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Paralegal Specialist

Department of Labor
Office of the Secretary of Labor
Administrative Review Board

Summary

This position is with the U. S. Department of Labor, Administrative Review Board (ARB) located in Washington, DC. The Administrative Review Board (ARB) is responsible for issuing agency decisions under a variety of statutes, most of which involve whistleblower and public contract laws.

  • This position full performance level is a GS-11.
  • Position is not in the Bargaining Unit.
  • Selectee will be expected to report to Washington, DC.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/17/2026 to 03/31/2026
Salary
$57,736 to - $75,059 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - This position is subject to travel 10% or less.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11 - There is no obligation to provide future promotions if you are selected. Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, meet all the performance requirements, and 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
No
Announcement number
MS-26-PHIL-ARB-12905974-NG
Control number
861388800

Duties

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Major Duties:

  • Performs docketing duties daily.
  • Determines when case records are complete and assignable to a staff attorney for proper disposition.
  • Provides technical support to the ARB's legal staff.
    • (1) running and sharing reports from the electronic filing system necessary for the efficient operation and management of the office, such as reports reflecting open cases, closed cases, upcoming hearing dates, and cases ripe for closure;
    • (2) maintaining information reflecting the current status and/or disposition of each case, the progress of the case through the evaluation and litigation stages, and the proper disposition of the case;
    • (3) preparing reports of ARB results and case data as requested; and
    • (4) consulting with other DOL agencies to process cases efficiently.
  • Prepares, processes, and issues standard, pre-approved orders, letters, and other legal documents.
  • Prepares draft final decisions and other orders of the ARB for issuance and service.
  • Prepares records for disposition under the applicable records schedules.
  • Receives, processes, and routes incoming mail each day and dockets information and prepares reports as necessary based on orders, decisions, motions, correspondence, and other materials received.
  • Communicates and corresponds with parties, their representatives, and other interested people regarding ARB practices and procedures, including e-filing procedures and briefing requirements.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 -year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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

Qualifications

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Position titles alone cannot be used to determine if you are qualified. Please list dates in MM/DD/YY format. This is imperative in determining if whether you have at least one year of creditable specialized experience. Dates will not be assumed.

You must meet the Specialized Experience and/or Education Substitution to qualify for Paralegal Specialist, as described below.

Minimum Qualifications for GS-07: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-05 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 for GS-07 includes:

  • Performing docketing and/or database management functions in a legal or administrative setting.
  • Drafting documents and correspondence.
  • Accepting and answering email correspondence and telephone calls and addressing inquiries.
  • Managing records or files, paper and electronically.


or

Education:
1 full year of graduate level education (One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement).

or

superior academic achievement (General Schedule Qualification Policies)

or

Combination of Education and Experience:
A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

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.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, 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

For more information, Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information

For more information, click 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 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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-In%E2%80%A6).

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your evaluation will be based on how well you meet the qualifications outlined in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated through your resume and supporting documentation.

You may preview application questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12905974

USA Hire

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Stress Tolerance


Clickhere for Evaluation details.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, and volunteer, 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.).

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) will be considered well-qualified if they attain at least a rating score of 85 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

When Office of the Secretary of Labor completes its hiring, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with additional sub-agencies in the Department. You will have an opportunity to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results shared to be considered for employment with additional sub-agencies at DOL. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

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