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Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist

Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Employment and Training Administration, Office of Unemployment Insurance, Division of Legislation.  

This position is inside the bargaining unit.  

Telework eligible based on managements' determination.

DOL encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including eligible under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A and Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% & more.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Posted 03/18/19
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$96,970 - $126,062 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
13 - This position is at the full performance level.
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Infrequent 0%
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Announcement number
DE-19-ETA-OUI-004
Control number
527886700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Also advertised as job #MS-19-ETA-OUI-006 for status applicants, VEOA eligible, 30% or more compensable disabled veterans; Sch A eligibles; Peace Corps (PC) personnel & former PC volunteers. To be considered for each, apply to BOTH jobs.

Duties

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As an Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist, you will:

  • Serve as an agency expert.
  • Provide authoritative advice and consultation to ETA officials and customers.
  • Recommend new approaches and alternatives to address current or anticipated problems.
  • Negotiate acceptable agreements to resolve conflicts and controversial disputes.
  • Elicit support of program officials, customers and other concerned parties.
  • Develop national guideline material.
  • Develop and apply new methods and techniques to solve problems where existing guides are largely inapplicable.
  • Study new and proposed legislation and regulations to determine impact on the program.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements.  Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

Individual Occupational Requirement

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), as described below:

Education

Undergraduate Education: Major study -- economics, industrial relations, laws, sociology, political science, public administration, or other related fields. Courses in statistics or mathematics applicable to the social sciences are creditable up to a maximum of 12 semester hours.

Graduate Education: Major study -- one or a combination of the social sciences that included social science research methodology and techniques, and provided a knowledge of the history, concepts, methods, and techniques of social insurance and/or the social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate.

-OR-

Experience

General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience in social science or related fields such as economics, sociology, political science, public administration, or industrial relations, or in the application of statistics or mathematics in these fields.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience related to social insurance. This includes experience applying statistics or mathematics to the social insurance field. Specialized experience must have demonstrated:

  • A knowledge of current social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate, and the principles of Federal/State/local relationships;
  • The ability to extend and modify existing techniques and methods or to develop new ones to identify, isolate, and resolve special problems; and
  • The ability to develop effective collaborative relationships with personnel in other fields and with groups having conflicting objectives.

Qualifying specialized experience may have been gained through work in the following or similar types of programs: unemployment insurance; old-age and survivors' insurance; workers' compensation; disability compensation; or other public or private programs covering common social insurance risks.

Specialized Experience

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the Federal Service. Specialized experience in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled, and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience must demonstrate experience in:

  • Interpreting Federal/State/Local legislation and/or regulations concerning Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs;
  • Providing technical assistance and guidance on UI requirements both verbally and in writing;
  • Developing and/or implementing operating procedures and/or policy guidance for UI programs; and
  • Monitoring UI program operations.

Education

Undergraduate Education: Major study -- economics, industrial relations, law, sociology, political science, public administration, or other related fields. Courses in statistics or mathematics applicable to the social sciences are creditable up to a maximum of 12 semester hours.

Graduate Education: Major study -- one or combination of the social sciences that included social science research methodology and techniques, and provided a knowledge of the history, concepts, methods, and techniques of social insurance and/or the social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION,  ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

How you will be evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Categories

Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

1. Program Knowledge - Knowledge of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program, to include UI tax and benefit operations.

2. Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

3. Oral and Written Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately; writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

4. Interpersonal Skills - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.


 
The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview).  The examining Human Resources Office (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions.  If not, the HRO may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.  Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLES ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration.  ICTAP/CTAP eligibles who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified".

Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.


To preview questions please click here.

Employment and Training Administration

Agency contact information

La Tricia Smith
Phone
202-693-3365
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
smith.latricia@dol.gov
Address
Labor, Employment and Training Administration
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Rm. N4656
Washington, District of Columbia 20210
United States

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https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/vacancy-information#marketing-statement

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