USAJOBS connects job seekers with federal jobs across the United States and around the world as the official employment site for the federal government

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, no prior federal experience required

Duties

WHAT DOES A VOLUNTEER TAXPAYER ADVOCACY PANEL MEMBER DO? Taxpayer Advocacy Panel members are strictly volunteers and will not receive a salary. You have a unique opportunity to contribute to improving your tax administration system by becoming a member of the IRS Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP). The mission of the TAP is to listen to taxpayers, identify taxpayers’ issues, and make recommendations for improving IRS service and customer satisfaction. The TAP serves as an advisory body to the Secretary of the Treasury, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, the National Taxpayer Advocate, and IRS Division Commissioners to improve IRS service and customer satisfaction. Panel members serve a three-year appointment.

As a Volunteer Taxpayer Advocacy Panel member you will:

Serve in an advisory capacity to the IRS through meetings and focus groups;
Solicit taxpayer input on specific issues and channel the feedback to the agency;
Identify, prioritize, and elevate as necessary, taxpayer issues to the IRS;
Participate in taxpayer outreach opportunities by speaking to individuals and groups about the Panel;
Annually report and publish the results your teams work.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

refer to "Other Information"
Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

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Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS - Volunteer TAP Members Must:

Be willing to commit approximately 200 to 300 volunteer hours per year to the Panel;
Be current with all Federal tax obligations;
Pass an FBI criminal background check;
Not be a federally registered lobbyist; and
Not be a current Treasury or IRS employee or have worked for the Treasury or IRS within the past three years.
Not be a current volunteer TAP member or have served as a volunteer TAP member within the last three years.
Individuals who practice before the IRS must be in good standing with IRS (meaning not currently under suspension or disbarment)

For the volunteer Taxpayer Advocacy Panel to be most effective, the members of the Panel must possess good interpersonal communication skills, organizational skills, and have access to a computer. Members should also have the ability to problem solve within a group of other civic-minded professionals.

Outreach to the public is vitally important to the success of the TAP. As a member you will be expected to identify and participate in various outreach activities to solicit input from taxpayers about IRS products and services. Members should have good listening skills and the ability to interact with groups and individuals to solicit feedback from the public. Ideal candidates should be able to separate their personal views from TAP/IRS issues.

TAP includes members from all segments of the population with varying backgrounds and experiences; they represent the view of the average American taxpayer. There is no specialized tax experience required to serve on the TAP. Members will be provided the information needed to effectively contribute to the panel.

Additional information

TAP volunteer Member positions will be filled in the following locations: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi. Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. (35 Vacancies)
Alternate Panel Members will be filled in the following locations: Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maine,Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming. (27 Vacancies)
Applicants selected from these locations will serve a three-year membership term beginning in December 2019, or be chosen as an alternate member to be considered for membership if a vacancy occurs in their location during the three years.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
You may check the status of your application for this program at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status". For a more detailed update of your application status, you may click on "more information."
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this program.

CONDITIONS OF VOLUNTEER TAS-TAP PROGRAM: The selection of any candidate selected for this program may be conditional upon the following:

Must successfully complete a background investigation, including an FBI criminal history record check (fingerprint check).
Undergo income tax verification.
Undergo Citizenship verification

Any expenses incurred during the recruitment process are not reimbursable. This includes but is not limited to any travel or costs associated with fingerprint processing.

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 and responses to the online questions. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this program; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated on the competencies of the program in the following areas: Teamwork, Interpersonal Skills, Oral and Written Communications, Problem Solving, Computer Skills, Project Management, Influencing/Negotiating, and Volunteerism.
Your application will also be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of this program.

Referral: If you are among the top candidates, your application may be referred for consideration. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

The most qualified candidates will be interviewed by a team comprised of IRS staff and a current TAP member.

The Department of the Treasury will review the recommended candidates and make final selections.

To preview questions please click here.

Help

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. For additional information about TAP or the application process, please call toll-free 1-888-912-1227 and choose prompt number 5 or visit our website at: http://www.improveirs.org/. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
Treasury believes in a working environment that supports inclusion; please view our reasonable accommodation policies and procedures at http://jobs.irs.gov/seasonal/reasonable-accommodation.html . We will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us TAS.Hiring@irs.gov if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

To begin, either click the "Create a New Account" button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.
You will be re-directed to Treasury's CareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to "My Account" to view and update your information, as necessary.
To complete, you must click the "Finish" button located at the bottom of the "Application Review" page.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this program. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Brown, Yvette

Phone: 1-888-912-1227, Option #5
TDD: 999-999-9999
Fax: 000-000-0000
Email: TAS.Hiring@irs.gov

Address: INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
5333 Getwell Road
Memphis, Tennessee 38118
United States

Next steps

You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS “My Account” tab and clicking on “Application Status.” For a more detailed update of your application status, you may click on “more information.”

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

Required Documents

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A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this program (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional). To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view Resume Tips

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

How to Apply

Help

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. For additional information about TAP or the application process, please call toll-free 1-888-912-1227 and choose prompt number 5 or visit our website at: http://www.improveirs.org/. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
Treasury believes in a working environment that supports inclusion; please view our reasonable accommodation policies and procedures at http://jobs.irs.gov/seasonal/reasonable-accommodation.html . We will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us TAS.Hiring@irs.gov if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

To begin, either click the "Create a New Account" button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.
You will be re-directed to Treasury's CareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to "My Account" to view and update your information, as necessary.
To complete, you must click the "Finish" button located at the bottom of the "Application Review" page.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this program. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Brown, Yvette

Phone: 1-888-912-1227, Option #5
TDD: 999-999-9999
Fax: 000-000-0000
Email: TAS.Hiring@irs.gov

Address: INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
5333 Getwell Road
Memphis, Tennessee 38118
United States

Next steps

You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS “My Account” tab and clicking on “Application Status.” For a more detailed update of your application status, you may click on “more information.”

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.