Duties

Summary

You will serve as a Paralegal Specialist in the Office of General Counsel of the DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• You will provide litigation support for a variety of litigation forums.
• You will exercise discretion and independent judgment in the application of laws, regulations, precedents, and agency practices.
• You will act as the highest level of litigation services support to attorneys, Information Technology (IT) personnel, Department of Justice, and clients within the Agency.
• You will provide oversight and guidance in all aspects of Electronically Stored Information (ESI) such as identification, preservation, harvesting, processing, culling, reviewing and producing the ESI discovery.
• You will assist attorneys in litigation, involving all phases of discovery, pre-hearing, hearing and post-hearing. Prepares, Bates-stamps and redacts discovery responses.
• You will prepare data document responses to Investigations Resolutions Division (IRD).
• You will examine and evaluate information provided in case files.
• You will interview potential witnesses to obtain information and to determine whether they possess applicable exhibits.
• You will obtain and develop further evidence and exhibits, providing administrative assistance and maintains exhibits, documents and files.
• You will prepare legal documents, request for the production of documents, answer to interrogatories, answer to requests for the production of documents, exhibit and witness lists for hearings, investigations and fact-finding conferences.
• You will assist in the preparation of litigation reports, litigation hold orders and collection of evidence in connection with lawsuits filed against the agency.
• You will serve as the primary point of contact for litigation support related to the electronic discovery associated with civil actions, contract claims and appeals, and other legal actions.
• You will provide paralegal support to the Labor Law Attorney before, during and after hearings, mediations, arbitrations, fact finding conferences, investigations and any other administrative proceeding.
• You will serve as the Agency coordinator for case management and reporting requirements.
• You will monitor updates to workload databases, intranet website, and ensures timely responses to data calls.
• You will serve as the overall expert, counselor, and trainer in providing assistance in all aspects of computer operation related to legal services requirements, including office automation, hardware and software.
• You will perform exhaustive searches for witnesses and other sources of facts to support the Government position.
• You will assist attorneys and other paralegals in complying with discovery requests and preservation of electronic records which may be relevant to pending litigation.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Travel is dependent upon position description and availability of funding.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
• Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.

Qualifications

Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector providing guidance on electronic discovery processes or requirements to ensure compliance with litigation protocols.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.asp .

Education

Additional information

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

If you are unable to apply online and request information about the Alternate Application process, please contact the Department of Navy's Employment Information Center.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category or higher. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/ictap/

Recruitment incentives not authorized.

A relocation incentive is generally a single payment intended to offset some of the relocation costs experienced by the selectee. A relocation incentive may be authorized.

This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status.

This position is eligible for part time, full time or ad-hoc telework at the discretion of management.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to the Occupational Questionnaire, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

• INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
• LEGAL SUPPORT
• ORAL COMMUNICATION
• RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
• WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

You will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating selection procedures. Additional points are not added for veterans' preference; however, preference is still applied. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of three categories:

Best Qualified - Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for announced position.
Highly Qualified -Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for announced position.
Qualified - Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for announced position.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

A COMPLETE RESUME IS REQUIRED. Your resume must show relevant experience (cover letter optional) where you worked, job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week & salary. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade level i.e. GS-0201-09. Note: Only the last resume received will be reviewed.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DOCUMENT IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATION CLAIMS. You are required to upload the applicable documents with your application package. These documents will assist the staffing specialist in determining your eligibility and qualifications.

DOES THIS POSITION REQUIRE A LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE?
You must submit a copy of your license or certificate in your application package.

ARE YOU QUALIFYING BASED ON EDUCATION or A COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE?
You must submit a copy of your college transcript or an appropriate course listing. You may submit a copy of your degree(s) if specific coursework does not have to be verified. 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. Therefore, provide only the 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 selected, an official/sealed transcript will be required prior to appointment.

ARE YOU A VETERAN CLAIMING SOLE SURVIVORSHIP PREFERENCE OR 5-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE?
You must provide legible copy/copies of the following: DD-214 (member 4 copy), "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," showing all dates of service, as well as character of service (Honorable, General, etc.) or Statement of Service/Proof of Service (in lieu of a DD-214) from your command or local Personnel Support Detachment (PSD). The Statement of Service/Proof of Service must provide all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.). Veterans should upload their DD-214 once they receive it upon separation.

ARE YOU A DISABLED VETERAN or CLAIMING 10-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE?
Disabled veterans, veterans, widows, spouses or the parent of a veteran who are eligible for 10-point veterans' preference must provide legible copies of the following: Applicable supporting documents as noted on Standard Form-15 (SF-15). To obtain a copy of SF-15, go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf .

ARE YOU AN ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBER? Active Duty Service Members are required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.).

Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.