This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/597043000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
WHAT IS THE TAXPAYER ADVOCATE SERVICES DIVISION? The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization within the IRS. The TAS mission is to assist taxpayers in resolving their problems with the IRS (Case Advocacy), and to identify and propose administrative and legislative solutions to mitigate those problems (Systemic Advocacy).
See Other Information for Locations
04/01/2021 to 04/14/2021
$35,265 - $84,049 per year
GS 05 - 11
1 vacancy in the following location:
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - 1 TO 5 NIGHTS PER MONTH
No
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
11
No
No
21CIN-TAB0357-0501-5T11
597043000
WHAT DOES A CASE ADVOCATE DO? The Case Advocate serves as an advocate for taxpayers who have experienced a delay beyond normal processing time, where systemic issues have been identified and actions taken, or who have suffered or are about to suffer a tax hardship that the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) attempts to relieve. In this role, you will resolve taxpayer problems that have not been resolved through normal IRS channels and are generally expected to handle some of the most problematic cases independently. You may be assigned cases that are anticipated to be among the most difficult to resolve due to complicating factors, or that relate to a specialty in which you have expertise.
As a Case Advocate you will:
If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? If you want to find out more about IRS careers, visit us on the web at www.jobs.irs.gov.
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You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
GS-5 LEVEL: You must have 3 years of general experience with one year of general experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-4 level in the Federal service. General experience for this position includes experience that demonstrated the ability to: Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; Plan and organize work; and Communicate effectively orally and in writing. Experience may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work. Experience in substantive and relevant secretarial, clerical, or other responsible work may be qualifying as long as it provided evidence of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) necessary to perform the duties of the position to be filled. Experience of a general clerical nature (typing, filing, routine procedural processing, maintaining records, or other nonspecialized tasks) is not creditable. OR A Bachelor's degree or four (4) years of education above high school in any field of study from an accredited college or university, OR Four years of progressive academic study (120 Semester Hours/180 Quarter Hours) at an accredited college or university.
GS-7 LEVEL: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty & responsibility equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is experience that is typically in or related to the work of this position & provided you with the particular knowledge, skills & abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Specialized experience includes advising & assisting others in order to explain issues related to meeting Federal tax obligations including: experience applying knowledge of business practices, policies, procedures, basic accounting principles, and Federal tax laws & regulations; Experience interviewing individuals and reviewing tax and bookkeeping records and returns, and analyzing systems using fact-finding techniques. OR You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: 1 year of graduate education in a related field of study at an accredited college or university. OR Superior Academic Achievement may be met by having a Bachelor’s degree, with one of the following: A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of study, or a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all courses in your major field of study or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of study, or rank in the upper 1/3 of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.
GS-9 LEVEL: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty & responsibility equivalent to the GS-7 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is experience that is typically in or related to the work of this position & provided you with the particular knowledge, skills & abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Specialized experience for this position is experience applying basic accounting principles, examination techniques & collection processes to assist taxpayers in resolving tax issues. Communicating with taxpayers & their representatives to determine the nature of assistance needed, obtaining information & determining its relevance to resolve tax issues/problems, advising and assisting taxpayers in meeting federal tax obligations, managing an inventory, and meeting deadlines. OR You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field of study at an accredited college or university. OR Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field of study. OR LLB or JD.
GS-11 LEVEL: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty & responsibility equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is experience that is typically in or related to the work of this position and provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Specialized experience for this position includes applying accounting, examination, returns processing, collection & or Taxpayer Advocate Service techniques; & of general and geographic business practices sufficient to independently process the complete range of cases; Experience advocating for taxpayers with significant hardship as defined by IRC 7811 and/or Internal Revenue manuals, including but not limited to an immediate threat of adverse IRS action; a delay of more than 30 days in resolving taxpayer account problems; the incurring by the taxpayer of significant costs (including fees for professional representation) if relief is not granted; irreparable injury to, or a long-term adverse impact on the taxpayer if relief is not granted; or suffering injury because of an action or inaction by the IRS; Qualifying specialized experience also includes resolving taxpayer issues through negotiating, influencing or persuading other Business Operating Divisions (BOD) (for example, through the issuance or resolution of an Operational Assistance Order (OAR) on a full range of individual & business tax returns; Experience with tax administration problems potentially having a negative impact on a significant number of taxpayers, including identifying potential systemic issues & taking appropriate action; Experience composing written communications to taxpayers & their representatives in order to expedite resolution of tax account issues & to educate regarding tax obligations, responsibilities, rights & options, including adverse consequences of decisions; Experience applying technical tax law based on the Internal Revenue Code & Regulations, making hardship determinations, conferring with subject matter experts or Counsel in developing a strategy for advocating and resolving a taxpayer's issue; and experience preparing and executing case action plans to advocate for case resolution for taxpayers, representatives or Congressional offices; Experience managing an inventory of cases and timely completing required actions including but not limited to, case development, issue determination, conducting interviews with taxpayers & or their representatives, documenting case histories with appropriate narratives in support of case decisions, preparing referrals to other IRS functions, including Appeals and Counsel. OR You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Ph.D. or equivalent degree or 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree in a related field of study at an accredited college or university. OR LL.M., if related.
For grades 5 thru 11: You may qualify by a combination of experience & education. Options for qualifying based on a combination will be identified in the online questions.
- The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis.
- To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.
In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following, if applicable: You must have been at the next lower grade level of the grade you are applying to for 52 weeks (time-in-grade requirement).
One (1) Positions is located in TAS, DEDCA, Area 4 at 700 Market Street, Parkersburg, WV (WV0304)
POSITION DESCRIPTIONS GS-5: 982221, GS-7: 98222, GS-9: 98223, GS-11: 98224
A PM/C SharePoint site is available for IRS Employees at: https://organization.ds.irsnet.gov/sites/HCOETS/PMC/SPDLibrary/SitePages/Home.aspx
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated on the CJEs of the position to be filled per the National Agreement Article 13. Your application will also be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. IRS employees may obtain most recent awards listing at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/. Your rating may be lowered, if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.
Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring polices). We will notreimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.
If you are a displaced or surplus Treasury employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of 80 or better to be rated as well qualified to receive special selection priority.
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 position (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.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) DOCUMENTATION
If you are a displaced or surplus Treasury employee, click CTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents. IRS CTAP eligibles can apply for jobs within and outside the commuting area.
IRS Reassignment Preference Program (RPP)
You must meet the requirements in your RPP notice. Submit a copy of your RPP Notice along with a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal. Your performance appraisal must have a fully successful or higher overall rating.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL/AWARDS
Submit a copy of your most recent completed performance appraisal.
IRS employees: if a revalidated appraisal is used for merit promotion, the supervisor must prepare a narrative for each critical job element that does not have a narrative describing the performance in the appraisal period covered by the rating. Note: If you are a manager or management official, your most recent annual performance appraisal must be used for the overall rating identified.
EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION
If you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. If the position has specific education requirements and you are currently (or have previously been) in the Federal job series to be filled, there is no need to submit a transcript or equivalent at this time. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.
A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.
If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
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.
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. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). 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 https://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 Jennifer.r.scola@irs.gov if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
If you are experiencing system issues with your application, please contact the CareerConnector Help Desk at careerconnectorhelp@treasury.gov and/or the USAJOBS Help Desk.
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.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/597043000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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WHY IS THE IRS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK? As an IRS employee, you will feel proud knowing you helped make America stronger while working at one of the world’s biggest financial institutions. You will be part of an organization that collects over $2 trillion in revenue and processes over 200 million tax returns annually. We are proud of how we apply the tax law with integrity and fairness to all.
The IRS hires talented and dedicated individuals from many backgrounds, including accounting, business, finance, law enforcement and information technology. You will be challenged and supported on a daily basis. Whether you are just starting out or looking for a new opportunity, consider an IRS career.