At Federal Student Aid (FSA), we are proud sponsors of the American mind. As a principal office of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), FSA provides students and families financial assistance for higher education, and we promote the value of postsecondary education to society. We ensure that all eligible students and families can benefit from federal financial aid for education or training beyond high school.
Summary
At Federal Student Aid (FSA), we are proud sponsors of the American mind. As a principal office of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), FSA provides students and families financial assistance for higher education, and we promote the value of postsecondary education to society. We ensure that all eligible students and families can benefit from federal financial aid for education or training beyond high school.
Several Assistant Director positions are available for the Borrower Defense Group and one Assistant Director position is available for the Investigations Group.
As a Supervisory Attorney Advisor, Asst. Director GS-0905-15, the incumbent will be leading work that includes the following:
Borrower Defense Group
The Borrower Defense Group considers and issues decisions on claims by individual borrowers who assert a defense to repayment of Federal student loans based on an act or omission of an of Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) that gives rise to a cause of action under State law or Federal regulations, as applicable. As Assistant Director of the Borrower Defense Group, the incumbent will be leading and managing work that includes the following:
Conducting legal research and analysis of borrower defense claims and assessing injury
Corresponding with IHEs and third parties to obtain information and records needed to evaluate borrower defense claims
Collaborating with the Enforcement Groups as needed to gather additional information regarding individual borrower defense claims and refer to the Investigations Group those claims that appear to indicate a pattern, practice or repeated instances of conduct giving rise to borrower defense claims
Determining borrower eligibility for relief
Coordinating with enforcement divisions of other Federal and State agencies regarding individual borrower defense claims
Advising the Director of Borrower Defense on law and policy matters
Investigations Group
The Investigations Group is responsible for identifying and coordinating the investigation of, and response to, indicators of potential misconduct or high-risk conduct on the part of IHEs. As Assistant Director of the Investigations Group, the incumbent will be leading and managing work that includes the following:
Identifying problematic issues at IHEs, independently and through coordination with other FSA and ED offices, and other Federal and State agencies
Applying a risk-based priority setting plan to determine where to focus efforts
Conducting targeted investigations, using interviews and administrative subpoenas to compel production of documents and responses to interrogatories, in order to develop administrative enforcement actions
Collaborating actively with other agencies that have complementary enforcement resources.
Providing support to the Office of the General Counsel as needed, including witness testimony, documents, and data analysis, in litigation involving challenges to administrative enforcement actions undertaken at the recommendation of the Enforcement Office
Working with FSA Business Units to review applications for certification, eligibility, and expansion from IHEs that are under investigation by the Investigations Group
Investigating IHEs in connection with borrower defense claims and analyzing the ability to make recoveries against IHEs based on evidence obtained from borrower defense claims and other appropriate evidentiary sources
Preparing comprehensive analysis reports covering all phases of studies and investigations relative to assigned area of responsibility. Reports include summations of all areas of investigation covered, conclusions reached, and recommendations for improvement or corrective action
Advising the Director of Investigations on policy and investigative matters
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. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.
Qualifications
Selective Placement Factor
You must meet the following selective placement factor:
The incumbent must also have proof of admission to the Bar of the highest court of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or current membership in good standing of a bar of a state, or territory of the United States, District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Specialized Experience for the GS-15 One year of experience equivalent to the GS-14 performing at least two (2) of the following three (3) duties or work assignments: 1. Experience leading teams of attorneys and support staff on complex legal matters, such as in civil or criminal investigations, litigation, or administrative hearings. 2. Experience communicating legal analysis and other information orally through briefings, hearings, and presentations. 3. Experience with personnel management, including planning, organizing, and leading teams.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement). 1. Ability to supervise a diverse staff of attorneys and support personnel. 2. Skilled in legal analysis. 3. Skilled in legal writing and editing. 4. Skilled in strategy formulation, critical thinking and multi-tasking under pressure. 5. Skill in written and oral communication.
Education
Must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
Additional information
Equal Employment Opportunity: We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a parent, marital status, or political affiliation.
People with Disabilities: We are committed to expanding access to employment by hiring people with disabilities; providing reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities; and, identifying and removing barriers to work. Persons with disabilities, including disabled veterans, may apply for jobs filled either competitively (where qualified individuals compete with one another through a structured process), noncompetitively (where a qualified individual may be selected based on a special hiring authority), or through an excepted appointing authority for people with disabilities (i.e., Schedule A). If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact us. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation is made on a case-by-case basis. For more information, please visit: http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp
Veterans’ Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email Iwork@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor (“Veterans Counseling Session” should be placed in the subject line of the email).
Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and subject to a pre-appointment investigation/background check.
Level of Risk and Sensitivity: Level of this position is T4 and the sensitivity is High.
Probationary Period: If selected for this position, you will be required to successfully complete a two-year trial period.
Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.
Financial Disclosure: This position requires financial disclosure.
Telework: This position is telework eligible.
Bargaining Unit: This position is not included in the bargaining unit.
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.
FSA is a great place to work. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid vacation and sick leave, federal holidays, health and life insurance, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). For more information about the many benefits available to Federal employees, please visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits
As an FSA employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a productive balance between work and home, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you, may include teleworking and alternative work schedules.
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.
We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:
1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.
2. Rating and Ranking If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. Your application may be referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation.
If your responses to the occupational questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.
3. Referral and Selection If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.
If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the interview process or written assessment or exercise, please inform the selecting official at the time of scheduling.
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.
FSA is a great place to work. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid vacation and sick leave, federal holidays, health and life insurance, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). For more information about the many benefits available to Federal employees, please visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits
As an FSA employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a productive balance between work and home, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you, may include teleworking and alternative work schedules.
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.
A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire
Law school transcript (unofficial or copy is acceptable at the application stage)
Bar card (at time of offer)
Writing samples may be requested of the candidates who are selected for interviews. Candidates will be asked to provide any representative legal memo that demonstrates writing style and analytical ability. The sample should be written entirely by candidate, light editing by others if any. Will be considered as part of overall candidate assessment.
Cover Letter highlighting your relevant skills and experience, describing your interest in enforcement issues generally and pertaining to higher education such as borrower defense or federal student loans specifically (if applicable), and explaining how your professional experiences relate to the qualifications listed above.
Veteran Documentation: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit: • A copy of your DD214, member copy 4 (Separated Members only). • A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions. A “certification” is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. (Current Active Duty Members only) • The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) • The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference (e.g., a letter from the Department of Veterans' Affairs certifying the service-connected disability and percentage of disability) (if VEOA eligibility is based on a service-connected disability or derived preference).
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.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov.
Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)).
Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click “Finish” to submit your application.
NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts.
In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
EDUCATION-OFC OF FEDERAL STUDENT AID
830 First Street, NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20202
United States
Next steps
As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process. 1. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received. 2. After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official. 3. Finally, we will inform you if and when a selection is made.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire
Law school transcript (unofficial or copy is acceptable at the application stage)
Bar card (at time of offer)
Writing samples may be requested of the candidates who are selected for interviews. Candidates will be asked to provide any representative legal memo that demonstrates writing style and analytical ability. The sample should be written entirely by candidate, light editing by others if any. Will be considered as part of overall candidate assessment.
Cover Letter highlighting your relevant skills and experience, describing your interest in enforcement issues generally and pertaining to higher education such as borrower defense or federal student loans specifically (if applicable), and explaining how your professional experiences relate to the qualifications listed above.
Veteran Documentation: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit: • A copy of your DD214, member copy 4 (Separated Members only). • A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions. A “certification” is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. (Current Active Duty Members only) • The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) • The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference (e.g., a letter from the Department of Veterans' Affairs certifying the service-connected disability and percentage of disability) (if VEOA eligibility is based on a service-connected disability or derived preference).
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.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov.
Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)).
Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click “Finish” to submit your application.
NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts.
In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
EDUCATION-OFC OF FEDERAL STUDENT AID
830 First Street, NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20202
United States
Next steps
As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process. 1. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received. 2. After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official. 3. Finally, we will inform you if and when a selection is made.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
