recurring issues, or process improvement opportunities when requested by DHS.
• Recommend improvements to DHS PREA audit processes, instruments, templates, workflows, and coordination practices where appropriate.
• Ensure all official audit-related communications are conducted through approved DHS systems and that emails containing PII are encrypted in accordance with contract requirements.
• Maintain communication capability among contractor staff, including reliable phone, voicemail, and email availability.
• Remain accessible by telephone on a 24-hour basis for emergency or urgent contract matters, as required by the SOW.
• Track completion of DHS-provided PREA training, agency-level training, certifications, and required annual or recurring training for contract personnel.
• Support onboarding and oversight of new auditors, including observation and support during initial audit assignments when approved by the COR.
• Coordinate with interpretation service providers to ensure audit teams can communicate with limited English proficient detainees, including indigenous language needs where required.
• Protect sensitive government information, personally identifiable information, audit records, facility documentation, and Government-owned work products.
• Respond promptly to personnel performance issues, security concerns, quality concerns, or Government-directed corrective actions.
• Prepare for post-award meetings, periodic progress meetings, leadership updates, issue resolution meetings, and contract performance discussions.