Career Opportunities
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
POSITION: Paralegal Specialist GS-0950-09/12
ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 05-07
Opening Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2005
CLOSING DATE: Wednesday, May 11, 2005
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 12
43365 - 81747 USD per year
LOCATION: 1 vacancy - Washington, DC
WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: Applications will be accepted from current and former competitive service Federal employees, and people eligible under special hiring authorities.
JOB SUMMARY:The position performs various legal assistance duties and provides legal support functions to the Office of Legal Counsel that include managing the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Ethics Program, certifying OIG officials' financial disclosure reports and maintaining the tracking control system for the Office.
KEY REQUIREMENTS:
- U.S. Citizenship
- Designated and/or Random Drug Testing required.
- Background and/or Security Investigation required.
- Time in Grade
Major Duties: Assists professional staff in the development, analysis, review and consideration of legal procedures and methods to reduce or eliminate inefficiencies, waste, abuses and opportunities for fraud and corruption in the administration of agency programs. Performs research on a variety of OIG legal issues, analyzes administrative and judicial decisions, opinions, determinations and rulings and provides legal support and assistance on key issues to OIG attorneys. Examine case files to determine relevancy of issues and sufficiency of evidence or documentation, searches for legal precedents and analyzes their applicability. Draft litigation papers and advisory opinions for review and approval of attorneys, and analyzes legal issues involved in requests for agency records. Manages OIG Ethics Program, including collecting, reviewing and advising employees regarding significant conflict of interest issues. Contributes to the administration of the financial disclosure reporting system by reviewing financial disclosure statements to identify potential conflicts of interest and by ensuring that financial instruments are reported in sufficient specificity to meet statutory requirements. Selects, assembles, summarizes and compiles substantive information on statutes and other legal instruments, as well as on administrative and judicial proceedings. Summarizes bills, records of hearings, committee reports and related legal documents received by the Office of Legal Counsel. Attends and reports on agency administrative hearings, Congressional and judicial hearings and other hearings and meetings as assigned.
Qualifications: One year of specialized experience is required. This experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression in the Federal service.
GS-09: You are expected to use initiative in carrying out such recurring tasks as reviewing cases to determine the need for additional data from field staff and providing routine advice to OIG employees involved in ethics and financial disclosure situations.
GS-11: Knowledge of and skill in applying basic legal principles and concepts, legal research methods and data analysis techniques are required to perform independently with recurring assignments. Practical knowledge of basic legal principles and concepts necessary to interpret and apply, or explain to others, the application of laws, regulations, precedents and practices covering one or more types of legal actions encountered in the agency.
GS-12: Resolve legal support problems or questions through the application of established criteria and methods, such as reviewing matters to determine the agency's position in similar cases, deciding on and carrying out the necessary procedural steps in a legal matter and recommending and justifying the need to pursue further actions such as litigation.
EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION:
GS-07: 1 full year of graduate level education.
GS-09: 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the position being filled.
GS-11: 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: If you do not qualify based on education or experience alone, you may be able to qualify by a combination of your education and professional experience by converting each to a percentage and then adding the percentages. Graduate Education: If your education is currently described in quarter hours, convert the quarter hours into semester hours by multiplying the quarter hours by the fraction 2/3. Note that only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level can be combined with the appropriate level of experience to qualify for the GS-9. For example, if a schools requirement for 1 year of graduate study is 18 semester hours, only graduate education beyond the first 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours can be combined with GS-7 level experience to qualify for the GS-9. Experience: To determine your percentage of qualifying experience, you must divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by the required number of months of experience. This position requires 12 months at 40 hours per week of experience. Finally, add your percentages of education and experience. The two percentages must total at least 100% for you to qualify under the combination and graduate education and experience.
You must be a U.S. citizen to qualify for this position.
You must submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test before you can be appointed into this position.
This position requires a Top Secret security clearance.
Time in grade restrictions must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
If you are a Federal employee, you must meet time-in-grade restrictions by the closing date of this announcement.
How You Will Be Evaluated:
You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledges, skills, and abilities associated with this position as defined below. When describing your knowledges, skills, and abilities, please be sure to give examples and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of the people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc.
1. Ability to perform research on a variety of legal issues such as, analyzing administrative and judicial decisions, opinions, determinations and rulings.
2. Ability to draft litigation papers and advisory opinions for review and approval.
3. Knowledge of the policies that pertain to the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act.
4. Skill in obtaining information and data necessary for the effective implementation of the laws that pertain to agency programs and functions.
How To Apply:
Mail your applications so it will be postmarked by closing date. If hand delivered, be sure your application is received by closing date.
All applicants, including current USAID and USAID/OIG employees, must submit one of the following application forms:
1. Resume and OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment or
2. OF 612, Optional Application for Federal Employment and OF-306
Your application must contain all of the following information or it will be marked incomplete:
Announcement number, and title and grade(s) of position; if applying for more than one grade level or job, submit an application for each grade level or job applying for;
Full name, date of birth, social security number, complete mailing address and day and evening phone numbers, country of citizenship, veterans’ preference, if applicable, reinstatement eligibility, and highest Federal civilian grade held;
High school name city and state, date of diploma or GED;
Colleges and universities name, city, and state, major, type and year of any degrees received;
Job title, duties and accomplishments; employer s name and address, supervisor’s name and phone number, hours per week, salary; do not incorporate or attach position descriptions;
Indicate whether we may contact your current supervisor; and
Job related training courses, job related licenses and certificates, job related honors, awards, and special achievements.
OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRED IN ADDITION TO THE APPLICATION FORM:
Narrative statement (written by applicant) explaining his/her experience relative to the KSA’s above. Do not respond by referring to an item number on your application or by repeating material on your application.
Current performance appraisal dated within the last 18 months, if currently employed in the Federal Government.
SF 50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing competitive status, if applicable.
Documentation showing proof of eligibility as a surplus or displaced employee.
Handicapped applicants, disabled veterans, and VRA's or any others eligible for a noncompetitive appointment under special appointing authorities must clearly specify this eligibility on their application and attach documentation.
If you are an eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant you may apply for special selection over other candidates for this position. Those who have special selection priority rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified to receive special consideration. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well-qualified if they receive a score of 90 or above. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria (KSA’s) for this position. ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.
Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent performance appraisal and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.
If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must attach a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must attach an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form.
If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
You can apply for a non-competitive appointment if you meet the basic eligibility requirements and you are eligible for special appointment such as those authorized for the severely disabled; certain Vietnam era and disabled veterans; returned volunteers from the Peace Corps or Vista, etc.
Please indicate the type of special appointment you are seeking, if any, on your application and follow all other instructions for applying shown in this announcement.
This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to insure that his/her application is complete. The personnel office will not be responsible for citing additional information from applicants.
Submit a narrative statement responding to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) identified in the announcement. This information will be used to determine your eligibility and/or rating and is required.
Application mailed using government postage or through an internal federal government mail system will not be considered.
Contact Information:
Cecelia Barksdale
Phone: 202-712-4189
Fax: 202-216-3392
Internet: cbarksdale@usaid.gov
Or write:
US Agency for International Development
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Room 8.07A
IG/M
Washington, DC 20523-8700
US
Fax: 202-216-3392
What To Expect Next: Once your complete application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 60 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified of the outcome.
Benefits:
You may participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, with costs shared with your employer. More info: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/jobextrainfo.asp#FEHB.
Life insurance coverage is provided. More info: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/jobextrainfo.asp#life
Long-Term Care Insurance is offered and carries into your retirement. More info: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/jobextrainfo.asp#ltci
New employees are automatically covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). If you are transferring from another agency and covered by CSRS, you may continue in this program. More info: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/jobextrainfo.asp#retr
You will earn annual vacation leave. More info: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/jobextrainfo.asp#VACA
You will earn sick leave. More info: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/jobextrainfo.asp#SKLV
You will be paid for federal holidays that fall within your regularly scheduled tour of duty. More info: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/jobextrainfo.asp#HOLI
Tele-work / telecommuting may be made available after you have come on board. More info: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/jobextrainfo.asp#TELE
Alternative work schedule options are available.
If you use public transportation, part of your transportation costs may be subsidized. Our human resources office can provide additional information on how this program is run.
Other Information:
When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval. You must submit all required information by the closing date. If materials are not received, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. The materials you send with your application will not be returned. Send only those materials needed to evaluate your application. Please do not place your application in a notebook or binder. Before entering on duty, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450. You will need to provide the information annually.
EEO Policy Statement
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement
Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Back to Top ^
|
