Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Government Information Specialist

Environmental Protection Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

EPA Office of Inspector General provides independent and objective oversight to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse related to EPA programs and operations. The OIG strives for continuous improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the EPA OIG’s management and programs operations. The OIG staff are respected and sought after by the Agency and other federal entities. The OIG is an agent of positive change and the choice for driving accountability and trust in federal programs.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/06/2021 to 10/18/2021
Salary
$65,307 to - $102,526 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
San Francisco, CA
1 vacancy
Denver, CO
1 vacancy
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Chicago, IL
1 vacancy
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
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
NCS/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
EPA-OIG-MP-2022-0001
Control number
616560100

Duties

Help

This position is located in the Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of Counsel, Congressional and Public Affairs (OCCPA), Legal Affairs Directorate (LAD). The Office of Counsel provides independent legal and policy advice to all components of the OIG on a variety of substantive and procedural matters relating to the OIG’s audit, evaluation, investigation, and other activities. This office represents the OIG in administrative litigation before the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Labor. OC manages the OIG ethics program, providing ethics training, advice, and financial disclosure reviews.

Responsibilities

The ideal candidate will perform the following duties:

  • Receiving, processing, monitoring, and analyzing difficult and/or complex FOIA requests, ensuring compliance with Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act laws, regulations and policies.
  • Independently planning, completing and coordinating assignments, activities, projects, evaluations and reports with professional and legal staff to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
  • Providing accurate and timely technical assistance regarding disclosure of FOIA records using automated processing systems to assist management, staff or the public.
  • Researching, interpreting and analyzing legal issues, records policy and internal procedures and applying extensive knowledge of records systems, statutes and precedents to ascertain whether responsive records are complete and to make recommendations for agency action.
  • Answering and responding in a comprehensive manner to FOIA appeals inquiries, complaints and litigation.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship Required. 
  • Background Investigation Required.
  • Must meet education requirements. 
  • Position has portable work and selectee may be eligible to telework.

Must be a U.S. Citizen.

This is a Public Trust Position. Employment in this position requires a background investigation. If you are selected and cannot obtain a favorable security determination within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed or undisclosed background issues, the tentative employment offer may be withdrawn.

If you are a male born after December 31, 1959 you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.

Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment", (OF-306), prior to appointment and the appropriate background investigation forms to determine suitability for Federal employment. False statements or responses on these forms can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.

The selectee will be required to complete a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the I-9 Form. We will compare information provided on the I-9 Form to records available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The system confirms employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Learn more about e-verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Upon appointment, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450. You will need to provide the information annually.  

Depending on your status, this position may require serving a 1-year probationary period.

Qualifications

All applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

GS-11:

1) Interpret government information management laws, regulations, principles and policies, particularly with regard to Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act, applicable to a wide range of assignments involving the release of information to the public;

2) Provide guidance and advice on FOIA and Privacy Act policy and processes;

3) Research, compile, and analyze data to process Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) requests;

4) Use automated systems (specifically Adobe Acrobat) to process, administer, and manage information, as well as for a wide variety of record keeping, correspondence, tracking, and development of reports.

Evidence of the above specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or based on job titles alone. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. 

Applicants must meet the qualifications for this position within thirty (30) days of the closing date of this announcement. 

Education

This position does not have a mandatory education requirement.  You may substitute education for experience meet if you meet of the following:

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree;

or

3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree;

or

LL.M., if related

Additional information

EPA OIG provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in this vacancy announcement.

Payment of relocation expenses is NOT authorized.

All the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application, by checking reference and through other means, such as the interview process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you after you begin work. 

Additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. After the vacancy closes, we will review your application package to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your responses to the questionnaire, resume and supporting documentation will then be reviewed. Your resume must support your responses to the self-assessment questions or your score may be lowered. The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited to an interview. 

ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 90.

Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, salary, duties performed for each position, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level/pay band.


To preview questions please click here.

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.