This position is located in the Office of Partnerships and Operational Policy (OPOP), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), Office of Global Regulatory Operations and Policy (OGROP), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Additional selections may be made within the same geographical area FDA-wide.
Summary
This position is located in the Office of Partnerships and Operational Policy (OPOP), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), Office of Global Regulatory Operations and Policy (OGROP), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Additional selections may be made within the same geographical area FDA-wide.
Exercise delegated authority to analyze requests for the release of agency records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Conduct reviews and research of public and agency records for the full or partial release or denial of investigative, manufacturing, or medical related information.
Negotiate responses with officials of regulated industry for the release of records from agency files.
Provide information, guidance and assistance to requestors, the public, and other organizational units.
Citizenship Requirement: You must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for this advertisement.
Time-in-Grade Requirement: If you are applying as a current Federal employee, you must meet the time-in-grade requirements described in the Qualifications section, generally, 52-weeks of comparable experience at the next lowest grade.
Selective Service Registration: All males born on, or after, 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service OR have an approved exemption.
FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the problem.
Security and Background Requirements: Appointment will require passing a background investigation. Not meeting this requirement may be grounds for personnel action. If hired, you may be subject to a background check at a later time.
Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning qualification for employment is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection or appropriate disciplinary action.
Direct Deposit: You will be required to have your federal salary payments electronically deposited into an account with a financial institution of your choice.
You must meet ALL requirements by the closing date of this announcement to be considered. Only education, experience, and qualifications attained by this date will be considered.
Qualifications
In order to qualify for Government Information Specialist, 0306, at GS - 9/11, you must meet qualification requirements by 06/25/2018.
Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-09, applicants must have (1) one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience at this level include: research, analysis, and response development following statutes that govern information disclosure, conducting evaluation and research of public and agency records, and developing recommendations pertaining to information disclosure, including redaction determinations.
OR
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J. D. if related, that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED).
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must combine education in excess of one year of full-time graduate-level study creditable at the school attended with specialized experience that would equal 100% of the required experience/education combination for the position.
To qualify for the GS-11, applicants must have (1) one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience at this level include: analyzing complex requests for the release of agency records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and determining the appropriate disposition; evaluating problems and drawing conclusion for information disclosure requests; and developing and analyzing legal questions.
OR
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED).
OR
Combination of Experience and Education: Applicants may also combine education and specialized experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of education in excess of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, and specialized experience that would equal 100% of the required experience/education combination for the position.
In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the percentage of times the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.
Time-in-Grade:
In addition to the specialized experience requirements outlined above, employees must meet the following time-in-grade requirement by the closing date of this announcement. For the GS-09: Applicants must have 52 weeks at the GS-07 grade level or higher in the Federal service. For the GS-11: Applicants must have 52 weeks at the GS-09 grade level or higher in the Federal service.
You must submit documentation to verify your eligibility to apply for this vacancy. For most applicants, an SF-50 will be required. However, if you are applying based as a Veteran, individual with a qualifying disability, or a displaced (surplused) employee, you will be required to provide other supporting documents as applicable. See the Required Documents section for more details.
Education
Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.
Note: If qualifying based on education, a selectee will be required to provide official transcripts.
Additional information
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
Pre-employment physical required: No
Drug testing required: No
License required: No
Mobility agreement required: No
Immunization required: No
Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 06/25/2018) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. Political Appointees FAQ - OPM
All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement (06/25/2018); only education and experience gained by this date will be considered.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the job opportunity announcement closes (at 11:59 pm ET on 06/25/2018), a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted, the information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether or not you are qualified for this particular position.
If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
Basis of Rating: Merit Promotion Procedures for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of two categories: Best Qualified or Qualified.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics). You need not respond to the KSA's separately, but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of these Competencies.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
The following documents are REQUIRED for this vacancy:
Resume (See below "Resume Requirements")
Eligibility Documentation (See below "Eligibility Documentation Requirements")
Resume Requirements: The Federal Government has very specific requirements for the information that you must include in your resume. A resume for a Federal job will be much longer and more complete than the type of resume you may be familiar with from the private sector, especially if you are accustomed to using the CV (curriculum vitae) format. If you have not written a Federal resume before, you may want to watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ article on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume. At a minimum, you should include: start and end dates for each position (including month and year), number of hours per week worked, level of experience and duties performed, employer name and address, supervisor name and contact, and salary (or grade and step), for each position listed in your work history.
Eligibility Documentation Requirements:
Current permanent federal employees working in the DHHS: You will need to submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Standard Form 50 - Notice of Personnel Action). To properly verify status eligibility, your SF-50 must show the following. If you do not submit an appropriate SF-50, we cannot verify your status eligibility!
Full position title;
Appointment type;
Occupational series;
Pay plan, series, grade, and step;
Tenure code; and
Service Computation Date (SCD).
If your most recent SF-50 is from an annual pay adjustment, please ensure it contains the information listed above. If it does not, then you should also include your most recent SF-50 that does show your last promotion, execution of appointment, or grade / step increase, and ensure that your competitive status, tenure, SCD, and highest grade held are shown. Learn more about the SF-50 on the USAJOBS SF-50 Help Page.
PHS Commissioned Corps Officers working in the DHHS: interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps may apply online to this announcement. Candidates will be referred to (CC) personnel and not as candidates for conversion to a permanent career or career-conditional appointment.
Individuals with Disabilities working in the DHHS: Individuals with intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities may apply for appointment through the Schedule A hiring authority. Certified verification of a disability from a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal, state, or District of Columbia agency or U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits will be required. Learn more on the USAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities Site.
"Required" indicates that the above documents are necessary to determine your eligibility and/or qualification for this vacancy. These documents are collected from ALL applicants and failing to provide any of these documents may result in your application being deemed incomplete or ineligible. Pay close attention to the list above to ensure you are providing all of the documentation we need to consider your application. If you need instructions or assistance with submitting documentation, please see the Applicant Help Site - Documents page for more information.
The following documents are ACCEPTED for this vacancy:
Cover Letter
PHS Commissioned Corps Officer Orders/Personnel Action Form
Resume
SF-50
Transcript
"Accepted" means that you will have the opportunity to submit these documents if they are applicable to you. Such documents include Veteran Preference or other special eligibility documentation, transcripts, or other optional documentation that helps us determine your eligibility. The above list of documents may not apply to all applicants. If you are unsure what documents might apply to you, please review the USAJOBS FAQ article: "What types of documents might I need to provide?" or contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a USAJOBS Login.GOV account, and be signed in to that account, before you click "Apply Online". See the USAJOBS Help Site article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 06/25/2018 We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline. Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the deadline, and in most cases, only experience and education obtained by this date will be considered.
If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Help site at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/. FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues.
The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are unfamiliar with Application Manager, and you encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you first consult the Applicant Help Site at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you!
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 888-478-4340, or e-mail QuickQuestions@fda.gov.
The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays.
If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 10224302 so that we may assist you faster.
Office of Regulatory Affairs
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We strive to make selections within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will application status updates via email and via USAJOBS as the process unfolds.
The following documents are REQUIRED for this vacancy:
Resume (See below "Resume Requirements")
Eligibility Documentation (See below "Eligibility Documentation Requirements")
Resume Requirements: The Federal Government has very specific requirements for the information that you must include in your resume. A resume for a Federal job will be much longer and more complete than the type of resume you may be familiar with from the private sector, especially if you are accustomed to using the CV (curriculum vitae) format. If you have not written a Federal resume before, you may want to watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ article on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume. At a minimum, you should include: start and end dates for each position (including month and year), number of hours per week worked, level of experience and duties performed, employer name and address, supervisor name and contact, and salary (or grade and step), for each position listed in your work history.
Eligibility Documentation Requirements:
Current permanent federal employees working in the DHHS: You will need to submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Standard Form 50 - Notice of Personnel Action). To properly verify status eligibility, your SF-50 must show the following. If you do not submit an appropriate SF-50, we cannot verify your status eligibility!
Full position title;
Appointment type;
Occupational series;
Pay plan, series, grade, and step;
Tenure code; and
Service Computation Date (SCD).
If your most recent SF-50 is from an annual pay adjustment, please ensure it contains the information listed above. If it does not, then you should also include your most recent SF-50 that does show your last promotion, execution of appointment, or grade / step increase, and ensure that your competitive status, tenure, SCD, and highest grade held are shown. Learn more about the SF-50 on the USAJOBS SF-50 Help Page.
PHS Commissioned Corps Officers working in the DHHS: interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps may apply online to this announcement. Candidates will be referred to (CC) personnel and not as candidates for conversion to a permanent career or career-conditional appointment.
Individuals with Disabilities working in the DHHS: Individuals with intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities may apply for appointment through the Schedule A hiring authority. Certified verification of a disability from a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal, state, or District of Columbia agency or U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits will be required. Learn more on the USAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities Site.
"Required" indicates that the above documents are necessary to determine your eligibility and/or qualification for this vacancy. These documents are collected from ALL applicants and failing to provide any of these documents may result in your application being deemed incomplete or ineligible. Pay close attention to the list above to ensure you are providing all of the documentation we need to consider your application. If you need instructions or assistance with submitting documentation, please see the Applicant Help Site - Documents page for more information.
The following documents are ACCEPTED for this vacancy:
Cover Letter
PHS Commissioned Corps Officer Orders/Personnel Action Form
Resume
SF-50
Transcript
"Accepted" means that you will have the opportunity to submit these documents if they are applicable to you. Such documents include Veteran Preference or other special eligibility documentation, transcripts, or other optional documentation that helps us determine your eligibility. The above list of documents may not apply to all applicants. If you are unsure what documents might apply to you, please review the USAJOBS FAQ article: "What types of documents might I need to provide?" or contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a USAJOBS Login.GOV account, and be signed in to that account, before you click "Apply Online". See the USAJOBS Help Site article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 06/25/2018 We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline. Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the deadline, and in most cases, only experience and education obtained by this date will be considered.
If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Help site at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/. FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues.
The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are unfamiliar with Application Manager, and you encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you first consult the Applicant Help Site at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you!
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 888-478-4340, or e-mail QuickQuestions@fda.gov.
The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays.
If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 10224302 so that we may assist you faster.
Office of Regulatory Affairs
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We strive to make selections within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will application status updates via email and via USAJOBS as the process unfolds.
