Skip to main content
U.S. flag

Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist

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

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Labor (DOL),Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Unemployment Insurance, Division of Unemployment Insurance Operations (DUIO).

This position is inside the bargaining unit. 

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open date: 05/07/2021
Closed date: 05/21/2021
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$103,690 - $134,798 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 - 5% or less
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
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
DE-21-DAL-ETA-064
Control number
600915200

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

Open to ALL U.S. Citizens: ICTAP/CTAP eligibles in the local commuting area. NOTE: This vacancy is also advertised as job MS-21-DAL-ETA-064. To be considered for both, you must apply to both announcements.

Duties

Help

As a recognized authority and expert in Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs, the incumbent performs the following duties:

GS-13

  • Serves as lead for the provision of program technical assistance and guidance to regional staff grantees, and other stakeholder groups on specific program activities and/or legislative initiatives.
  • Provides authoritative advice and consultation to ETA officials and customers.
  • Develops national UI guidance and technical assistance material and performs a range actions to address UI problems.
  • Develops and applies new methods, approaches, and techniques or the extension, revision, and adaptation of existing methodology to new or unusual applications or situations.
  • Serves as an UI program expert on behalf of the agency; review and analysis of Federal and State law, regulations and administrative procedures as appropriate, on matters related to UI programs.
  • Plan and/or accomplishes unemployment insurance projects and conduct training/meetings/conferences for federal/state staff on policies, regulations, and guidance governing the UI program.

Requirements

Help

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.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

In addition to the above, 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: GS-13 must have experience in ALL of the following:

  • 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
  • Preparing written summaries of legislative proposals and/or enactments related to the UI program.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

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

Position Telework eligibility is determined by management based on position duties during the recruitment process. Employee participation in telework on a routine or situational basis is determined by management primarily based on business needs.  Employees participating in telework are subject to the terms and conditions of the Department of Labor’s Telework Program.

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.

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 on your resume may be verified by a review of your work experience, employment start/end dates/hours worked and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the OHR 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". Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

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
Washington, District of Columbia 20210
United States

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Employment and Training Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

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

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.