Clarification from the agency

This position is being advertised under delegated examining procedures and is open to all U.S. Citizens. Preference for eligible veterans will be applied.

As a Conciliation Specialist teleworking 100%, at an approved telework site in the duty location's State, you will provide facilitation, mediation, and conciliation services for communities facing conflicts and tensions arising from jurisdictional categories included in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) of 2009, you will mitigate conflicts, and support communities working to prevent or respond to bias incidents and hate crimes committed on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion. More specifically:

1. You will provide complex facilitation, mediation, and conciliation services for communities facing conflicts and tensions related to race, color, or nationality, pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related to race, color, nationality, LGBTQ status, gender, disability status, or religion, pursuant to the HCPA of 2009.
2. You will complete conflict assessments and develop action plans in order to determine CRS jurisdiction, identify key stakeholders and issues, and to determine appropriateness of CRS services.
3. You will provide training and consultation services to public officials and community representatives and provide them with the skills and mechanisms necessary to prevent and resolve future tensions.
4. You will lead regional projects or initiatives, as assigned by leadership, to improve CRS's ability to deliver services, and ability to anticipate and prevent conflict in jurisdictional communities.
5. You will develop and implement comprehensive outreach plans for each state/location assigned to you that target all jurisdictional communities.
6. You will serve as a mentor to staff by modeling professional behavior. Provides advice regarding mediation, facilitation, conflict resolution practices and procedures, and identifies areas needed for improvement.
7. You will speak at various formal and informal briefings, workshops, and events to provide information on conflict resolution activities and hate crime prevention.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary or trial period.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement, for up to 90 days, if openings occur within the duty location's State.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• You will be 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.
• Physical Demand - You will be required to be active and mobile for long periods during activities, such as demonstrations and responses to civil disturbances.
• Work Condition - You may be subjected to moderate risk, such as dealing with persons who are stressed, hostile, or mentally unstable, and may work in public venues, such as parks, stadiums, or streets.
• You will be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in which you agree to telework full-time from an approved telework site that is in your set duty location.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Conciliation Specialist, (GS-0101-12/13), you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to the series and grade you are applying to.

1. BASIC EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You must have a degree from an accredited college or university that included a major field of study in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and conflict/dispute resolution majors. You must submit transcripts to prove completion of four full-years of course study.
OR
Any degree with four years of appropriate experience that demonstrates you possess knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. (This must be demonstrated in your resume);

AND

2. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT:

For the GS-12, you must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service. At a minimum, specialized experience must be in or related to the following:

1. Assisting in delivering facilitated dialogue and consultation services to community groups experiencing conflicts or tensions; AND
2. Assisting community groups with developing and implementing outcomes that improve capacity to reduce or resolve tension or conflict or prevent or respond to actual or perceived hate crimes; AND
3. Developing positive working relationships with city, county, and/or state officials, including law enforcement officials, community leaders; civil rights organizations; faith-based groups; educational institutions; and/or other community groups.

For the GS-13, you must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. At a minimum, specialized experience must be in or related to the following:

1. Assessing conflicts between community groups and developing strategies to reduce those tensions and prevent future conflict; AND
2. Assisting in delivering facilitated dialogue and consultation services to community groups experiencing conflicts or tensions; AND
3. Assisting community groups with developing and implementing outcomes that improve capacity to reduce or resolve tension or conflict or prevent or respond to actual or perceived hate crimes; AND
4. Developing positive working relationships with city, county, and/or state officials, including law enforcement officials, community leaders; civil rights organizations; faith-based groups; educational institutions; and/or other community groups.

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 EST on01/17/2022), applicants who are found tentatively qualified will receive a message with a link to take an USA Hire assessment as a secondary screening. If you pass the USA Hire assessment, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. You will be placed in one of three categories, Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. Best Qualified applicants will be referred to the Hiring Official for employment consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):
Attention to Detail, Community/Cultural Awareness, Conflict Assessment, Customer Service, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Planning and Evaluating, Program Delivery, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

"The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment."

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:

1. Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
2. Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and
3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.