Duties

Summary

Tour of Duty: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Position Description Title/PD#: Supervisory Paralegal Specialist/ PD#33048-A
Compressed/Flexible Schedules: Eligible
Telework: Yes
Virtual Position: No

This recruitment is for two positions with the Office of General Counsel, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Litigation Group located at 90 K Street, N.E Washington, D.C. Vacancies can be filled at any of the duty locations listed. Indicate which duty location (s) you are interested in on your application.
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Responsibilities

Supervisory Paralegal Specialist, PD#33048-A

Serves as first line supervisor to Paralegal Specialists. Evaluates conduct and performance goals of subordinates and provides constructive feedback to subordinates to improve performance. Gives advice, counsel, and instruction to subordinates on work and administrative matters. Resolves issues and conflicts that arise in the workplace and/or in carrying out assigned work. Provides direct administrative and legal services to clients, colleagues and supervisors on case and/or program assignments. Negotiates settlements/compromises within authority. Leads implementation of administrative improvement recommendations to accomplish OGC goals. Consults with stakeholders to obtain necessary information. Manages systems for sharing information and organizing program work.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a US Citizen to apply for this job.
Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
Selective Service Registration is required for all males born after 12/31/1959.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The work is predominantly sedentary, requiring some walking, standing, bending, lifting and carrying light to moderate weight and size items such as books, files and paper.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Time-in-grade: Applicants who are current Federal employees or who have held a GS grade anytime in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. Example for a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level.

Specialized Experience (GS-12):

Applicants 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience providing direct program or case management services to clients or stakeholders by handling cases or other specialty matters to include fact finding, problem analysis, problem solving, and interpreting regulations and/or policies. Experience in case development including gathering all relevant facts and information needed for case processing, conducting research and applying the same to the issues presented, and consulting with stakeholders. Monitored a team's progress on group projects or goals and provided updates to managers or supervised a team. Acted in an informal or formal team lead capacity that may include serving as the point person for incoming assignments, delegating tasks to others, and escalating issues to supervisor. Served as a coach, mentor or trainer to new or less experienced staff.

There is no education substitution at the GS-12 level.

Additional information on the qualification requirements are outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/classifying-general-schedule-positions/

Education

APPLICANTS 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 attendance and/or degrees from only these schools. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following websites: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html and http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ .

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs.

Additional information

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp .

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.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:

Competency 1 - Analytical Reasoning

Competency 2 - Planning Evaluation

Competency 3 - Writing

Competency 4 - Legal Research

Competency 5- Skill in providing and supervising the provision of administrative and legal services to clients, colleagues and supervisors.

If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to: responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

The following documents are required:

Your Résumé (Must include series, grade, step, starting and ending dates of employment, month and year, and hours worked per week, and salary information).

If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must submit a copy of your last or most recent signed Notification of Personnel Action (SF50) showing your position, title, series, grade and eligibility. Applicants who fail to submit this form will be rated INELIGIBLE (SF-50 must be in PDF format; text format will not be accepted). Note: Your SF-50 must reflect the grade and step information equivalent to or greater than the grade lower than the position you are applying to. This may not always be your most recent SF-50. You may need to submit more than one SF-50.

To receive consideration as a Veteran you must provide legible copies of your DD-214, member 4 copy or another copy that shows all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.) or a statement of service signed by the commander or you will be deemed INELIGIBLE. Note: More than one DD-214 may be needed to show all dates of service.

Performance Appraisal - This document is required for all applicants

Military Spouses must submit: Marriage Certificate. Copy of the sponsor's permanent change of station orders showing you as an authorized dependent or when the veteran is unemployed and is rated by appropriate military or Department of Veterans Affairs authorities to be 100 percent disabled and/or unemployable. Statement that spouse preference is requested for this vacancy and has not previously been used to obtain a position in the commuting area.

Please use this checklist to ensure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

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.