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Organizational Ombudsman

Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary of the Interior
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution (CADR) under the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology, Information, and Business Services and reports to the Director of CADR.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/29/2018 to 11/05/2018
Salary
$96,970 to - $148,967 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13 - 14
Location
Arlington, VA
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - Travel of 6-10 nights per month may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
OS-6080-19-RD-005(DEU)
Control number
515252700

Duties

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The incumbent of this position serves as an organizational ombudsman and reports to the Director of the CADR office for broad policy direction.  The ombudsman works with other CADR staff to support the full range of conflict management and dispute resolution services and to identify opportunities and strategies to expand access to ombudsman services and improve the design and/or operation of the Department’s integrated conflict management system and further CADR’s mission.

At the full performance level GS-14 the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

1) Serve as a coach, facilitator or mediator, on request, as appropriate with the approval of all parties participating in the process and adhere to the relevant ethical standards of conduct for coaches, facilitators and mediators.

2) Serve as a subject matter expert providing advice on the design and implementation of an integrated conflict management system and the role and function of an organizational ombudsman in that system.

3) Facilitate discussions between key management officials within bureaus and organizational units, union officials and other stakeholders, on the integrated conflict management system model.

4) Handle incoming requests for impartial assistance from managers and employees providing a safe place for confidential discussions about sensitive situations.
5) Convene mediation processes when appropriate, and agreed upon by the parties seeking assistance.

6) Develop and deliver training, and mentor other trainers, on communication and conflict resolution skills and compile and report on evaluation results.

The Office of the Secretary has determined that the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Salary Information
GS-13: $96,970-$126,062 per annum, GS-14: $114,590-$148,967 per annum. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

This is a 2 year Term appointment for which all qualified applicants with or without Federal status may apply and be considered. Appointments to this position, however, will not convey permanent status in the Federal service and will not be for a period of more than two years and may be extended up to a maximum of 4 years without further competition.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available. 

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination
  • You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  • You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  • You must be a U.S. Citizen.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

To qualify for this position you must meet the Specialized Experience for the grade to which you are applying.  

Specialized Experience:

GS-13

To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service.  Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.  Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) providing conflict management and resolution services including mediation, group facilitation and training to improve communication, and collaborative problem solving; 2) delivering training on communication and conflict resolution skills; 3) assisting with the design and operation of an integrated conflict management system.

GS-14

To qualify for the GS-14, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service.  Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.  Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) providing conflict management and resolution services including mediation, group facilitation and training to improve communication, and collaborative problem solving; 2) delivering training on communication and conflict resolution skills; 3) assisting with the design and operation of an integrated conflict management system; and 4) providing impartial counseling and referrals, and working as an independent neutral with management of client organizations to improve their supervision, human services, and conflict management systems.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. 

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report.  In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior.  This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment.  DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity.  Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work.  All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are “Platinum”, “Gold”, and “Silver”.  However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the “Platinum” category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.  Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Technical Knowledge- Knowledge of conflict resolution and mediation techniques and practices in order to facilitate collaborative problem solving and resolve contentious workplace disputes. 
  • Interpersonal Communication- Skill in effectively communicating with managers and employees at all levels of the organization and the ability to provide training on conflict resolution. 
  • Analytical- Ability to identify opportunities to expand and improve collaborative problem solving and conflict resolution resources and to assist in identifying barriers to an effective Integrated Conflict Management System. 

If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.


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