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Wage Hour Investigator (Recent Graduate)

Department of Labor
Wage and Hour Division
Southwest Region
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is an appointment under the DOL Recent Graduates program. The program duration is one year. Upon successful completion of the program and at the agency's discretion, the appointee may be converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/21/2023 to 06/27/2023
Salary
$40,082 to - $63,734 per year

The salary listed is the GS base salary and will be adjusted upon selection to include the locality pay for the specific location selected for.

Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Locations
Little Rock, AR
1 vacancy
Baton Rouge, LA
1 vacancy
New Orleans, LA
2 vacancies
Rapid City, SD
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Recent graduates
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
12 - There is no obligation to provide future promotions if you are selected. Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, meet all the performance requirements, and the supervisor's recommendation to the next grade.
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
PW-23-BOS-WHD-12017965-BV
Control number
732838600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Eligible recent graduates from qualifying educational institutions. Refer to the "Qualifications and Evaluations" section for more information.

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Duties

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This is a developmental position. The career ladder progression is GS-07/09/11/12. As a Wage and Hour Investigator, you will receive on-the-job and other formal training/instructions on the provisions of the laws enforced by the agency. You will also develop human relations skills, investigation and negotiation techniques. Under close observation/direction and with specific instructions, you will perform the following duties (which is not an all-inclusive list) and as you progress, the assignments will become more difficult and complex in preparation for the next grade level:

  • Accurately perform routine mathematical computations, choosing appropriate mathematical technique, to determine amount of back wage liability.
  • Review available file material pertinent to cases assigned, perform necessary research, and seek necessary guidance to become familiar with all aspects of the case.
  • Conduct investigations of limited scope and complexity.
  • Demonstrate ability to understand, interpret and apply written material, much of which is technical or legal in nature.
  • Gather and analyze facts obtained; identify problems; determine accuracy and relevance of information; use sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and make recommendations regarding the nature and extent of any violations that exist.
  • Negotiate for compliance and payment of back wages due, when authorized, or participate in such negotiations with the supervisor or a higher-grade investigator.
  • Prepare case investigation file, including written narrative reports and electronic forms for submission to the supervisor or higher-level officials.
  • As the grade level progresses, the work involves regular and recurring visits to industrial, commercial, agricultural, construction and other business establishments or public institutions.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A LAW ENFORCEMENT POSITION.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be at least 16 years.
  • Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
  • Requires a trial period if the requirement has not been met.
  • The entire duration of the Recent Graduate Appointment constitutes a trial period.
  • Requires a valid driver's license.
  • Appointees must sign a DOL Pathways Recent Graduate Program Participant Agreement.

Qualifications

To be eligible for appointment under the Recent Graduate authority, you must meet requirements A or B.

A. Completed all requirements for an associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two years. -OR-

B. Was released or discharged from active duty within the previous two years, where the applicant is a veteran who, due to a military service obligation, was precluded from applying for a recent graduate position during any portion of the two-year eligibility period following completion of his/her degree or certificate requirements, provided that not more than six years have transpired since the applicant completed the requirements for a degree or certification.

A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such position(s). IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

To qualify for the GS-07 grade level: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level, in the Federal Service, which includes meeting at least TWO (2) of the following THREE (3) specialized criteria requirements:

  • General knowledge of Federal wage and hour labor laws, industrial occupations, wage scales, employment practices, or salary and wage administration practices.
  • Skill in analyzing written/verbal information and numerical data and making decisions on issues based on interviews, records review, reconstruction of missing or fraudulent records and applying legal or regulatory provisions, precedents, and principles to specific investigative matters.
  • Skill in personal contacts requiring the ability to explain requirements or rights and obtain information and cooperation from people with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding, reconcile conflicting interests, and persuade others to comply voluntarily with requirements.
-OR- Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: industrial relations, personnel administration, or other fields related to the position such as business administration, labor economics, or law.-OR-

Superior Academic Achievement:
Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in above. Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).-OR-

Combination of Education and Experience:
A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

To qualify for the GS-09 grade level: Applicants must have at least TWO (2) of the following THREE (3) specialized criteria requirements:
  • General knowledge of Federal wage and hour labor laws, industrial occupations, wage scales, employment practices, or salary and wage administration practices.
  • Skill in analyzing written/verbal information and numerical data and making decisions on issues based on interviews, records review, reconstruction of missing or fraudulent records and applying legal or regulatory provisions, precedents, and principles to specific investigative matters.
  • Skill in personal contacts requiring the ability to explain requirements or rights and obtain information and cooperation from people with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding, reconcile conflicting interests, and persuade others to comply voluntarily with requirements.
In addition to the specialized criteria requirement specified above for the GS-09 grade level, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level, in Federal service, which includes applying the provisions of Federal wage and hour labors pertaining to wages, hours of work, or related conditions of employment. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
  • Developing, interpreting, or applying policies, procedures, and operating standards in determining compliance for an organization or government-based program.
  • Conducting interviews and providing information about laws and/or regulations.
  • Industrial personnel or salary and wage administration or responsible work in a certified public accounting firm.
  • Analyzing or applying labor legislation.
  • Reviewing and evaluating operations and procedures through analysis, audits, or surveillance inspections. Federal, State, or self-regulatory agency work involving obtaining compliance with appropriate program requirements.
  • Applying fact-finding techniques to gather clear-cut factual evidence of administrative related to labor statutes and regulations, industrial pay practices, and regulations governing the issuance of FLSA certificates in order to apply guidelines to general types of certifications.
  • Applying investigative and compliance review methods, and using information sources and protocols to plan and assist with conducting program reviews and analyses to resolve complex problems, conflicts, and inadequacies.
  • Gathering information and responding appropriately to general and specific program inquiries.

-OR- Education: A Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: industrial relations, personnel administration, or other fields related to the position such as business administration, labor economics, or law.-OR-

Combination of Education and Experience:
A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Helpful resources on creating a federal resume - USAJobs Help Center and USAJobs Resume Writing.

Education

To be eligible for an appointment, you must meet requirements A. or B.

A. Completed all requirements for an associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two years;

or

B. Was released or discharged from active duty within the previous two years, where the applicant is a veteran who, due to a military service obligation, was precluded from applying for a recent graduate position during any portion of the two-year eligibility period following completion of his/her degree or certificate requirements, provided that not more than six years have transpired since the applicant completed the requirements for a degree or certification. You must submit an academic transcript from your academic institution showing the date that you most recently completed the academic requirements described above. See the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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 coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

This position is inside the NCFLL bargaining unit.

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

The appointee must be a U.S. citizen in order to be eligible for conversion to a permanent position in the competitive service upon completion of the program. Upon successful completion of the program and at the agency's discretion, the appointee may be converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service.

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.

Based on agency needs, additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement.

Federal employees enjoy many benefits! As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits, such as:

  • The Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHB). This program offers health insurance for you, your spouse and your children under the age of 26. It offers many different health plan choices, so you can find a plan that works best for you and your family;
  • Federal Employee Dental Vision Insurance Plan (FEDVIP) for a dental plan, a vision plan, or both types of insurance; life insurance;
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA);
  • The Federal Employees Retirement System, which, after the appropriate amount of years of service and at the right age, you can retire with a basic monthly annuity. This means a defined pension plan - which many private sector companies do not offer;
  • The Thrift Savings Plan or TSP, which is a 401K plan for Federal employees;
  • Earn annual and sick leave every pay period to use for vacation on sick time;
  • 11 paid Federal holidays;
  • DOL also offers transit subsidy benefits, where you may be reimbursed for commuting;
  • Work-life balance is valued. DOL recognizes various expanded workplace flexibilities intended to support and enhance a productive workforce by providing various work schedule options that can help employees balance their responsibilities both at work and at home.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants meeting the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements will be evaluated against the competencies described below and will be placed into one of the following quality categories, based on responses to the vacancy questionnaire:

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 the 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 by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualification 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:

  • Customer Service
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Self Management
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


Click here for Evaluation details.

You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12017965

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived experience, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).

The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.

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