Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens/Nationals

WHAT IS THE TAXPAYER ADVOCATE SERVICEDIVISION?
A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

WHAT DOES A CASE ADVOCATE DO? In the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), Case Advocates help taxpayers resolve problems with the IRS and recommend changes to prevent future problems.

As a Case Advocate you will:

• Assist taxpayers on a wide-range of IRS issues by advocating for them within the IRS.
• Manage an inventory of cases by taking timely actions.
• Research complex tax law and properly adjust taxpayers' accounts, as well as interact through a variety of methods including face-to-face, telephonic and in writing.
• Educate taxpayers by presenting information to a variety of groups and individuals.
• Identify trends or burdens impacting taxpayers and make recommendations for improvement.

Conditions of employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Additional jobs may be filled.
• This is a bargaining unit position.
• Relocation Expense: NO
• Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available
• Must meet IRS telework eligibility requirements.
• Tour of Duty: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30 p.m.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• Travel may be required for training.
• A 1-year probationary period is required.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation including an FBI criminal history record check (fingerprint check).
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• Undergo an income tax verification and review of prior performance/conduct.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification the and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S
• This position is covered under a formal training plan and pay retention may be offered where applicable by law and regulations.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION: GS-05 You must have 3 years of general experience, 1 year of which was experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service. General experience for this position includes: experience that demonstrates the ability to analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; plan and organize work; communicate effectively orally and in writing. Such experience may have been gained in government, business or industry, investigative work, banking, law, accounting, or other work appropriate to the position to be filled.
OR
You may substitute education for general experience as follows: Four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION: GS-07 You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience that demonstrated experience with business practices, basic accounting principles, and Federal tax laws and regulations; and that required auditing tax records, analyze systems and bookkeeping, use fact-finding techniques, and develop interpersonal skills.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: One (1) full year of graduate education in a field of study such as: accounting, finance, taxation, business administration or other related fields.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement - A Bachelors degree, with one of the following: A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last 2 years of study, or a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a4.0 scale for all courses in the major field of study or those courses in the major completed in the last 2 years of study, or rank in the upper one third of the class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

- Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis.
- To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Case Advocacy Techniques
• Conflict Management
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Interpersonal Skills
• Oral Communication
• Problem Solving
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance and Flexibility

Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of two quality level categories, CAT A/B, CAT C depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned quality group and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that quality group. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality group for this position. For scientific and professional positions Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category for this position, except at the GS-09 and above.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in quality group order. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must receive a rating of category CAT A/B to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.