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Government Information Specialist

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Wallops Island, Virginia
Closing date
Oct 7, 2022
Duties

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Please read this public notice in its entirety before submitting your application.

Vacancies may not presently exist but may become available at any point during the opening period of this vacancy announcement. We will not review applicant resumes until there is a request to fill a vacancy.

You are applying to a public notice to fill current and future vacancies. Please note, that there may or may not be actual/projected vacancies when you submit your application. Your resume and supporting documentation will be retained with other applicants and reviewed as vacancies occur. You will not receive a notice regarding your application's status other than the initial acknowledgment until a request is received to fill a position.

This announcement will remain open until October 31, 2022. The cut-off date is September 1, 2022, OR the point at which the first 100 applications are received, whichever comes first. Applications submitted after September 1, 2022, may not receive consideration. In addition, due to the potential of a high volume of applicants, not all applicants may receive consideration.

After the initial cut-off period, once additional requests to fill a vacancy are received, applications will be reviewed in increments of 100 applications in date order.

Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed.

We will refer qualified applicants to the selecting official for consideration. The organization's hiring needs will determine the referral of additional applicants. Applicants will be notified about their application's status if referred or if we fill all vacancies.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Available
Duty Location Status: Will work remotely from home
Position Description Title/PD#: Government Information Specialist/ PD16191A, PD16192A, and PD16193A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-13. At the GS-11 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-13. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. Promotion is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

Major Duties:
  • Formulating and overseeing OIT FOIA program policies.
  • Evaluating FOIA requests, responses, programs, operations, and policies to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and legislative mandates.
  • Communicate FOIA policy, procedures, and guidelines that implement federal laws and regulations and provide guidance on related policy implementation.
  • Train and develop other analysts in the field.
  • Serve as FOIA liaison and expert in conducting research, preparing guidance, responding to inquiries from internal and external customers and stakeholders.


Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
  • Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
  • Selectees may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • A complete application package, i.e., Resume, Transcripts, etc., as required by job announcement.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
  • Participation in the Seasonal Influenza Prevention Program for VHA Health Care Personnel (HCP) is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs HCP.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • Pre-employment physical examination/evaluation may be required.


Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements when a request is received to fill a vacancy.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9.

For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11.

For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12.

The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. A SF-50 that demonstrates step progression effectively demonstrates time-in-grade.

Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

AND

You may qualify based on your education/experience/combination as described below.

Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11.

For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

GS-11 Education: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR a LL.M., if related; OR a combination of education and experience as outlined in the qualification standard for this occupational series ( https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-ADMIN ); OR

GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as assisting with the maintenance and operation of a records management program; reviewing and responding to routine Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act requests and other disclosure inquiries; assisting with electronic monitoring and tracking of projects and/or FOIA/Privacy Act requests; assisting in the drafting of FOIA response letters.

GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as identifying FOIA program deficiencies and making recommendations for improvement; analyzing the impact of court decisions and legal interpretations of the FOIA, notifies and coordinates the records custodian concerning the release of information under the FOIA, and adjudicates whether the release of information is consistent with the statute and its interpretation by the courts.

GS-13 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as providing direct support in the administration of a FOIA office by representing, presenting, and negotiating on behalf of the FOIA office at meetings and conferences with other Federal, State and local agencies, and representatives of privacy industry; advising senior leaders and/or customers on the methods and procedures for obtaining and maintaining FIOA records; training and developing staff on federal FOIA and Privacy regulations; implementing plans to improve and enhance a FOIA program.

Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies , federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties.

To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp .

Education

There is no education substitute for the GS-12/13 level.

PLEASE NOTE
: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html . All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.

Additional information

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/ .

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

OPM General Schedule (GS) & Locality Pay Tables: The salary range listed reflects the GS base rate (not including locality). Upon selection, the salary will be adjusted to include locality. Please see OPM GS & Locality Pay Tables .

Superior Qualifications and Special Needs Pay-Setting:Agencies may set the rate of basic pay of a newly-appointed employee at a rate above the minimum rate of the appropriate General Schedule (GS) grade because of-
  • the superior qualifications of the candidate; or
  • a special need of the agency for the candidate's services.

  • An agency must approve each determination to use this authority before the employee enters on duty - the determination cannot be made retroactively - and is not guaranteed. OPM Superior Qualifications and Special Needs Pay-Setting Authority Fact Sheet .

    This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

    If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

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