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Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist

Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Regional Offices.

This position is inside of the Bargaining Unit

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
11/02/2021 to 11/16/2021
Salary
$100,161 to - $130,211 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 25% or less
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13 - This position is at the Full-Performance Level (FPL).
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DE-21-DAL-ETA-217
Control number
620179200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens; ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) in the local commuting area. Also advertised as job #MS-21-DAL-ETA-217 for status applicants, to be considered for BOTH, you must apply to each.

Duties

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Major Duties include but not limited to the following:

  • Develops expert knowledge of ETA programs and applicable statutes, regulations, policies, and ETA standard operating procedures.
  • Serves as an agency expert on unemployment insurance programs pertaining to a full range of issues, including highly complex and unusual issues, and is recognized as a subject matter expert in the field.
  • Provides authoritative advice and consultation to ETA officials and customers on highly complex unemployment insurance issues and concerns.
  • Serves as a Regional Program Lead for one or more unemployment insurance3 programs or functions, guidance, and policy.
  • Reviews draft policy guidance for impact on the organization and the program.
  • Serves in a senior capacity in development and coordination of various unemployment insurance programs within the agency.
  • Serves as a liaison with other Federal agencies in the coordination of program activities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
  • Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Notification Concerning COVID-19 Vaccinations.  As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal executive branch employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law.  If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021, or before appointment or onboarding with the agency (if later than November 22, 2021).  The agency will provide additional information regarding which forms of documentation can be accepted and how you can request a legally required exception from this requirement.

Qualifications

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR):

Education

Undergraduate Education: Major study -- economics, industrial relations, law, sociology, political science, public administration, or other related fields. Courses in statistics or mathematics applicable to the social sciences are creditable up to a maximum of 12 semester hours.

Graduate Education: Major study -- one or a combination of the social sciences that included social science research methodology and techniques, and provided a knowledge of the history, concepts, methods, and techniques of social insurance and/or the social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate.

OR

Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience related to social insurance. This includes experience applying statistics or mathematics to the social insurance field. Specialized experience must have demonstrated: 

• A knowledge of current social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate, and the principles of Federal/State/local relationships;
• The ability to extend and modify existing techniques and methods or to develop new ones to identify, isolate, and resolve special problems; and
• The ability to develop effective collaborative relationships with personnel in other fields and with groups having conflicting objectives.

Qualifying specialized experience may have been gained through work in the following or similar types of programs: unemployment insurance; old-age and survivors' insurance; workers' compensation; disability compensation; or other public or private programs covering common social insurance risks.

In addition to the experience above, you must also have below:

GS-13: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled, and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform duties of the position.

Applicants must have experience in at least 5 of the 7 items listed below.

Examples of specialized experience include 5 or more of the following:

  • Interpreting Unemployment Insurance (UI) legislation, policies, programs, and regulations.
  • Providing advice on UI program requirements.
  • Leading and conducting reviews and evaluations of UI programs, tax systems, functions, and activities.
  • Assessing UI program accuracy and quality.
  • Reviewing and evaluating state legislation for conformity with Federal requirements;
  • Reviewing and evaluating UI benefit and tax systems and functions;
  • Writing formal reports with technical accuracy.

NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Education

There are no educational requirements for this position.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

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

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.

Competencies continued from "How You Will Be Evaluated".

Written Communication: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

How you will be evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Categories

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 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 required by this position.

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

Unemployment Insurance Program Knowledge: Development, promotion and evaluation of unemployment insurance programs administered under the Federal-State joint arrangement; knowledge of the history, concepts, methods, and techniques of social insurance and of the social and economic conditions under which the program operates. Knowledge of program and requirements to develop, adapt, and apply new techniques and methods to solve problems, improve effectiveness, and provide technical assistance to customers.

Oversight and Technical Assistance: Reviews assigned area or segment of programs and provides technical guidance to and coordinates the efforts of workforce development personnel and other subject matter professionals.

Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.

Problem Solving: Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

The information you provide on your resume may be verified by a review of your work experience, employment start/end dates/hours worked and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified." Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation. Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.


To preview questions please click here.

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