This is an excepted service appointment under the Department of Justice Pathways Recent Graduate Program. After successful completion of the program requirements, the individual may, at agency discretion, be converted to a term or permanent appointment. A recent grad converted to a term appointment may be subsequently converted non-competitively into a permanent competitive service position before the term expires.
Summary
This is an excepted service appointment under the Department of Justice Pathways Recent Graduate Program. After successful completion of the program requirements, the individual may, at agency discretion, be converted to a term or permanent appointment. A recent grad converted to a term appointment may be subsequently converted non-competitively into a permanent competitive service position before the term expires.
As a Government Information Specialist (FOIA/PA) (Recent Graduate) you will:
Provide advice and guidance to staff within the Criminal Division regarding disclosure of agency records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA);
Serve as resource to members of the public seeking access to Criminal Division records pursuant to the FOIA or Privacy Act;
Process routine FOIA/PA request for access to records maintained by the Criminal Division;
Review and analyze information in response to FOIA/PA requests;
Serve as the initial point of contact to resolve technical questions within the Criminal Division related to FOIA/PA requests; and
Research and analyze problems, issues, and/or Unit policy requirements to more senior employees and supervisors with recommendations.
You must be a U.S. Citizen to qualify for this position.
You must undergo a pre-employment security investigation.
Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Eligibility Requirements: See Qualifications Section.
Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
Qualifications
To be eligible for this recent graduate position, one of the following requirements must be met:
Recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. (Current students may apply if they are in their final semester, with a graduation through December 2020. Include your expected graduation date on your resume and provide current transcripts. You must receive your degree prior to appointment.)
Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree completion to apply.
To qualify at the GS-09 grade level, applicants must have one of the following:
At least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-07 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: examining and processing a variety of legal or program documents; researching and gathering legal, program, or background information and documentation from files and records, policies, regulations and statutes, databases, and/or other sources; summarizing factual information and legal policy or program issues;OR
Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree, LL.B, J.D., or equivalent degree that demonstrates the competencies needed to do the work of the position may be substituted for the experience required;OR
A combination of education and experience as listed below. Please note, only education in excess of one year of graduate education may be used in this calculation.
Combination of Education and Experience - Your current education completed is credited as a percentage of the education required for the grade level and your current experience is credited as a percentage of the total experience required for the grade level. The two percentages are added and must equal 100% in order to qualify for the desired grade level.
All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.
Education
There is no degree requirement for this position. As described in the Qualifications, you must be a recent graduate in order to be eligible for this position.
Additional information
Upon successful completion of the Pathways Recent Graduate Program, candidates may be converted to a position with a different career ladder. Candidates may be converted to the grade at which they qualify. Conversion to a permanent or term position is not guaranteed and is subject to many factors such as funding, position availability, and performance.
Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement to fill vacancies that occur subsequent to this announcement.
An in-person interview in Washington, D.C. may be required for this position prior to final selection. The cost of travel to the interview site will be the responsibility of the applicant unless otherwise stated. Reasonable accommodations requests will be considered on an individual basis as requested by a person with a disability. Declining an invitation to interview may remove you from further consideration.
The Criminal Division participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.
EEO 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 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 Human Capital Staff at Human.capital@usdoj.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's category rating and selection procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Names of all candidates in the best qualified category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. Candidates within the best qualified category who are eligible for veterans' preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.
You will be assessed on the following KSAs/Competencies:
Research and Analysis
Writing
Attention to Detail
Problem Solving
Reading Comprehension
Veterans' Preference: If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. In order to verify your veterans' preference entitlement, please submit a copy of the Member 4 Copy of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from active Duty); official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty; or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions. In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran, or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference, and the other required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim. Although veterans' preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described above, veterans' preference eligibles are listed ahead of non veterans within each category for which they are qualified. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service connected disability of 10% or more are placed in the highest quality category (i.e. Best Qualified) http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes:
Resume (cover letter is optional) - Applicants will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in their resume. Applicants are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show the possession of knowledge of the subject matter pertinent to the position and the technical skills to successfully perform the duties of the position. Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: month and year, start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008), and full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week).
Unofficial Transcripts - transcripts must reflect cumulative GPA. If selected, applicants will be required to provide an official copy of their transcript before they enter on duty.
Degree audits will not be accepted. Transcripts need to display your name and credit hours earned.
If it cannot be determined that you meet the eligibility requirements, you may be removed from consideration.
If you have already graduate, your degree conferral date must be indicated on your transcripts.
Documentation of eligibility for special hiring authorities (if applicable) to prove appointment eligibility. Examples include: Schedule A disability letter, Peace Corps volunteer letter, military spouse hiring authority documentation, etc.
Current or Former Political Appointees (if applicable) - Please note on your resume and attach an SF-50. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office.
Schedule A Documentation (if applicable) - The Criminal Division welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department. The Criminal Division also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes directly to the Criminal Division disability POC, LaToya Washington at LaToya.Washington@usdoj.gov.
If you are a discharged, non-disabled veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character discharge (Member 4 Copy), or other documentation of service and separation under honorable conditions. If you do not have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives at http://www.archives.gov/veterans.
If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, and 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
If you are a disabled veteran, Purple Heart recipient, or parent or spouse of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a completed SF-15 (https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf) and all additional proof required by the SF-15, as applicable, if you do not have your Department of Veterans Affairs letter establishing proof of disability, you may request it at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 .
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes the assessment questionnaire and the required documents specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on 11/06/2020.
To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire. Please ensure you click the "Submit My Answers" button at the end of the process.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Office of Enforcement Operations
c/o Human Resources
1331 F. Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20004
US
Next steps
Once the application package is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted. If a tentative job offer is made, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes:
Resume (cover letter is optional) - Applicants will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in their resume. Applicants are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show the possession of knowledge of the subject matter pertinent to the position and the technical skills to successfully perform the duties of the position. Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: month and year, start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008), and full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week).
Unofficial Transcripts - transcripts must reflect cumulative GPA. If selected, applicants will be required to provide an official copy of their transcript before they enter on duty.
Degree audits will not be accepted. Transcripts need to display your name and credit hours earned.
If it cannot be determined that you meet the eligibility requirements, you may be removed from consideration.
If you have already graduate, your degree conferral date must be indicated on your transcripts.
Documentation of eligibility for special hiring authorities (if applicable) to prove appointment eligibility. Examples include: Schedule A disability letter, Peace Corps volunteer letter, military spouse hiring authority documentation, etc.
Current or Former Political Appointees (if applicable) - Please note on your resume and attach an SF-50. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office.
Schedule A Documentation (if applicable) - The Criminal Division welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department. The Criminal Division also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes directly to the Criminal Division disability POC, LaToya Washington at LaToya.Washington@usdoj.gov.
If you are a discharged, non-disabled veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character discharge (Member 4 Copy), or other documentation of service and separation under honorable conditions. If you do not have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives at http://www.archives.gov/veterans.
If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, and 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
If you are a disabled veteran, Purple Heart recipient, or parent or spouse of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a completed SF-15 (https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf) and all additional proof required by the SF-15, as applicable, if you do not have your Department of Veterans Affairs letter establishing proof of disability, you may request it at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 .
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes the assessment questionnaire and the required documents specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on 11/06/2020.
To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire. Please ensure you click the "Submit My Answers" button at the end of the process.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Office of Enforcement Operations
c/o Human Resources
1331 F. Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20004
US
Next steps
Once the application package is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted. If a tentative job offer is made, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
