The DOJ OIG, named the Best Place to Work in DOJ, is an independent entity whose mission is to promote integrity, efficiency, and accountability within DOJ. The OIG's OGC is a collegial office of 6 attorneys and 6 government information specialists. OGC provides legal advice on complex issues relevant to general OIG operations and specific OIG audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews; represents the OIG's interests in litigation; and is responsible for the OIG's privacy and FOIA program.
Summary
The DOJ OIG, named the Best Place to Work in DOJ, is an independent entity whose mission is to promote integrity, efficiency, and accountability within DOJ. The OIG's OGC is a collegial office of 6 attorneys and 6 government information specialists. OGC provides legal advice on complex issues relevant to general OIG operations and specific OIG audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews; represents the OIG's interests in litigation; and is responsible for the OIG's privacy and FOIA program.
If you are selected as an Government Information Specialist, your responsibilities would include, but would not be limited to:
Coordinating and processing FOIA and Privacy Act requests, performing work at all levels of the FOIA fulfillment process;
Independently applying FOIA exemptions and making disclosure determinations;
Preparing proposed responses for final submission to FOIA requesters ensuring that outgoing FOIA responses are accurate and include releasable materials;
Researching and reviewing issues related to complex and/or high-level sensitive FOIA matters, clarify issues, and evaluate the needs for additional information or collaboration;
Coordinating or assist with FOIA appeals and litigation matters, including preparing the declarations as needed regarding the processing of particular information requests.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
You must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
You must be registered for the Selective Service, if applicable.
You must successfully pass and are subject to random drug screenings.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
You may be subject to a probationary period.
Qualifications
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 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 E.O. 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.
To qualify at the GS-13 level you must possess one year (52 weeks) or more of specialized experience equivalent in responsibility and scope to the GS-12 level performing duties or functions such as applying federal laws, regulations, policies, and guidance regarding access to records and information, specifically, extensive work independently processing and responding to requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act, and participating in all aspects of an agency's FOIA/Privacy Act Program.
Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade level (or equivalent).
Education
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify at the various grade levels. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.
Additional information
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides 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/CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP/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 satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. 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/CTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP/CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.
Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under the VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.
Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department. DOJ also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and a subject matter expert review of your resume. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
Manages and Organizes Information
Oral Communication
Technical Competence
Writing
To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for further employment consideration.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Current resume showing relevant experience and dates the experience was obtained. 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, and 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. (A cover letter is optional).
SF-50 (most recent career/career conditional, if applicable); or for reinstatement to Federal service purposes, the SF50 that shows you have acquired competitive status. Current Federal employees employed by the DOJ OIG are not required to submit the SF-50 unless you are applying for a higher grade, and your experience was gained at a Federal agency other than the OIG. Then, you must provide the SF-50 which verifies the length of time you have been in your highest grade and supports your claim for time in grade.
CTAP/ICTAP documentation (if applicable)
Veterans Preference documentation (if applicable)
Schedule A documentation (if applicable)
Your Responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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 complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/15/2022 to receive consideration.
* To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
* Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
* It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
* 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 position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
* 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.
Office of General Counsel
150 M Street NE
Washington, DC 20001
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Current resume showing relevant experience and dates the experience was obtained. 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, and 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. (A cover letter is optional).
SF-50 (most recent career/career conditional, if applicable); or for reinstatement to Federal service purposes, the SF50 that shows you have acquired competitive status. Current Federal employees employed by the DOJ OIG are not required to submit the SF-50 unless you are applying for a higher grade, and your experience was gained at a Federal agency other than the OIG. Then, you must provide the SF-50 which verifies the length of time you have been in your highest grade and supports your claim for time in grade.
CTAP/ICTAP documentation (if applicable)
Veterans Preference documentation (if applicable)
Schedule A documentation (if applicable)
Your Responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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 complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/15/2022 to receive consideration.
* To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
* Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
* It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
* 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 position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
* 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.
Office of General Counsel
150 M Street NE
Washington, DC 20001
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
