Duties

Summary

As a Legal Administrative Specialist (Recent Graduate) at the GS-0901-5/7, with full performance level of GS-11, you will be part of Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Services. If selected, you will be a part of Retirement Services whose mission is to process and oversee the Federal civil service retirement systems and benefits administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Determines entitlement to and the amount of retirement and survivor annuities under Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS.).
• Determines recalculated and adjusted benefits due survivors and retirees with qualified life events and statutorily required changes.
• Responds to inquiries from internal and external customers in a timely manner, providing technically sound and accurate information.
• Reviews case file and automated system information to prepare accurate work assignments and respond to customers.
• Determines if additional information is needed and researches guidance to communicate and execute actions.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required

Qualifications

To qualify for the grade GS-5, you must meet one of the following:

A. Have three years of general experience, at least one of which was equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-4 level in the Federal service. This experience may have been obtained in either the Federal or private sector. Experience is described as demonstrating the ability to plan and organize work; communicate effectively orally and in writing; analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; and demonstrating telephone, computer, mathematical and interpersonal skills.
OR
B. Have completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, or have a bachelor's degree in any field.
OR
C. Have a combination of post-high school education and general experience which when combined equals 100% of the requirements. To combine education and experience, first determine the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade GS-5; then determine the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the grade GS-5.

To qualify for the grade GS-7, you must meet one of the following:

A. Have completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree AND meet the Superior Academic Achievement criteria based on one of the following: (1) class standing (upper third standing in graduating class); (2) grade-point average (2.95 overall or over the last two years of bachelor's degree -or- 3.45 in your major field or over the last two years in your major); or (3) election to membership in a national scholastic honor society and meets the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a Legal Administrative Specialist. Note: Please submit copies of college transcripts and documentation of class rank or national scholastic honor society membership if qualifying on that basis. OR B. Have one full year of graduate level study (18 semester hours), or possess a master's or higher degree, e.g., LL.B, J.D.
OR
C. Have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service. This experience may have been obtained in either the Federal or private sector. Experience is described as analyzing and evaluating information; planning, organizing and coordinating work; performing general business fiscal operations practices such as accounting, human resource services, payroll, and/or employee benefits programs.
OR
D. Have an equivalent combination of the experience described in 'C' and the graduate-level education described in 'B'. To determine if you qualify under this combination, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required; then determine your education as a percentage of the graduate education required; and then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Note: Please submit a copy of your graduate transcripts with your application.

To meet the Recent Graduate Program Eligibility requirements, you must have obtained a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational or Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous 2 years.

All Education must be accredited by an accredited 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 accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants may verify accreditation at the following website: Accreditation . All education claimed by applicants will be verified by OPM accordingly.

ATTENTION VETERANS: A veteran, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108, who due to military service obligation, was precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period shall have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon his or her release or discharge from active duty. In no event, however, may the individual's eligibility period extend beyond 6 years from the date on which the individual completed the requirements of an academic course of study.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

Education

This is a Recent Graduate position in the Pathways Program. Selected individuals are placed in a dynamic one year developmental program in the excepted service designed to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. At the successful conclusion of this program, the agency may non-competitively convert individuals to a term or permanent position in the competitive service. Conversion to a Federal competitive service position will be at the discretion of the agency and is neither guaranteed nor implied.

Pathways Participant Agreement: All Recent Graduates are required to sign the Pathways Program Participant Agreement which outlines program requirements and non-competitive conversion eligibility.

Additional information

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

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

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: http://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information

If you are a veteran and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility.
If you are a veteran and you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference click here .

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service .

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

PROGRAM COMPLETION AND CONVERSION ELIGIBILITY:
Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic 1 year developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. Program participants may be converted, without a break in service, to a term, career or career conditional appointment upon completion of program requirements.

To be eligible for conversion, Recent Graduates must:

- Complete one continuous year of work experience acquired through a Recent Graduate Program
- Complete 40 hours of formal interactive training
- Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted
- Meet any agency-specific requirements specified in the Participant's Agreement
- Demonstrate successful job performance that results in a rating of record of at least Fully Successful and a recommendation for conversion by the first level supervisor.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement.

Qualified applicants will be placed in one of four groupings. Those entitled to veterans preference will be referred first.

Preference eligible having a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more

Other 10-point preference eligible

5-point preference eligible

No preference eligible

Selection will be made from the highest available preference group, as long as at least three candidates remain in that group. When fewer than three candidates remain in the highest group, consideration may be expanded to include the next grouping.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Attention to Detail
Customer Service
Flexibility
Integrity / Honesty
Interpersonal Skills
Learning
Reading
Reasoning
Self-Management
Stress Tolerance
Teamwork

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

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

Your Resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.

Your final college transcripts showing that you are a Recent Graduate to meet eligibility for this position.

Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.)
• If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here . (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire)

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

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.