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Student Trainee (Benefits Advisor)

Department of Labor
Employee Benefits Security Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Post-Secondary Students are TERM appointments NTE 4 yrs. in the competitive service. Students may be non-competitively converted to a career or career-conditional appointment upon successful completion of an academic program; complete 640 hrs. of continuous employment; meet OPM qualifications for the position converted to; and meet time-in-grade requirements. English and Bilingual (Spanish) positions being filled. Few vacancies available.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/04/2024 to 06/13/2024
Salary
$51,807 to - $69,238 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Locations
Few vacancies in the following locations:
Plantation, FL
Atlanta, GA
Dallas, TX
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and be eligible for telework as determined by agency policy. This is not a remote position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Not-to-exceed 4 years. May be non-competitively converted to a permanent appointment.
Work schedule
Part-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
PS-24-CHI-EBSA-12429033-RLP
Control number
793955100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This Post-Secondary Student (PSS) announcement is open to students currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree on at least a half-time basis.

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Duties

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Major duties include but are not limited to:

  • Provides information, guidance, and assistance to plan administrators, plan service providers, participants, beneficiaries, the general public and other government agencies concerning provisions of ERISA and other related statutes, regulations, and Department published guidance, with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
  • Assists participants and beneficiaries in obtaining benefits to which they are entitled but which they have not been able to secure from plan officials. Develops recoveries and referrals per EBSA's standard operating procedures. Explains the law, regulations or other guidance and works with employers to informally resolve benefit issues; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
  • Conducts research, fact-finding, analyzes data, and prepares and presents information about particular situations. Identifies and develops responses to inquiries. Reviews eligibility or entitlement to benefits, including obtaining and examining multiple types of records; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
  • Educates individuals on their rights and responsibilities under ERISA and other related laws enforced by EBSA. Assists with planning and conducting outreach events; disseminates information related to ERISA employee benefits plan protections and retirement savings education; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
  • Gathers information so that agencies can determine how well programs and activities are meeting established needs and goals. Maintains agency databases and systems with information that is used to generate reports supporting both policy and budget decisions; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits Advisor (Bilingual) regularly use Spanish language translation skills in performing duties listed above and on an as needed basis to assist other office staff; receives assignments involving people who may communicate in native Spanish language and unable to communicate effectively using English language.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
  • Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
  • Must be currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree at least half-time.
  • For bilingual position, must be able to speak/read/write English and Spanish language.
  • The entire duration of the Post-Secondary Student appointment constitutes a trial period.
  • Upon completion of requirements for graduation and successful completion of the PSS program requirements, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion, at the agency's discretion, to a career or career-conditional appointment.

Qualifications

For the bilingual vacancies, applicants will be required to self-certify proficiency in Spanish by responding to a Spanish language question which will be used to determine initial language proficiency and also meet the specialized experience or education listed below. Applicants who are otherwise qualified and referred must satisfactorily complete an interview to demonstrate their Spanish language proficiency in order to be considered for appointment to Bilingual Benefits Advisor (Post-Secondary Student).

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service or meet the education requirement or have an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5).

Qualifying specialized experience for GS-07 includes:

  • Experience working in a customer service environment that demonstrates both written and oral communication skills.
  • Experience that demonstrates the ability to provide educational information or outreach activities.
  • Experience that provided knowledge of laws, policies, regulations, and precedents.
  • Experience in research principles and techniques and the ability to gather and compile data.

OR
1 full year of graduate level education in a related field of study that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.); information regarding S.A.A. can be found in OPM's General Schedule Qualification Policies: General Schedule Qualification Policies (opm.gov) S.A.A. is based on a qualifying Bachelor's Degree and one of the following: 1) Class standing - you must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university or major subdivision based on completed courses; or 2) Grade Point Average (GPA) - you must have a cumulative GPA of 2.95 or higher (out of a possible 4.0) based on 4 years of education or based on courses completed during the final 2 years or a 3.45 GPA or higher based on average of required courses in the major field or required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.
OR
A combination of education and experience.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements.

This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information

This job is not 100% telework; it requires employee to report on a regular basis to their assigned office location.

Click here for Telework Position Information

Upon completion of requirements for graduation and successful completion of the Post-Secondary Student (PSS) program requirements, the appointee may become eligible for non-competitive conversion, at the agency's discretion, to a career or career-conditional appointment.

To be eligible for conversion, Post-Secondary Students must:

  • Complete a course of study leading to the baccalaureate or graduate degree;
  • Complete not less than 640 hours of continuous employment;
  • Meet the OPM qualification standards for the position to which the student will be converted to; and
  • Meet time-in-grade requirements in accordance with 5 CFR part 300 subpart F.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants meeting the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements will be referred to the selecting official. Rating/ranking and veterans' preference does not apply to this position.

You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12429033

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived experience, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).

The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.

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