Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens/Nationals

WHAT IS THE TAXPAYER ADVOCATE SERVICE DIVISION?
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.

As a Case Advocate you will:

• Provide assistance to taxpayers on technical and procedural tax cases covering the full range of issues.
• Represent the Service in advocating cases involving complicated and specialized issues. Take corrective action within TAS statutory and delegated authorities, including development of cases for purpose of recommending the issuance of Taxpayer Assistance Orders.
• Confer with taxpayers who have experienced delays beyond normal processing time, a significant hardship, or where systemic issues have been identified and actions taken, clarifying the basis of the complicating problem and citing applicable laws as necessary.
• Educate taxpayers and/or their representatives regarding tax obligations, responsibilities, rights, and options, including possible adverse consequences of decisions. Fully advises taxpayer of all rights and, as applicable, secures agreement of taxpayer to final decision.
• Perform specialized research, analysis, and necessary computations to make adjustments to taxpayers' accounts that have specialized factors. Using highly developed institutional knowledge of internal processes, solves vexing process and procedural problems of cases.
• Recommend adjustments as appropriate and initiates credit transfers, payment tracers, and computations to tax, penalty, and interest.
• Prepare manual refunds, makes abatements, and prepares and executes waivers to extend statutes within TAS statutory and delegated authorities.
• Provide guidance to targeted audiences in seminars, speeches, and workshops; Provides in-house training and assistance to lower-level employees as necessary.

Conditions of employment

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Additional jobs may be filled.
- The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum locality pay up to maximum locality pay for all duty locations listed. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.
- This is a bargaining unit position.
- Tour of Duty: Mon - Fri 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available.
- If you are in a telework eligible position, you may be directed to temporarily telework on a full-time basis due to COVID 19. Employees must be within a 150-mile radius of their official assigned post-of-duty (POD) while in a telework status. Once normal operations resume, employees may be directed back to the office to perform the duties of their position. Telework eligibility does not guarantee telework; employees must meet and sustain IRS telework eligibility requirements and supervisor's approval to participate in the IRS Telework Program. As a reminder - If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
- A 1-year probationary period is required.
- 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.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation, including a 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.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. These documents must be unexpired original or certified copies.
-Provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. (Birth certificate showing birth in the U.S; Unexpired U.S. Passport; Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization; or Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen (Form FS-240))

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
- Relocation expenses - NO
- Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
- This position requires formal development training.

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 a 4.0 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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION: GS-09
You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Office auditing of various types of tax returns to determine tax liability of individual tax payers, businesses, or corporations. Conducting comprehensive analytical evaluations. Using creative in-office factfinding techniques, and Using effective public contact skills.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: A Master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field of study in an accredited college or university in accounting, finance, taxation, business administration or other related fields.
OR
Two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in accounting, finance, taxation, business administration.
OR
LL.B. or J.D., if related to an accounting, finance, taxation, business administration or other related fields.

- 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.