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Student Trainee ( Legal Support Program)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Silver Spring, Maryland
Closing date
Nov 3, 2020
Duties

Summary

LOCATION: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of the Commissioner, Office of Chief Counsel, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Additional selections may be made from this vacancy, within the same geographical area, by other organizational elements from within FDA, through shared corporate recruiting activities.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

  • Review policies, procedures, regulations, and directives regarding programmatic and administrative matters of the agency.
  • Engage in research of pertinent laws, legal opinions, and precedents for cases and other legal matters.
  • Investigate facts, research issues, and prepares legal actions such as indictments, criminal complaints, search warrants, judgment, applications, notices, affidavits, summonses, subpoenas, and other legal documents.
  • Work with a senior attorney in trial preparation, preparing exhibits, witness files, graphics, and litigation expenses.
  • Assist discovery by analyzing requests for the production of documents and interrogatories.
  • Compose memoranda requiring thorough knowledge of legal procedures and applicable forms.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.


Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
7

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship, permanent Resident or is otherwise authorized to be employed.
  • Selective Service Registration: All applicants born male, on (or after) 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service System OR have an approved exemption. Visit www.SSS.gov for more info.
  • FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine your employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.
  • Background Investigation Requirement: All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.
  • You must meet ALL requirements by the closing date of this announcement to be considered. Only education, experience, and qualifications attained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements through the hiring process.
  • Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning eligibility and qualification is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection, or appropriate legal action.
  • Direct Deposit: You will be required to have all federal salary payments electronically deposited into a bank account with a financial institution of your choice.
  • Overall GPA of at least 2.8 or better.
  • Must sign FDA Pathways Program Participant Agreement.
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No
  • Pre-employment physical required: No
  • Immunization and Drug testing required: No
  • Financial disclosure statement may be required: No
  • Must submit current school transcript and proof of current enrollment
  • Recruitment incentives may be authorized: No
  • Annual leave for non-federal service authorized: No.
  • Mobility Agreement required: No
  • License required: No
  • Student loan repayment incentive authorized: No.


Qualifications

APPOINTMENT DURATION/EXPECTATION: Interns will be appointed to a temporary appointment Not-to-Exceed (NTE) September 30, 2021 and will not be extended. Appointment is based on continued need/funds for the position and the student's continued compliance in the Pathways Internship Program and will not be non-competitively converted to a term or permanent appointment in the competitive service. This appointment may be terminated for any reason prior to the Not-to-Exceed date. This intern position is at the full performance level and interns are not eligible for promotions without further competition.

In order to qualify for the Pathways Internship Program, applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria and the qualification requirements corresponding to the grade level at which they wish to be considered by the closing date of the announcement:

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be currently enrolled in a degree seeking student in an accredited vocational or technical institution, 2- or 4- year college/university or graduate/professional school; taking a minimum half-time load of courses; possessing and maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 2.8 on a scale of 4.0; and pursuing any of the following academic degrees:
  • Vocational/Technical Certificate (two-year program)
  • Associate's Degree
  • Baccalaureate Degree Graduate Degree (Master's program)
  • Professional Degree (Doctoral program)
NOTE: Applicants MUST submit school transcripts and proof of current enrollment documentation (at least half-time). Students MUST continue education Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 semester in order to be eligible for this summer intern appointment. Official transcripts are required upon selection and prior to appointment. Failure to submit the documentation will result in disqualification from further consideration.

In addition to the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Internship Program, you must also meet the followings qualification requirements by 11/02/2020 in order to qualify for the Student Trainee ( Legal Support Program), 0999, at GS - 7.

GS-07:
A. Meet the Superior Academic Achievement provision (S.A.A.) criteria. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed below. These honor societies are listed by the Association of College Honor Societies; -OR-

B. Completion of one full academic year of graduate level education (18 semester/27 quarter units) at an accredited college or university related to legal studies.

Note: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school you attended has determined to represent one year of study. If this information cannot be obtained from your school, we will consider 18 semester/27 quarter hours to be equal to one year of full-time study. Requirements must be met by the closing date of this job announcement and your transcript(s) submitted must reflect this.

Education

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed at 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. If you have transferred educational credit from a foreign institution to one in the U.S., you must still show that your foreign education was evaluated by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, even if that foreign education was accepted as transfer credit by a domestic college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation .

SUBMITTING YOUR TRANSCRIPTS: Positions which are scientific or technical in nature often have very specific educational requirements. A transcript is required to verify educational achievement. Pay careful attention to the Qualifications and Education sections to identify vacancies where a transcript is required. Even if you hold a similar position or are a current employee, you are not exempt from transcript requirements.

Electronic Transcript Caution : If you have obtained your transcripts electronically, the file might contain security measures that could prevent our application system from reading the file. Therefore, you should consider asking the institution to provide the file in a non-secured electronic format. Alternatively, you could scan or take a photo of the printed copy of the transcript. If your uploaded transcript cannot be read by our system, you may receive consideration and credit for the information we can access.
See the Application Manager Documentation for tips on submitting your paper-based documents.

Additional information

Appointment is based on continued need/funds for the position and the student's continued compliance in the Pathways Intern Program and will not be non-competitively converted to a term (not-to-exceed one to four years) or permanent appointment in the competitive service. This is a developmental program while you complete your education.

More information on the Pathways Programs for student interns can be found at: http://www.opm.gov/HiringReform/Pathways.

ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
  • If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 11/02/2020) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. Political Appointee FAQ - OPM
  • Veteran's Preference: If you are claiming veterans' preference under competitive procedures, you must submit a copy of your military discharge certificate (DD 214 member 2 or 4 copy), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other proof of eligibility. To be acceptable, the document must show character of service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF-15) and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF 15. Preference will be granted based on the documents received. S ee Veterans Preference for more.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the job opportunity announcement closes (at 11:59 pm ET on 11/02/2020), a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted, the information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether or not you are qualified for this particular position.
If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Applicants meeting the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements will be referred for selection without ranking, in accordance with applicable veterans' preference requirements. The information you provide may be verified by a review of work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (e.g., interview).

Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (e.g., interview, panel review, etc.).

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

These documents will be required for ALL applicants:

  • Proof of Fall 2020 Enrollment
  • Resume
  • Transcript

If you need instructions or assistance with submitting documentation, please see the Applicant Help Site - Documents page.
These documents may be required for some applicants except the documents listed above under the "Required Documents:

  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • Proof of Fall 2020 Enrollment
  • Resume
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

Documents in this list are being accepted from all applicants, but may be required for some. If you are unsure what documents might apply to you, please review the USAJOBS FAQ article: " What types of documents might I need to provide? " or contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk.

TRANSCRIPTS:
Proof of current enrollment (Fall 2020) or letter from your educational institution that reflects (1) the degree/diploma program in which you are enrolled; (2) you are enrolled on at least a half-time basis; (3) Your anticipated graduation date. A transcript is required to verify educational achievement. Pay careful attention to the Qualifications and Education sections to identify vacancies where a transcript is required. Even if you hold a similar position or are a current employee, you are not exempt from transcript requirements.

RESUME REQUIREMENTS:

The federal government has very specific resume requirements. If you have not written a federal resume before, you may want to watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel , or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS WHEN CLAIMING VETERANS PREFERENCE: Must submit a copy of your DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from the armed forces that has the dates of service and discharge status.
  • Active Duty Members: To claim status Under the VOW (Veterans Opportunity to Work) to hire Heroes Act of 2011, submit written documentation from the armed forces that certifies the service member is 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 submitted with your application package.
  • Parents of Deceased or Disabled Veterans: To claim status under Gold Star Fathers Act of 2015, you must submit a copy of the deceased or disabled veterans' DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from the armed forces that has the dates of service and discharge status AND the SF-15, Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. Please follow the instructions in the SF-15 on required documentation to be submitted.
  • Widow or Widower: To claim preference, you must submit a copy of the deceased or disabled veterans' DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from the armed forces that has the dates of service and discharge status AND the SF-15, Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. Please follow the instructions in the SF-15 on required documentation to be submitted.
  • Spouse of a Living Veteran: To claim preference, you must submit a copy of the veterans' DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from the armed forces that has the dates of service and discharge status AND the SF-15, Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference, and Documentation of Veteran's Inability to Work Because of a Service-Connected Disability. Please follow the instructions in the SF-15 on required documentation to be submitted.
See the Feds Hire Vets site for detailed information about documentation requirements. USAJOBS also maintains a help page for Veterans .

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login , select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

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.

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