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

Ethics Specialist

Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Office of the Director/NIH Ethics Office (NEO)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Office of the Director, NIH Ethics Office (NEO) is looking for an experienced Ethics Specialist to join their team. NEO is responsible for the development and administration of NIH policies for implementing government-wide and departmental supplemental standards of ethical conduct, conflict of interest and financial disclosure statutes and regulations. In this position, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and expand your experience dealing with all ethics matters.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/12/2024 to 07/16/2024
Salary
$82,764 to - $153,354 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 13
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Montgomery County, MD
Remote job
No
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
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NIH-OD-DE-24-12446279
Control number
799101300

Duties

Help
  • Discuss conflict of interest issues and possible solutions with managers and employees in order to reach mutually acceptable solutions.
  • Review financial disclosure reports to ensure their completeness, accuracy, and conformance with policies and regulations.
  • Research and interpret new ethics regulations to determine their impact on existing practices.
  • Advise on conflict of interest findings and offer recommendations for corrective action.
  • Develop training and education materials for an organization’s ethics staff.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
  • Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • If selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450 to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency.

Qualifications

You qualify at the GS-11 level, if you meet the following qualification requirement:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: providing advice to employees on the application of ethics statutes, regulations and policies; monitoring the financial disclosure process including who would file, notifying employees, and reviewing financial disclosure forms; and presenting reports on ethics considerations to management officials.
OR
Completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M. Education must be related to the position to be qualifying;
OR
A combination of post baccalaureate education related to the position and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

You qualify at the GS-12 level, if you meet the following qualification requirement:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: providing advice to employees and managers on the interpretation and application of ethics statutes, regulations, and policies on issues including financial disclosure, recusals and gift exceptions; reviewing confidential and public financial disclosure reports or prohibited holdings reports; providing advice on possible conflict of interest violations and making corrective action recommendations; and designing ethics training courses and materials.

You qualify at the GS-13 level, if you meet the following qualification requirement:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: interpreting and applying ethics statutes, regulations, and policies; conducting conflict of interest reviews, including financial disclosure, outside activities, official duty activities, recusals and gift exceptions; providing advice on possible conflict of interest violations; develops, recommends and implements immediate and long-term program plans for an Ethics program; developing and implementing ethics-related training programs.

You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Preview assessment questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12446279

Education

If you qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, you are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application packages. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.

Additional information

  • This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.
  • PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration.
  • We may make additional selections for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s). Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions.
  • The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
  • The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
  • Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • Visit our Applicant FAQs page for helpful information on the application process.
  • Visit our Total Compensation page and this sample for a detailed look into the benefits, awards, leave, retirement, and other incentives employees may receive as part of a rewarding work environment.

How you will be evaluated

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

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

  • 1. Skill in researching, interpreting, and applying conflict of interest rules, regulations, policies, and procedures to specific cases and issues.
  • 2. Knowledge of ethics statues, regulations, policies, and procedures.
  • 3. Knowledge of regulations and reporting requirements governing financial disclosure.
  • 4. Ability to perform advisory and training services on a variety of ethical matters.


If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:
  • Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
  • Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
  • Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements
The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least an 85 on the assessment and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

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.