The wife of San Quentin State Prison’s second-in-command was selected for a coveted position in the prison’s health care department after two qualification requirements were dropped from the job post, according to internal documents and sources familiar with the matter.

Kim Broomfield, the wife of Chief Deputy Warden Ronald Broomfield, recently took on the role of interim training officer in the psychiatric inpatient program at the prison in Marin County, said three prison employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation.

But this week, after The Chronicle began asking questions about her hiring, Kim Broomfield was taken off the job, which is under California Correctional Health Care Services, the prison system’s health care unit.

State prison officials are now investigating why the position’s qualifications were modified, said Vicky Waters, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She would not answer specific questions about Kim Broomfield’s selection.

Correctional Health Care Services “does not have information on why the conditions of the out-of-class candidate pool changed at the prison, but we are looking into it,” Waters said.

Kim Broomfield and San Quentin’s warden, Ron Davis, hung up on a Chronicle reporter seeking comment about the episode. Ronald Broomfield did not return telephone messages.

Kim Broomfield’s selection prompted other prison employees to claim unfair hiring practices at California’s oldest correctional institution, which houses the only death row in the state. She has less experience than some of the other applicants, according to the employees who spoke to The Chronicle.

The state prison system has a written policy against nepotism and fraternization, which states that employees “shall not use their personal relationships to aid or hinder others in the employment setting.” Personal relationships include blood relatives, cohabitation and marriage.

The position was scheduled to last from Jan. 14 to May 13, the job post stated. Such roles, categorized as “out of class,” often convert into full-time jobs, sources said. They are available to applicants who have not been certified for that job class, and are offered on a temporary basis.

The job involves coordinating and maintaining training records for employees in the psychiatric inpatient program for Death Row inmates. It pays at least $5,000 per month, according to the job post.

Diane Desmond, chief psychologist and executive director of the program, distributed the job post Jan. 2 in an internal memo. The post invited employees who had at least 24 months of experience at San Quentin, and who met other eligibility requirements, to apply to be a training officer.

But in a Jan. 7 follow-up email, Desmond made two amendments to the job posting. Those interested in the position no longer needed to meet the “minimum requirements” for a training officer, and applicants could have less than two years of experience working at San Quentin.

“Those interested must work at San Quentin, though the length of employment may be less than 24 months,” Desmond wrote.

The change meant applicants no longer needed a certification known as “T4T,” or training for trainers, sources said.

Shortly thereafter, Kim Broomfield took over the training officer position, beating out other applicants who met the initial qualifications, the sources said.

In a Jan. 10 email sent to one applicant, Desmond thanked the candidate for a letter of interest but said that “the team has chosen another candidate.”

Around that time, Broomfield started scheduling training for others, sources said. Her selection was not publicly announced.

Waters, the state corrections spokeswoman, said human resource officers at Correctional Health Care Services had not approved a hire for the position at San Quentin.

She added, “The selection of employees for out-of-class assignments are reviewed considering education and experience in order to select the best candidate.”

When asked about Broomfield receiving the role of training officer, Waters said she did not know whether Broomfield had “independently been asked to do or perform other duties.” She has since returned to her previous position, sources said.

Sources told The Chronicle that several people complained about nepotism after Broomfield’s selection, feeling her husband’s position in the prison gave her a leg up over more qualified applicants. Six letters of interest were submitted for the position, Waters said.

Kim Broomfield started work at San Quentin on Nov. 15 as an office technician under Correctional Health Care Services. The new position included a $1,900 monthly pay bump, from $3,038 to $4,975, according to public job postings.

Public records show Kim Broomfield was once the president of a now-defunct, Fresno-area food delivery company called Precious Thyme. It is not clear what other jobs she has held.

The state prison policy against nepotism and fraternization doesn’t prevent spouses from working in the same program, section or unit, but bars them from supervising each other.

The position Kim Broomfield sought is not in the chain of command of her husband, and the person in the position would not have reported to the deputy warden, Waters said.

The side of the prison system that oversees prisoner custody has a hiring authority separate from Correctional Health Care Services. However, sources said, employees between the two departments work closely and in the same facilities.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy