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Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist

Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
Office of Unemployment Insurance
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Unemployment Insurance (OUI).

This position is inside the bargaining unit.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/20/2024 to 01/02/2025
Salary
$99,200 to - $153,354 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Current DOL policy requires on-site work at least 5 days per pay period. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13 - Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, meet all the performance requirements, and the supervisor's recommendation to the next grade.
Job family (Series)
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
Yes
Announcement number
DE-25-DAL-ETA-12646268-SLN
Control number
825230100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens; ICTAP and CTAP eligibles in the local commuting area. This position is also advertised as job MS-25-DAL-ETA-12646269-SLN for status applicants; to be considered for each, apply to BOTH jobs.

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Duties

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This is a career ladder progression position; the duties described below are at the full performance level, GS-13. If selected at a grade below GS-13, the incumbent will serve in a developmental capacity, wherein the work is less complex in nature and the supervisor, or a senior level employee provides specific instruction and guidance.

At the GS-13 grade level, the incumbent:

  • Serve as an UI program expert on behalf of the agency.
  • Undertakes or participates in special projects, ongoing analyses, investigations and initiatives that have high priority for high level management, which may involve producing complex analyses and written reports; organizing, initiating program reviews; and developing or fostering cross-agency programs.
  • Provides authoritative advice and consultation to ETA officials and customers. Recommends new approaches and alternatives to address current or anticipated problems.
  • Serves as lead for the provision of program technical assistance and guidance to regional staff, grantees, and other stakeholder groups on specific program activities and/or legislative initiatives.
  • Negotiate acceptable agreements to resolve conflicts and controversial disputes and elicit support of program officials, customers and other concerned parties.
  • Researches and/or analyzes problems, issues, or program requirements. Provides expert analysis and advice on complex program issues.
  • Develop national UI guidance and technical assistance material and performs a range of actions to address UI problems.
  • Develop national guideline materials and applies new methods and techniques to solve problems where existing guides are largely in applicable.
  • Position involves the review and analysis of Federal and state UI laws, regulations and administrative procedures to determine grantee compliance with legal requirements or the review and analysis of project plans and proposals to determine compliance with legal requirements and/or responsiveness to the needs of customers.
  • Devises new analytical techniques to evaluate findings and makes authoritative recommendations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Must be at least 16 years old.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.

Qualifications

You must meet the Basic Requirements listed and the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for this position, as described below.

Basic Requirements (Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

Undergraduate Education:
Major Study - economics, industrial relations, law, sociology, political science, public administration, or other related fields. Courses in statistics or mathematics applicable to the social sciences are creditable up to a maximum of 12 semester hours.

Graduate Education:
Major study - one or a combination of the social sciences that included social science research methodology and techniques, and provided a knowledge of the history, concepts, methods, and techniques of social insurance and/or the social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate.

OR

Experience:
Experiences related to social insurance. This includes experience applying statistics or mathematics to the social insurance field. Specialized experience must have demonstrated:
- A knowledge of current social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate, and the principles of the Federal/State/local relationships;
- The ability to extend and modify existing techniques and methods or to develop new ones to identify, isolate, and resolve special problems; and
- The ability to develop effective collaborative relationships with personnel in other fields and with groups having conflicting objectives.

Qualifying specialized experience may have been gained through work in the following or similar types of programs: unemployment insurance; old-age and survivors' insurance; workers' compensation; disability compensation; or other public or private programs covering common social insurance risks.

In addition to the basic requirements above, you must also meet the specialized experience listed below.

GS-12: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-11, in the Federal Service. 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.

Qualifying specialized experience is defined as meeting at least 2 of the following:

  • Interpreting Federal/State Unemployment Insurance legislation, regulations, and policies.
  • Providing technical assistance to Unemployment Insurance (UI) stakeholders such as state UI agencies, employers, work advocates, Federal, State, and local workforce partners.
  • Assisting in developing policy guidance and/or operating procedures for state/Federal Unemployment Insurance programs.

GS-13: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the Federal Service. 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.

Qualifying specialized experience is defined as meeting ALL of the following:

  • Interpreting Federal/State Unemployment Insurance (UI) law, regulations, and policies and providing recommendations related to UI programs.
  • Providing technical assistance to Unemployment Insurance (UI) stakeholders such as state UI agencies, employers, work advocates, Federal, State, and local workforce partners.
  • Developing and/or implementing policy guidance and/or operating procedures for state/Federal Unemployment Insurance programs.

There is no educational substitution at the GS-12 or GS-13 grade level.

WHEN DOCUMENTING EXPERIENCE IN YOUR RESUME, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. NO ASSUMPTIONS WILL BE MADE ABOUT YOUR WORK 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

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.

Click here for Career Ladder Promotion 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

Click here for Telework Position Information This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

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

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information.

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.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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.

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 qualification 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:

  • Compliance
  • Oral Communication
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


Click here for Evaluation details.

You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12646268

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.

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 the eligibility questions 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.

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