This position is part of the National Archives and Records Administration, Office of Government Information Services' (OGIS). The incumbent serves as the federal FOIA ombudsman to provide dispute resolution to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesters, in a mediation capacity. OGIS also reviews FOIA policies, procedures and compliance, and makes recommendations for FOIA policy changes to Congress and the President.
Summary
This position is part of the National Archives and Records Administration, Office of Government Information Services' (OGIS). The incumbent serves as the federal FOIA ombudsman to provide dispute resolution to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesters, in a mediation capacity. OGIS also reviews FOIA policies, procedures and compliance, and makes recommendations for FOIA policy changes to Congress and the President.
All candidates who are: Current or former federal employees qualifying as Status Candidates, Federal employees currently serving on a VRA, VEOA eligibles, CTAP/ICTAP eligible, eligible for special hiring authorities (e.g., the Schedule A appointment for persons with disabilities, or covered by an Interchange Agreement), or Land Management employees eligible through Public Law 114-47.
The following are the duties of this position at the GS-13. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.
As a MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM ANALYST, you will:
Provide mediation services to FOIA requesters and federal agencies in accordance with the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996, 5 U.S.C. ยงยง 571-84, including its confidentiality provisions, and in an effort to prevent FOIA litigation.
Manage the OGIS case management system for mediation cases and processes, including information gathering, facilitating communication and counseling customers on best FOIA practice.
Prepare reports from case management for supervisors to monitor status of goals.
Deliver excellent customer service in carrying out the office's work including the ability to communicate effectively with various types of stakeholders both orally and in writing.
Assist with OGIS outreach efforts including teaching and/or training, writing and/or editing for a public audience, drafting and managing web content, and public presentations.
Assist with communication with external stakeholders including Congress, the FOIA requester community and the general public; and
Assist with analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness with which OGIS program operations are meeting established goals and objectives, including analyzing OGIS's own mediation cases and compliance review.
The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.
A one year probationary period may be required.
Must successfully complete a background investigation.
Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
Work is primarily sedentary, with occasional periods of standing.
Key Requirements:
Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.
Qualifications
You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: For the GS-13, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes:
Utilizing laws, regulations, policies and/or procedures related to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to complete work assignments; AND
Interpreting and applying laws, regulations, policies and/or procedures related to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and/or Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996 (ADRA); AND
Experience with dispute resolution.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: For the GS-12, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes:
Utilizing laws, regulations, policies and/or procedures related to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to complete work assignments; AND
Experience with dispute resolution.
In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable (as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F):
For the GS-13, you must have been at the GS-12level for 52 weeks.
For the GS-12, you must have been at the GS-11level for 52 weeks.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Archives and Records Administration.
This is a bargaining unit position. AFGE Council 260.
We offer opportunities for telework, per Agency policy.
We offer opportunities for alternative and flexible work schedules, per Agency policy.
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.
Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Analytical, Communication, Technical. Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.
Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.
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.
1. Resume - either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.
2. Vacancy Question Responses - Completely answer the online assessment questionnaire associated with this job announcement.
3. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL/REVIEW/EVALUATION, ETC: All (Federal and Non-Federal) applicants are required to submit their most recently completed annual performance appraisal (dated within 18 months from the closing date of the vacancy announcement), which identifies your official rating of record (must be at least "Fully Successful") AND is signed by the supervisor, OR a statement explaining why the performance appraisal/review/evaluation is unavailable OR incomplete. If you fail to provide a copy of the performance appraisal/review/evaluation, or a statement advising why it is unavailable, you will be removed from further consideration. N/A is not considered an acceptable response.
4. SF-50 for CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment:
Submit a copy of your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) title, series, grade, and competitive service status. (To verify your competitive service status, on the SF50, Box 34 "Position Occupied" should show a "1" and Box 24 "Tenure" should show a "1" or "2".)
Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.
If you are currently on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), submit a copy of an SF-50 showing that. Also, you must submit a copy of your DD214 or other documentation showing dates of service and type of discharge and any other applicable documents such as SF-15, VA letters, etc.
Additional Required Documents if Applying Through the Hiring Authorities Listed Below:
5. NON-COMPETITIVE REINSTATEMENT: If you are a former federal employee who has been separated for at least one year and wish to be non-competitively reinstated for a higher grade or full performance level than which you left federal employment, you MUST provide a copy of your separation SF50 (the "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2") AND the last performance appraisal you received from your federal employment which shows at least a fully successful rating. Note: You will NOT be given consideration under this option, if a performance appraisal document is not submitted.
6. Veterans Preference documentation (if applying under VEOA or VRA): DD-214 - Member Copy 4 or other copies that indicate character of discharge; SF-15 and VA Letter (as appropriate). If you are claiming veterans preference, please visit the website for veterans hiring paths located at https://www.usajobs.gov/help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/.
7. If you are applying under a special hiring authority (e.g. Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement, Schedule A Disability, etc.), please visit the website https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/eligibility. In order to be eligible under one of these authorities, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in that specific hiring authority. For additional guidance on documents please visit: applicant guide for required documentation.
8. CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
9. Land Management Eligibles must provide all required documentation to verify eligibility, prior performance, and qualifications for the target position. You can find information on the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act and eligibility HERE. Land Management Eligibles must compete under competitive merit promotion procedures and meet all applicable requirements as such (time-in-grade restrictions do not apply).
The National Archives and Records Administration has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login); all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear, along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
AGENCY SERVICES
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability and/or security background investigation. A final job offer for this position is typically made within 40 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.
1. Resume - either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.
2. Vacancy Question Responses - Completely answer the online assessment questionnaire associated with this job announcement.
3. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL/REVIEW/EVALUATION, ETC: All (Federal and Non-Federal) applicants are required to submit their most recently completed annual performance appraisal (dated within 18 months from the closing date of the vacancy announcement), which identifies your official rating of record (must be at least "Fully Successful") AND is signed by the supervisor, OR a statement explaining why the performance appraisal/review/evaluation is unavailable OR incomplete. If you fail to provide a copy of the performance appraisal/review/evaluation, or a statement advising why it is unavailable, you will be removed from further consideration. N/A is not considered an acceptable response.
4. SF-50 for CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment:
Submit a copy of your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) title, series, grade, and competitive service status. (To verify your competitive service status, on the SF50, Box 34 "Position Occupied" should show a "1" and Box 24 "Tenure" should show a "1" or "2".)
Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.
If you are currently on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), submit a copy of an SF-50 showing that. Also, you must submit a copy of your DD214 or other documentation showing dates of service and type of discharge and any other applicable documents such as SF-15, VA letters, etc.
Additional Required Documents if Applying Through the Hiring Authorities Listed Below:
5. NON-COMPETITIVE REINSTATEMENT: If you are a former federal employee who has been separated for at least one year and wish to be non-competitively reinstated for a higher grade or full performance level than which you left federal employment, you MUST provide a copy of your separation SF50 (the "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2") AND the last performance appraisal you received from your federal employment which shows at least a fully successful rating. Note: You will NOT be given consideration under this option, if a performance appraisal document is not submitted.
6. Veterans Preference documentation (if applying under VEOA or VRA): DD-214 - Member Copy 4 or other copies that indicate character of discharge; SF-15 and VA Letter (as appropriate). If you are claiming veterans preference, please visit the website for veterans hiring paths located at https://www.usajobs.gov/help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/.
7. If you are applying under a special hiring authority (e.g. Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement, Schedule A Disability, etc.), please visit the website https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/eligibility. In order to be eligible under one of these authorities, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in that specific hiring authority. For additional guidance on documents please visit: applicant guide for required documentation.
8. CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
9. Land Management Eligibles must provide all required documentation to verify eligibility, prior performance, and qualifications for the target position. You can find information on the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act and eligibility HERE. Land Management Eligibles must compete under competitive merit promotion procedures and meet all applicable requirements as such (time-in-grade restrictions do not apply).
The National Archives and Records Administration has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login); all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear, along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
AGENCY SERVICES
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability and/or security background investigation. A final job offer for this position is typically made within 40 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.
