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Government Information Specialist

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Office
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The incumbent performs duties as a FOIA Officer designee administering, implementing and processing requests made by the public for information contained in agency files.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/14/2020 to 08/28/2020
Salary
$55,738 to - $72,460 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Atlanta, GA
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HHS-CDC-M1-20-10880027
Control number
576219400

This job is open to

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Federal employees - Competitive service

Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Land and base management

Current or former employees of a base management agency.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses

Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista

Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.

Duties

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As a Government Information Specialist you will:

  • Follow established plans and procedures to meet the requirements mandated by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
  • Maintain liaison with and fosters exchange of information.
  • Analyze FOIA responses for adequacy of search, overall content, and proper administrative forms.
  • Review and analyze agency records to be released to ensure compliance with FOIA laws and CDC/PHS procedures.
  • Electronically redact exempted material from FOIA response documents.
  • Serve as one of the primary agency FOIA Office contacts with the public and special interest groups.
  • Review and analyze progressively more complex FOIA requests and responses.
  • Write official letters of denial for the FOIA Officer, citing specific reasons for nondisclosure and those sections of the Act and the Department regulations that provide the statutory.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • US Citizenship is required.
  • Background Investigation is required.
  • E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. Federal law requires DHS to use the E-Verify System to verify employment eligibility of all new hires, and as a condition of continued employment obligates the new hire to take affirmative steps to resolve any discrepancies identified by the system. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is an E-Verify Participant.
  • Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • Travel, transportation, and moving expenses will be paid: No
  • Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
  • Drug Screening Required: No
  • Recruitment Incentive may be authorized: No
  • Annual Leave for non-federal service may be authorized: No
  • Research position: No
  • Promotion potential: Yes, this position has promotion potential to GS-12. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your meeting qualifications and time-in-grade requirements, demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and administrative approval. Promotion to the next grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.
  • Supervisory position: No
  • Time in grade (TIG) must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
  • Public Trust/Moderate Background Investigation (5) is required.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 level of difficulty and responsibility in the Federal service as defined in the next paragraph.

Specialized experience is experience at or equivalent to which is directly related to the position which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position to include experience assisting in completing forms and legal documents; using electronic resources to research information; using the principles, concepts and methods of legal research and analysis; and using case processing software to process Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests or other legal cases and creating and/or processing FOIA requests.

OR

Have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

OR

Have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position..

Education

Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the education requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:
https://www.cdc.gov/jobs/future-applicant-information.html.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made within the same geographical location CDC-wide.

The utilization of shared certificates within multiple Centers of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention may be used from this vacancy announcement for specialties to include but not limited to: Applied Epidemiology, Behavioral Epidemiology, Chronic Diseases, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Environmental Health, HIV/AIDS, Immunization, Infectious Diseases (e.g. Viral, Parasitic, etc.), Influenza, Malaria, Non-communicable Diseases, Outbreak Investigations, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Surveillance, Tropical Medicine, Tuberculosis (TB), Viral Hepatitis, and/or Zoonotic Diseases.

If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans

Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service, www.sss.gov.

For information on "People with Disabilities" please see http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp
and https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/getting-a-job/sampleschedaletters.pdf.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

Former and Present Peace Corps personnel may be considered to fill vacancies. If you have completed no less than 36 months of continuous service without a break in service of 3 days or more under section 7(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2506) which pertains to the appointment of Peace Corps staff (not volunteers); or within 3 years after separation from qualifying service with the Peace Corps. A copy of your SF-50 is required to support your request.

Peace Corps Volunteers may be considered to fill vacancies. Executive Order 11103-Provides eligibility for appointment in the competitive service any person who is certified by the Director of the Peace Corps as having served satisfactorily as a Volunteer or Volunteer Leader under the Peace Corps Act and who passes such examination as the Office of Personnel Management may prescribe.

To view the questionnaire, click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10880027

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document(s), view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

How you will be evaluated

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

To Remain An Active Duty USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer
  • Join more than 6,500 highly qualified public health professionals as part of the U.S. Public Health Service. Overseen by the Surgeon General, you will be part of an elite and diverse team of professionals essential to public health leadership and exemplary clinical service
  • PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position with the Commissioned Corps, you are welcome to apply and receive a courtesy referral. Note that a courtesy referral is not a competitive civil service process and does not provide civil service status for the selected employee. Click Here for the comparison chart of Commissioned Corps ranks to civil service, which advises you on potential billet rankings.

"Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS."
Once the application process is complete, a review of resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
  • Analytical
  • Attention to Detail
  • Automated Software
  • Critical Thinking
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication

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