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Organizational Ombuds

Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary of the Interior
Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution (CADR)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Department of the Interior is devoted to protecting and preserving the natural resources of this great nation, including National Parks, Landmarks, and the well-being of communities, including those of Native American, Alaska Natives and affiliated Islanders.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
12/17/2024 to 12/23/2024
Salary
$117,962 to - $181,216 per year

*First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13 - 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Arlington, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - Some travel will be required within the U.S.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - NTE 4 years with the potential to be extended on an annual basis.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
OS-6083-25-CM-055(DEU)
Control number
824622800

Duties

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This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administrative Services, Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution (CADR) in Arlington, VA.

At the full performance level (GS-14) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Serve as an independent and impartial ombuds, who listens to issues and concerns in confidence, is a source of information and education, offer options for collaboration and conflict resolution, and adhere to the professional ethical principles of organizational ombuds.

2. Handle incoming requests for impartial assistance from managers and employees providing a safe place for confidential discussions about sensitive situations. Convene mediation (including for EEO complaints, administrative grievance, and general workplace matters), facilitated dialogues, conflict and leadership coaching, group facilitation, and other ADR and informal processes. Serve as a conflict coach, facilitator, mediator, or other informal neutral third-party role for any type of workplace issue or concern on request.

3. Initiate and facilitate discussions between key management officials within bureaus and organizational units, union officials, and other stakeholders, to further the integrated conflict management system model and promote information sharing and partnerships on workplace matters. Develop and deliver training on communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution skills, including CADR's standard training offerings, and mentor other trainers. Plan for and arrange periodic meetings with senior leadership of assigned offices to share observations and information, including aggregate trend data, suggest options for addressing any identified concerns, and solicit their feedback.

4. Serve as a technical liaison, in collaboration with CADR's Contracting Officer's Representative, for workplace cases and projects to provide substantive practice assistance in developing statements of work, assisting with neutral third-party selection, monitoring performance under task orders, and ensuring high quality service.

5. Serve as a subject matter expert providing advice on the design and implementation of an integrated conflict management system and the role and function of an organizational ombuds in that system.

6. Develop outreach products and use standard CADR outreach products, where appropriate, to provide communication to and education for bureau and office clients. Plan for and conduct outreach in assigned bureaus and offices, using both in-person and virtual means. Engage with leadership in assigned bureaus and offices to secure funding and other resources necessary for implementing the ombuds program.

7. Participate in strategic and annual planning efforts with other ombuds and other CADR staff and help to identify strategies and structural supports needed to promote organization-wide change toward a more conflict-healthy culture. Provide facilitative leadership for projects or initiatives regarding the ombuds program and other CADR programmatic functions in furtherance of CADR's annual plan, strategic plan, and overall mission.

8. Collaborate with other CADR ombuds and other CADR team members to jointly develop program and office-wide products and procedures, advance the ombuds program and CADR's overall mission.

NOTE: This is a TERM appointment. Appointments to this position, will not convey permanent status in the Federal service and will be for a period not to exceed 4 years with the potential to be extended on an annual basis.

Work is performed in an office setting, meeting, conference, or training setting.

Salary Range Information:
GS-13: $117,962 - $153,354 per annum.
GS-14: $139,395 - $181,216 per annum.
First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their
respective grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

This vacancy is also announced as OS-6083-25-CM-056(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  1. You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  2. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
  3. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  4. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  5. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

To qualify for this position, you must meet the Specialized Experience for the series/grade to which you are applying.

Specialized Experience

GS-13

To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is that which equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience is defined as:
1) individually serving a minimum of 100 clients per year as an organizational ombuds for a geographically dispersed (nation-wide or international) client-base within a large organization;
2) delivering training on communication and conflict resolution skills; and
3) assisting with the design and operation of an integrated conflict management system.
MUST MEET ALL.

GS-14
To qualify for the GS-14 you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized Experience is that which equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience is defined as:
1) individually serving a minimum of 150 clients per year as an organizational ombuds for a geographically dispersed (nation-wide or international) client-base within a large organization;
2) developing and delivering training on communication and conflict resolution skills;
3) designing and operating an integrated conflict management system;
4) providing ombuds services, including impartial counseling and referrals; and
5) working as an independent neutral with managers to improve their organization's supervision, human services, and conflict management system.
MUST MEET ALL.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

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

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

How you will be evaluated

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


Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "Platinum", "Gold", and "Silver". However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "Platinum" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
  • Planning and Evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
  • Technical Competence: Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise (for example, engineering, physical science, law, or accounting); maintains credibility with others on technical matters.
If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12642982

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