Duties

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

The Departmental Ethics Office is seeking to fill two Ethics Specialist positions in its Mixed Program Branch. The selectees will serve as the Deputy Ethics Counselor to Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and the Deputy Ethics Counselor to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

Open to the public: SOL-21-11034847-DE-KHB
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As an Ethics Specialist with the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Departmental Ethics Office located in Sterling, VA your specific duties will include:

• Serving as expert in providing authoritative written and verbal advice to all levels of leadership and employees on complex issues and problems involving traditional and emerging ethics subjects such as: outside employment; employee gift acceptance; fundraising; gift authority; obtaining approval for employees to serve, in their official capacity, as officers/board members for outside organizations; lobbying; political activities; use of Government affiliation, official position and title; nepotism; use of government property, time, and information; gambling; and post-Government employment.
• Leading electronic confidential financial disclosure system and the public financial disclosure reporting process. Overseeing communication with filers, reviewing and approving reports.
• Overseeing the development, implementation, administration, and monitoring of the effectiveness of ethics training programs.
• Overseeing the development and implementation of an ethics internal communications plan to keep employees continuously informed about the ethics rules.
• Ensuring that ethics program files, correspondence, advisory opinions, memoranda of understanding and waivers, new employee certifications, and training records are adequate for OGE program review.
• Working with other components of the DOI Departmental Ethics Office and the Office of Inspector General in the investigation of violations of ethics-related criminal statutes.

SOL has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.

For additional information on telework you may access the Department of Interior's Telework Handbook at https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies .

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 1-2 night per month for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements:

Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.

Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.

Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.

More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
• Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.

Qualifications

For GS-14 :

In order to qualify at the GS-14 level, you must meet one of the following:

Possess 1-year of specialized experience in or directly related to this position that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. To be creditable, the required specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service. Examples of GS-13 level work may include: Overseeing and providing policy guidance on the full range of Ethics and Financial Disclosure reporting activities, implementation of federal standards of conduct and government ethics laws and regulations; analyzing ethics issues for compliance and/or potential violations; developing

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

Education

• 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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

Other Information :

• Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
• The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
• DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify .
• THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Agency Benefits :

• Working for the DOI, Office of the Solicitor offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave , and holidays ; health, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts , and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System .
  

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies: Regs/ Procedural Guidance; Program/ Project Management; Management Advisory; Interpersonal Communication; Information Management, Written Communication; Compile/Analyze Data.

Basis of rating: Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment required for this position. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible.

Additional Assessment Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position and score above the pre-determine cut-off score based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire, a subject-matter-expert will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position.

NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11034848

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

Required documents may be: (1) faxed to the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy announcement; or (2) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (3) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments; or (4) hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office listed in the vacancy announcement.

Transcripts

If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.

Current & Former Federal Employees

If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee OR a former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility? you must submit the following by the closing date of this announcement, or you will not receive consideration as such:

• a copy of a recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting proof of competitive status, tenure, position title, occupational series, grade level and step?; and
• your most recent performance appraisal (if you do not have your most recent performance appraisal, please submit an explanation as to why it is unavailable); and
• if applicable, a list of any awards you received in the last 5 years (i.e., superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.).

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA)

If you are claiming eligibility under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), you must submit proof that supports your claim. This may include:

• A legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation or statement from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions.
• If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans' preference and that your character of military service is honorable.

Additional information can be found in the VetGuide .

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) & Inter-agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Eligibles

If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes:

• copy of the agency notice;
• your most recent Performance Rating; and
• your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.

If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here .

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Eligibles

If you are applying as a current or former employee of a land management agency, i.e., Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, or the U.S. Forest Service who is serving or previously served on a temporary or term appointment under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, you must submit the following documentation by the closing date of this vacancy announcement in order to receive consideration:

• SF-50(s), Notification of Personnel Action, that documents your service under competitive examining procedures in time limited appointments that totals 2 or more years at land management agencies; and
• Documentation of satisfactory performance such as performance evaluations or references by supervisors or other documents, e.g., memorandums of record, whereas the supervisor documented an acceptable performance level.

Additional information can be found here .

Eligibility for Special Appointing Authorities

If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under a special appointing authority, you must submit proof that supports your claim by the closing date of the announcement. If you fail to submit proof, you will not receive consideration under the special appointing authority. Below is a list of the most common authorities and the documentation requirements. If you're eligible for an authority not listed, you are responsible for submitting documentation that's appropriate for that specific authority.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS CONTINUED BELOW IN THE HOW TO APPLY SECTION.

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.