Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Legal Instruments Examiner, GS-0963-06/07

Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Coast Guard
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in COMMANDANT, VICE COMMANDANT (CG-09), DEPUTY COMDT FOR OPERATIONS (CG-DCO), SUPPORT & OVERSIGHT BR - EAST, in New York - New York, New York.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/10/2024 to 07/19/2024
Salary
$51,829 to - $74,874 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 06 - 07
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
New York, NY
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - This position requires occasional travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent appointment.
Work schedule
Full-time - This is a full-time position.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
07
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
24-3043-SE-AJ-D
Control number
799292000

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens. Subject position(s) will be filled through delegated examining procedures. For definitions of common terms found in this announcement: http://dhsconnect.dhs.gov/org/comp/mgmt/dhshr/hr/Documents/JOA_Common_Definitions.pdf

Duties

Help

As a Legal Instruments Examiner (LIE), you will serve as a specialist in the areas of licensing and documentation of merchant mariners and examining merchant marine personnel in accordance with applicable statutes and regulations.

Being a Coast Guard civilian makes you a valuable member of the Coast Guard team.

  • Reviewing and processing of applicants for Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credentials.  This includes all applications received for deck and engine licenses, all applications received for merchant mariner documents, all applications received for International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, as amended (STCW) endorsements, al all applications received for radio licenses/certificates of registry. The incumbent must possess detailed knowledge of the applicable statutes, regulations and Coast Guard policy as they relate to these applications in order to perform a thorough initial review. 

  • Identifying non-conformities within an application package prior to submission to the National Maritime Center (NMC).  These nonconformities could relate to character and habits of life, physical competency, training, sea service chemical testing for dangerous drugs, identification verification, user fees, etc.  Must possess the ability to identify unsupported documentation, incomplete application packages and any other issues which may lead to a delay or non-issuances of a Coast Guard NMC.

  • Responding to inquiries, both oral and written from the public and other government agencies.  This includes, but is not limited to: office visits, telephone calls, electronic mail, and written correspondence. As needed, the incumbent interacts with other agencies/offices to complete tasks. 

  • Responsible for the accurate entry of applicant information into the Merchant Mariner Licensing and Documentation MMLD system.

  • Drafting routine correspondence for supervisor’s signature regarding merchant mariner credentialing requirements.  Uses standard computer word-processing software and other computer applications as required.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • This position requires a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI).
  • A one-year probationary period may be required.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

At the GS-06 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS05 grade level in the federal service.

Specialized experience is the experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to this line of work.  Examples of specialized experience include:  Reviewing legal instruments, applications, respond to inquiries both oral and written received from the public and/or governmental agencies, draft routine correspondence for signature, knowledge and use of date entry systems, and applying Federal laws and regulations.

At the GS-07 level:

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS06 grade level in the federal service.

Specialized experience is the experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to this line of work.  Examples of specialized experience include:  Review merchant mariner applications, respond to inquiries both oral and written received from the public and/or governmental agencies, and draft routine correspondence for signature, draft merchant mariner credentials, administer merchant mariner exams, knowledge and use of MMLD, applying Federal laws and regulations related to merchant mariner credentialing. 

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

The Office of Personnel management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.  If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule, C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here

Additional information

Applicants will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. Certain responses on the form could pose a problem with suitability for employment determinations. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete/make updates to the OF-306 and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, or imprisonment.

DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about e-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities at click here

Recruitment incentives may be authorized

Recruitment Incentive: Selectee(s) for this position who are newly appointed to a permanent position are authorized to receive a one-time recruitment incentive of 10% of the salary, including locality for this position. Receipt of the bonus will require a 12 month service agreement.

"Newly appointed" refers to the first appointment (regardless of tenure) as an employee of the Federal Government, an appointment following a break in service of at least 90 days from a previous appointment as an employee of the Federal Government, or, in certain cases, an appointment following a break in service of less than 90 days from a previous appointment as an employee of the Federal Government.

If selection is made below the full performance level, the incumbent may be promoted up to the target grade without further competition, if all legal and regulatory requirements are met and when recommended by the supervisor. However, promotion to the full performance level is not guaranteed and is dependent on successful performance at the lower grade level(s).

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

More than 1 selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 45 days from the date the certificate was issued.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 571-608-6427. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your résumé and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education and training will be rated using the on-line assessment to place you in one of three categories.

The necessary Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities to perform this job are:

  1. Thorough knowledge of the Federal Regulations governing the issuance of U.S. Merchant Mariner’s credentials as well as the policies and procedures governing the application and the interpretation of regulations set forth in various guidance documents in order to correctly and efficiently process credential applications to completion.
  2. Knowledge and skill in the usage of office equipment such as copy/fax machines, computer word processors, and the Merchant Mariner Licensing and Documentation (MMLD) system.
  3. Knowledge of FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), the Privacy Act concerning files and requests for information, as well as, adherence to Personal Identifiable Information (PII) policies.  
  4. Ability and skill in written and verbal communication in order to effectively communicate and interact with other employees, agents, and mariners/customers.
  5. Ability to exercise exceptional tact and diplomacy and be sensitive to the obligations of a public servant.


If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:
1. Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. Your resume and responses to the self-assessment questions are an integral part of the process for determining your qualifications for the position. Therefore, you must support your responses to the self-assessment questions by providing examples of past and present experience in your resume.

Veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they are qualified. Veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. For information on veterans' preference, click here.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.