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Paralegal Specialist

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Fort Lee, Virginia
Closing date
Mar 4, 2021
Duties

Summary

This is a developmental position. Work assignments are progressively complex and intended to broaden your skills and provide you with practical experience to prepare you to perform at the target grade level. At the target grade level, the major duties are:
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Office of General Counsel, DeCA, has a robust and varied legal practice in support of DeCA and its mission. Our attorneys provide legal advice, counsel and representation in substantive areas including federal labor and employment law, commercial law, fiscal law, procurement law, construction law, environmental law, government standards of conduct and ethics, administrative law, and issues arising under the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act. Our attorneys represent DeCA before, and provide litigation support to, U.S. Attorney Offices, in fora including U.S. Federal District Courts, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, Federal Bankruptcy Court, Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, Government Accountability Office, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Federal Labor Relations Authority.

  • Serve as a Paralegal Specialist in the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) Office of General Council (OGC), providing assistance to Agency attorneys on matters that do not require a law degree and admission to the bar.
  • Act as DeCA OGC legal representative at meetings and by telephone between DeCA, outside agencies, contractors and clients for the purpose of gathering information to use in developing recommendations, legal advice, opinions, and legal strategy by attorneys assigned to DeCA.
  • Gather, analyze and prepare litigation reports for submission to the DeCA General Counsel, Department of Justice (DoJ), and investigators.
  • Use statistical techniques to gather and analyze litigation data to evaluate the usefulness in researching legal issues.
  • Compose a variety of legal documents such as affidavits and other agreements as determined necessary by the responsible attorney.


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 US Citizen
  • Must apply by 11:59 EST on the closing date of vacancy
  • Work Schedule: Full Time
  • Tour of Duty: FT, M-F, AWS2 (gliding)
  • Permanent change of Station (PCS) Cost: Are authorized
  • Position sensitivity: Non-Sensitive
  • Security Requirements: NA
  • Overtime: Occasionally
  • Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel: Occasionally
  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Non-exempt
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No
  • Physical Requirement: Not applicable
  • Obligated Position: No
  • Selective Service Requirement: All male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the selective service system or exempt from Selective Service. Please visit https://www.sss.gov/ for more information.


Qualifications

Per OPM's Qualification Standards for Administrative and Management Positions, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Group-Standards, to qualify for this position, by the closing date of this announcement, you must possess one of the following:

To qualify at the GS-09 grade level:
(a) One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07 grade level that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is directly in or related to this position. To be creditable, specialized experience must be at the GS-07 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. OR (b) A Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Education must be from a college or university accredited by an organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education ( https://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ ) and in an appropriate field of study as described elsewhere in this announcement. OR (c) A combination of experience and education equaling 100% of the qualifications.

Creditable specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: Performing data searches, with specific parameters, using automated data bases to determine the status of ongoing actions or cases. Providing administrative support to higher graded specialists preparing for various, complex investigations, administrative hearings, court proceedings and arbitrations. Reviewing legal material and providing facts, summations, and other pertinent information to aid in interviewing witnesses and pertinent document collection.

To qualify at the GS-11 grade level:
(a) One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09 grade level that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is directly in or related to this position. To be creditable, specialized experience must be at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. OR (b) A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related. Education must be from a college or university accredited by an organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education ( https://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ ) and in an appropriate field of study as described elsewhere in this announcement. OR (c) A combination of experience and education equaling 100% of the qualifications.

Creditable specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: Searching, analyzing and actively using online data and public filings, processing systems and other records maintained by government entities throughout the country to determine the status of various litigation and other matters. Assisting in the evaluation, development and litigation of EEO, personnel, labor, and contract cases for clients. Participate in court and administrative hearings on employee complaints, appeals, protests, investigations and arbitrations, depending on specific assignment. Investigating, gathering, classifying, interpreting and summarizing the factual situation, including any necessary statistical data which involves interviewing witnesses, collecting documents and statements, and compiling case files.

Volunteer Experience: Your experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through a National Service program (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.

For qualifications determinations your resume must contain your name, a description of your duties, the number of hours worked per week and the beginning and ending dates (month/year) for each position. Resumes that do not contain this information will be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position.

Time after competitive appointment: Candidates applying under merit promotion must have completed three months of civilian service after a competitive appointment by the closing date of the announcement. (5 CFR 330.501)

Time-in-Grade: Current or previous federal employees must have held a permanent appointment in the competitive or excepted service for a minimum of 52 weeks at the GS-07 (or equivalent) level to be eligible for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Time-in-Grade: Current or previous federal employees must have held a permanent appointment in the competitive or excepted service for a minimum of 52 weeks at the GS-09 (or equivalent) level to be eligible for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

All current DeCA employees regardless of your location or human resources service provider must submit a copy of a recent SF50 showing your current position title, pay plan-series-grade, tenure and position occupied.

Documents to verify time-in-grade.

Current DeCA employees receiving human resources services from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA): You do not need to submit documents to verify you meet time-in-grade requirements UNLESS the documents are not in your eOPF. It is your responsibility to ensure the required supporting documents are in your eOPF before you complete the application process. We will review your eOPF to verify education (if you are using it to qualify), time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment. If these documents are not in your eOPF, you must submit them with your application or risk automatic disqualification. We do not use eOPF to determine or verify your qualifications. Qualifications information must be in your resume.

Current DeCA employees serving overseas and former federal employees: You must submit sufficient documents (i.e., SF 50s) to verify you meet time-in-grade requirements. Some SF 50s dated within the last 52 weeks do not demonstrate you meet time-in-grade on their own (e.g., Gen Adj from the current year). You may need to submit two (2) or more SF 50s to show you meet this requirement. Examples of appropriate SF 50s include Promotion, Reg WRI, and SF 50s effective more than 52 weeks ago. If you are applying for a higher grade than you currently hold you must show you held the next lower grade for at least 52 weeks.

All current Department of Defense (DoD) employees can access MyBiz and/or eOPF to obtain copies of their SF 50s.

Overseas Employees: DeCA employees working overseas MUST submit copies of your current SF-50, showing your current tenure, grade and salary.

Education

If you are relying on education to qualify, then:
  • Your education must be from a college or university accredited by an organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education. See https://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ for more information.
  • If using foreign education, please see additional requirements at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .
  • To be creditable, education must be in a major field such as criminal justice, paralegal, business ethics, research and analysis, law legal studies, or other fields related to the position that has equipped you with the knowledge and ability to perform the work of the position.
  • Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position. We accept unofficial transcripts for the application process, as long as they contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned. Transcripts must be received by this office no later than 11:59 PM EST on the closing date in order to be considered.
  • If selected, an official transcript MUST be received before an Entrance of Duty date is set.


  • Additional information

    REGARDING INTERVIEWS: Interviews may be required for this position. Accommodations may be made to conduct telephonic interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants.

    Re-employed Annuitant: A former Federal employee who has retired under either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) is an Annuitant. An annuitant cannot be hired (i.e. re-employed) unless the vacant position meets the criteria in the Department of Defense (DOD) policy on employment of annuitants issued December 10, 2008.
    The DoD criteria for hiring Re-employed Annuitants can be found at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/1400.25-V300.pdf .

    Re-employed Annuitant: This position Does not meet criteria for re-employed annuitant.

    Other Notes:
    • Individual with Financial Difficulty: https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf .
    • Deliberate attempts to falsify your application information, such as copying portions of this job announcement into your resume, may result in you being removed from consideration for this position.
    • Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement upon its closing.
    • Applicants selected from this announcement may be required to serve a Two Year probationary period.
    • If selected at a grade below the target grade of the position, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next higher grade when all statutory and regulatory requirements have been met, performance is satisfactory and promotion is recommended by the supervisor. Promotion is not guaranteed.


    How You Will Be Evaluated

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

    Specifically you will be evaluated on the following competencies:

    • Communication
    • Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
    • Minimum Qualifications
    • Reasoning


    REVIEW OF APPLICATION DOCUMENTS (FOR ALL APPLICANTS):

    To determine if you meet the qualifications, requirements and quality of experience required for this position, we review your resume, supporting documents and responses to the questionnaire. The score you receive is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the competencies required. Please follow all instructions carefully as errors or omissions may affect your rating.

    Applicants must choose ALL APPLICABLE ELIGIBILITIES in order to receive consideration for this announcement. Failure to choose any eligibility or select the wrong eligibility will result in non-consideration for this position. If you are unsure as to your eligibility, please select ALL Eligibilities.

    Understanding Eligibilities and Qualifications as Part of the Application Process:

    http://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/Eligibilities%20and%20Qualifications-CCP.pdf?ver=2018-10-16-084128-890

    Military Spouse Preference: If you are entitled to military spouse preference, in order to receive this preference you must choose the spousal eligibility in your application package referencing MSP Military Spouse Preference. Your preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. If you are claiming military spouse preference and qualified for the position, your name will be placed on a list sent to the hiring manager for employment consideration. See the Required Documents section for information regarding documents you must submit to apply for this position and to claim your Military Spouse Preference (MSP).

    A update by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to the USA Staffing system requires you submit an SF50 when you choose certain eligibilities.

    During the application process, you select one or more eligibilities. Please read the information within that eligibility carefully as it will tell you if any documents are required to support the eligibility or eligibilities you select. When you choose a reassignment, change to lower grade (CLG), promotion or re-promotion eligibility, you must now submit a SF50. This SF50 is a required document. When you do not submit this SF50, USA Staffing notifies you that your application is incomplete, but it does not prevent you from completing the application process. Should you not submit this required document, the USA Staffing system will screen you out of consideration.

    CRITICAL INFORMATION: If you do not submit a SF-50 when Applying, the USA Staffing system will screen you out and you will not be considered for the position.

    You can obtain your SF50s through MyBiz ( https://compo.dcpds.cpms.osd.mil/ ) or your eOPF ( https://eopf.opm.gov/dla ). Access is possible via CAC or a login and password.

    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

    Application packages should include the following documents:
    • Questionnaire: Required
    • Transcripts: Required if using education to qualify. See Education section for more information
    • Resume: Required **To ensure full consideration of your experience and education we encourage you to use the USAJOBS resume builder to prepare your resume or to guide you in preparing your resume.
    For qualifications determinations your resume must contain the following:
    • Applicant's full legal name and contact information
    • Description of your duties
    • Number of hours worked per week
    • Beginning and ending dates (month/year) for each position

    Applicants who fail to provide the required information on their resume will not receive consideration for this position.
    See https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/ for more information.

    Claiming Veterans' Preference. Additional supporting documents are required. These documents must provide acceptable documentation to verify the type of preference claimed (i.e. 5-point, 10-point, etc.) and the character of the service (i.e. Honorable Discharge). A copy of your DD214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," showing your Character of Service is required when claiming Veterans' Preference. The member 4 copy of your DD214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," is preferable. If unable to verify Character of Service, you will not receive veteran's preference.

    If claiming 10-point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form 15, "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference," http://www.opm.gov/Forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf . If selected, additional documentation may be required prior to appointment.

    If claiming 10 point preference, you will need to submit a Veteran Disability (VA) Letter. If you need assistance in obtaining a VA Letter please visit https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage .

    If you are currently serving on active duty and expected to be released or discharged within the next 120 days, you must submit written documentation from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days from the date the written documentation is signed. If selected, additional documentation may be required prior to appointment.

    Interagency Career Transition Assistance Programs: This program applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; Well qualified is defined as possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds the positions minimum qualifications. and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. For more information please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

    Claiming Military Spouse Preference. In addition to the documents required by the vacancy announcement, you are required to submit documents that provide acceptable information to verify (1) you reside within the commuting area of your sponsor's permanent duty station (PDS);(2) proof of marriage to the active duty sponsor, and (3) proof of military member's active duty status. This required documentation includes the following: Marriage Certificate or License, Signed Self-Certification Checklist ( Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist) , Veterans' Preference documentation (e.g., DD-214, VA Letter, Statement of Service, if applicable).

    If previously held a federal position you must include SF-50s (e.g., LWOP, highest grade held, overseas appointments, etc.), SF-75 Information, and documentation of performance rating of record (dated within the last 12 months). You must also meet pre-employment criteria and be eligible for immediate noncompetitive appointment to a position in the competitive service.

    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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