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Equal Opportunity Specialist, GS-0360-13 DE

National Science Foundation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in the Office of Equity and Civil Rights (OECR) within the Office of the Director at the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, VA. The incumbent serves as an Equal Opportunity Specialist within the Awardee Compliance Branch and reports to the Chief, Awardee Compliance Branch.

For more information about OECR

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
04/11/2022 to 04/25/2022
Salary
$106,823 to - $138,868 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Alexandria, VA
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel of 5% - 10% may be required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
OECR-2022-0004
Control number
648087800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Any U.S. citizen and ICTAP/CTAP eligible employees. This opportunity is also open to current/former competitive service employees or those with status only under announcement OECR-2022-0003.

Duties

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The incumbent is responsible for evaluating and investigating complaints of discrimination, harassment or retaliation filed under Title IX, Title VI, Section 504, Age Discrimination, & other Civil Rights laws and executive orders. The incumbent may also conduct compliance reviews and desk audits of NSF grant recipient organizations and also participate in, analyzing, assembling, and disseminating data, analysis, conclusions, and recommendation to notifications regarding sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, or sexual assault. Specifically:

Serves as technical advisor to the OECR leadership and Chief, Awardee Compliance Branch (ACB), of the agency’s equal opportunity compliance program; provides authoritative advice and applies expert knowledge and analytical techniques to compliance issues.

Developing and administering innovative and novel national programs to reduce barriers and develop solutions to issues in equal opportunity based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability.

Conducts preliminary review of discrimination complaint allegations, including interviewing, following leads, researching records, reconstructing events, and analyzing evidence.

Conducts discrimination complaint investigations and obtains evidence through witness interviews and affidavits, written requests for information, and research of records.

Prepares evaluations and reports, coordinates activities, and provides advice to management in the areas of program management and improvement. Manages collation and dissemination of information highlights from cross-divisional operations to educate stakeholders and promote effective grant award compliance.

Conducts analysis and then assists with or conducts pre- and post-award compliance reviews site visits and desk audits of NSF awardees, in compliance with NSF policy and regulations.

Works with NSF awardee organizations to correct violations of the applicable civil rights laws found in complaint investigations, compliance reviews and desk audits.

Develops and reviews policy issuances, regulations, and procedures for operational implications in terms of operational feasibility, resource requirements, consistency, public relations and other program considerations.

Conducts or participates in projects that often proceed in multiple phases and are conducted by cross-organizational teams.

Works with OECR, and ACB leadership along with scientific staff across NSF to prepare legally required EO Compliance reports, as well as other special reports, as required.

Develops new solutions to long-standing problems barring equal opportunity.

Provides technical assistance and handles inquiries from large, national level organizations regarding EO programs.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Background investigation.
  • Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
  • US citizenship.
  • Selectee may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period

It is NSF policy that NSF personnel employed at or IPAs detailed to NSF are not permitted to participate in foreign government talent recruitment programs.  Failure to comply with this NSF policy could result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from Federal Service or termination of an IPA assignment and referral to the Office of Inspector General. Foreign Talent Definitions

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement Safer Federal Workforce Task Force 2 pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).  Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire.

All online applicants must provide a valid email address.  If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full or blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-13 level you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in federal service conducting and performing complaint investigations. Examples of experience include: conducting fact-finding investigations; conducting compliance investigations of federal grant recipient institutions; conducting investigations related to Title IX, Title VI, Section 504, Age Discrimination, other Civil Rights laws; creating reports and working towards resolutions for complaints investigations; and/or conducting pre-and post-award compliance reviews.

Education

Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.

Additional information

Relocation Expenses will not be paid.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):
ICTAP and CTAP provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified you must meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least “Very Good” on the questionnaire.  You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources

Veteran's Preference:
If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the VA letter or other required documentation as specified on the SF-15.

NSF has determined that all of its positions are eligible for telework. Work suitable for telework depends on job duties; therefore, employees must receive approval from their supervisor for telework and have a telework agreement in place. Entering into a telework agreement is voluntary.

For additional information on the NSF eRecruit system, please visit our NSF eRecruit Applicant Guide.

This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.

The Selected Candidate(s) may be subject to a background investigation.

How you will be evaluated

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

Category rating procedures will be used to rank and select eligibles.  Based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire, you will be assigned a score.  Your score will determine in which of three categories you will be placed:  Excellent, Very Good, or Good.  Under this process, veterans will be assigned to the appropriate category (without additional preference points) and then placed at the top of their category.  

Veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the highest quality category.

The information contained in your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you meet the competencies required of this position. Please ensure you answer all questions accurately. Your responses are subject to verification. In support of your responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, your resume should include verbiage that describes your experience relative to the position for which you are applying and provide examples that show the depth of knowledge, level of skill, or degree of ability you possess. If your application does not support your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire or your application is not complete, this may result in adjustments to your score, or result in your name being removed from further consideration.

In some cases, additional assessment processes may be used.

Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or CTAP must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." In NSF categories, this means at least “Very Good" with a score of 90.

Competencies:

Equal Opportunity Compliance

Analysis

Investigating/Auditing

Collaboration

Communication


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