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Ombudsperson

Department of Labor
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP), Office of the Director.

This position is outside the bargaining unit.

This position is 100% remote.

Salary posted reflects nationwide locality pay range. Once the selection has been made, the salary will be set per the selectee's home worksite.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
10/14/2022 to 10/28/2022
Salary
$131,178 to - $176,300 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)
Few vacancies
Remote job
Yes
Telework eligible
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 5% - Travel may be required for training and/or meeting purposes.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - 100% Remote
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15 - This position is at the Full-Performance Level (FPL).
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DE-23-PHIL-OWCP-0001
Control number
683480600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens; ICTAP and CTAP eligibles. Also advertised as job #MS-23-PHIL-OWCP-0003 for status applicants; VEOA eligibles; Land & Base Management Workforce Flexibility Act eligibles; and Military Spouse eligibles. To be considered for each vacancy, apply to BOTH jobs.

Duties

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The Mission of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is to protect the interests of workers who are injured or become ill on the job, their families, and their employers by making timely, appropriate, and accurate decisions on claims, providing prompt payment of benefits, and helping injured workers return to gainful work as early as is feasible.

The incumbent serves as an Ombudsperson for the Agency, working autonomously to interact with, listen to, receive, and analyze complaints, problems, or questions from customers after reasonable attempts to resolve the issues through normal DOL channels have been made. The Ombuds provides a neutral, independent, informal, and confidential channel for stakeholders to surface and resolve issues. The incumbent performs these duties for three of OWCP’s programs: the Federal Employees' Compensation Program; the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Program; and the Coal Mine Workers' Compensation Program.

Relocation/PCS funds are not authorized.

Additional selections may be made using this announcement.

Major Duties of this position includes but are not limited to:

  • Provides leadership in the development and implementation of cooperative relations and communication to ensure that lines of communication are open, dialogue occurs, and information is exchanged and facilitates the resolution of concerns raised by internal and external stakeholders.
  • Develops procedures and guidelines and implements outreach and educational campaigns to Agency stakeholders nationwide.
  • Serves as a confidential employee in that during the normal performance of their duties will have access to confidential information and a component of their daily duties will be as a confidential assistant to the agency head in the performance of their role as Ombudsperson. 
  • Designs, implements, and executes the Ombud Service to bring an impartial and independent perspective to facilitate communication with external stakeholders - improving the efficiency and effectiveness of OWCP operations.
  • Performs highly technical and fully integrated analyses, studies, and projects of a unique, special, or sensitive nature, including scope as broad as program-wide and as narrow as claimant specific. Where assigned, leads, and directs teams in completing highly complex projects or studies with wide scope and impact.
  • Uses OWCP claims management systems to review case files covered by the Privacy Act. Translates highly complex and technical data and information into clear, concise, and understandable language.
  • Serves as an organizational resource and advisor to the OWCP Deputy Director in formulating or modifying policies and procedures, raising issues that may surface because of any gap between OWCP's goals and actual practices. Identifies long-standing issues causing conflict, advises Agency management on these issues, and recommends systemic improvements.
  • Serves as an input on OWCP customer experience (CX) initiatives, including phone and web surveys, website design, outreach materials readability and marketability, Section 508 compliance and metrics related to CX. This includes inputs into Office of Management & Budget (OMB) CX activities reporting.
  • Prepares responses to confidential, sensitive, and other correspondence including controlled correspondence or congressional inquiries from claimants, Congress, and others.
  • Prepares articles, reports, briefings, and similar documents for high level audiences internal and external to OWCP, including an Annual Report with recommendations for improvements based on the input received from stakeholders. Evaluates new or proposed legislation and provides comments and analyses to senior leadership.
  • Participates in outreach events, may testify on Capitol Hill, contributes data, reports, and analyses for OMB as a High Impact Service Provider.

     

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.
  • Subject to financial disclosure requirements.

This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.

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 to submit documentation of proof of vaccination or to be in the process of requesting an exception to the vaccination requirement before appointment or onboarding with the agency.  The agency will provide additional information regarding which forms of documentation can be accepted and how you can request to be considered for a legally required exception from this requirement.  

Currently, implementation and enforcement of Executive Order 14043 has been suspended pursuant to an injunction pending further litigation.

Qualifications

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

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-14, in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience in, or directly related to, the line of work of the position to be filled, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. 

Examples of specialized experience would include work experience in a majority of the areas as follows:

  • Knowledge of Alternative Dispute Resolution, facilitation, consensus-building negotiations, and community relations methods;
  • Performs and directs analyses of technical and/or sensitive policy issues, and presents policy recommendations in an organized, concise, and understandable manner to a variety of audiences;
  • Communicates effectively, orally and in writing, by translating technical information and issues into clear, concise, and understandable information to meet the needs of a variety of audiences; and analyzes and organizes material and controversial issues for oral and written presentations;
  • Provides technical oversight and review of work products from other staff.

Education

There is no educational substitution for this position.

Additional information

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

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

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.

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:

Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Technical Credibility - Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

Organizational Awareness - Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.

Written/Oral Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.  Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

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.)

Refer to "Additional Information" section regarding evaluation criteria for ICTAP/CTAP eligibles.


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