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Language Specialist

Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bogota, Colombia Country Office.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/22/2023 to 05/26/2023
Salary
$40,082 to - $63,734 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Bogota, Colombia
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
No
Announcement number
F-OF-23-11975652-DE-RCW
Control number
726538900

Duties

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As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

As a Language Specialist your typical work assignments may include:

  • Interprets from and into English, using the consecutive and the simultaneous technique, often in formal situations, on assignments involving high officials of the Federal Government or foreign governments.
  • Is routinely assigned as chief interpreter at the site of a meeting or conference staffed by additional interpreters.
  • Responsible for translating reports from Spanish to English ensuring contents of all accounts on incidents are grammatically and idiomatically correct.
  • Occasionally serves as escort interpreter for high-ranking foreign leaders during meetings of particular difficulty or sensitivity. When required, prepares the official record or transcript of restricted or classified meetings, especially when, apart from the principals, no other U.S. official or note-takers are present.
  • Assists with translating or reviewing translations and provides assistance with interpretations consisting of dialects, colloquialisms, etc.
ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION:
A. Length of Tour: The initial tour of duty for this assignment is 3 years. Employees are limited to a maximum of 5 years of service in an overseas assignment. After the initial tour of duty has been completed, extensions may be granted in one-year increments up to the six-year maximum. Employees who wish to remain on an overseas assignment in excess of the six-year maximum must request a tour extension or renewal before the end of their current assignment. Employees who are approved to extend their overseas assignment beyond the six-year maximum will forfeit the right to return to an office of preference. They will be placed in an appropriate position at a DEA domestic office where a vacancy exists.

At the conclusion of an overseas tour, DEA will attempt to return employees to their home location. If such a placement is not possible, employees' office of preference lists will be considered. However, employees are reminded that assignments are determined based on the needs of DEA.

B. Rest & Recuperation: 2
C. Post (Cost of Living) Allowance*: None
D. Post (Hardship) Differential*: 10%
E. Danger Pay Allowance*: 15%
F. Relocation Incentive: None
G. Educational Allowances**: Yes, see below
H. Housing: Housing paid for by U.S. Government. Bogota is a furnished post.
I. Language Requirement: None
J. Home Leave: Allowed after the initial 24 months incident to tour renewal.

*Post (Cost of Living), Post (Hardship) Differential, and Danger Pay rates (if applicable to the advertised post) are subject to change. Detailed post (cost of living) information can be found here. Detailed post (hardship) differential information can be found here. Detailed danger pay information can be found here and here.

Please review https://intranet13.shpt.sbu.dea.doj.gov/sites/hr/special-agent-resources/Pages/Overseas-Advertisements-Information.aspx for the "Prospective Post Priorities Worksheet". This worksheet, along with the post report, will help you consider what's important to you/family in the decision process.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
Overtime may be required







Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U. S. Citizenship Required
  • You must submit to a pre-employment drug test
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
  • Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
  • You may be required to successfully complete a probationary period
  • DEA uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States.
  • Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
  • Current Federal employees cannot transfer unused Time Off Awards to DEA.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factor.
This position requires a Selective Placement Factor. Selective Placement Factors are determined to be essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of a particular position. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is a demonstrated Spanish language aptitude with proof of certification from an independent outside source with at least a satisfactory working proficiency level or higher in the areas of speaking and comprehension.

GS-07: Must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level Federal grade level in interpreting meetings, conferences, translating notes and providing reports. Translating communications such as letters and memoranda. Listens in on telephone conversations and take notes in shorthand.

GS-09: Must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 Federal grade level in translating, interpreting, or performing other work requiring the use of English and the other language; or a combination of work (that required English and the other language) and training at the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Service Institute, or comparable training. The following are examples of work in the required language that may have provided the required abilities: performing translations and/or interpretations from Spanish language into English or English into Spanish language with accuracy; translating notes and other written documents; and preparing official records and correspondence; or

Master's or equivalent graduate degree; or

2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or

LL.B. or J.D., if related or a combination of experience and education.

Click on the following link to view occupational requirements for this position:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1000/language-specialist-series-1040/

Applicants must meet the AND Specialized Experience requirements as noted below. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying specialized experience. Specialized 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.

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

Training Requirements:
Selectee(s) for this position must successfully complete five mandatory foreign assignment courses on DEALS: Serving Abroad for Families and Employees (SAFE); Personnel Recovery 1 (PR1); Foreign Orientation Program (FOP); Counter Threat Awareness Training (CTAT) and Promoting International Religious Freedom (PIRF). Selectees must also successfully complete Personnel Recovery Emergency Preparedness (PREP), a two week in-person course conducted by the DEA Office of Training in Stafford, Virginia and West Virginia. Selectee's family members 18 years of age and older are also required to take CTAT and may have additional training requirements if they intend to work at an embassy abroad. More information regarding training requirements can be found here


Education

K-12 Education: Education of dependents through high school is provided by, or paid for by, the U.S. Government as allowable and authorized in accordance with appropriate regulations. The Department of State's (DOS) Regional Education Officer from the Office of Overseas Schools determines a school's adequacy level based upon numerous factors. All questions and concerns regarding school's adequacy clarification should be directed to the Regional Education Officer from the DOS' Office of Overseas Schools at 202-261-8200. Any questions regarding Education Allowances for K-12 may be directed to DEA's Operations Budget Foreign Unit (OMBI) at EDA.SNA.REQUESTS@dea.gov .

Additional Note: Dependents (under the age of 23), who are enrolled in college, are allowed one round trip to overseas location each 12 months.

Preparing to Transition Overseas: Please contact DEA Family Liaison Officers, Kieran Mandato (Kieran.g.mandato@dea.gov) or N'Dorah Z. Walker (ndorah.z.walker@dea.gov) for post reports.

This position requires specific coursework and/or a degree to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, DEA requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation (Critical-Sensitive/Top Secret, Special-Sensitive/Top Secret, or Non-critical Sensitive/Secret). This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation. DEA committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment.

EEO POLICY STATEMENT

Reasonable Accommodations Request: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Veterans' Preference: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 which list your active service dates, awards/campaigns and character of service or an official statement from your command if currently on active duty that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the DD-214, you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) and the required supporting documents listed on that form. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

Current or Former Political Appointees: 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.

Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP): This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 80 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DEA's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, we will use an Assessment Questionnaire to place you in one of three categories based on your experience, education and training. The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are:

  • Foreign Language
  • Speaking
  • Writing


Category Rating Procedures: If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the three categories:
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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.

The Category Rating Process does not add veteran's preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). Veteran preference eligibles will receive selection consideration before non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

Based on your responses, you will receive a score from the Assessment Questionnaire. Those applicants who score the highest and is found qualified may be referred to the hiring manager and may be called for an interview. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE: You must submit a completed assessment questionnaire. Unless otherwise stated, we will only use the information above to determine your qualifications. Not providing the required information may result in a determination that you do not meet minimum requirements for the position (e.g., an ineligible rating) or a lower rating.

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