Duties

Summary

The USPS OIG is seeking two students enrolled in ABA accredited law schools at the 2L or 3L level to fill Student Cooperative (PAID) positions in the Office of General Counsel. The positions are located in Arlington, VA. Successful candidates will be authorized to telework nationwide temporarily but will be required to report to the Arlington, VA office when ordinary office operations resume.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will research and otherwise assist attorneys who advise on audits, investigations, ethics, employment, litigation, contracts, federal appropriations, and other matters that arise in the Office of Inspector General. The successful Student Co-op may be eligible for continuous employment throughout the year, while enrolled in school.

This position is being advertised at the Administrative Band level. The base salary range for this position is $22.98/hour. Including locality pay.

Graduate or Law Student $22.98 per hour includes locality pay

Please note that the duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary based upon the area of assignment. The following description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations.

Co-ops are expected to perform legal research and draft memoranda on diverse legal matters, including: employment, labor, contracting, procurement, federal appropriations, criminal, ethics, public sector civil litigation, audits, and other Inspector General matters. Examples of duties that may be undertaken by co-ops with the Office of General Counsel include:

• Assisting attorneys in developing and reviewing policies and procedures;
• Advising clients (with the supervision of licensed attorneys);
• Conducting reviews and/or research to support OIG subpoenas, contracts, and employee relations;
• Providing litigation assistance;
• Conducting conflict of interests reviews for outside employment;
• Conducting Giglio Reviews; and
• Drafting FOIA Appeal decision letters for signature

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
00

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be able to pass a drug screening and medical assessment questionnaire.
• Must be able to pass a background investigation
• Must be able to work a minimum of 10 hours per week
• May require some travel

Qualifications

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

You must meet ALL of the minimum requirements.

• Students must be currently enrolled full or half-time in an ABA accredited law school, classified or academically ranked by semester hours as a Second or Third year student. (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPT STATING CURRENT ENROLLMENT STATUS, GPA AND IN GOOD STANDING - an unofficial transcript from the university is acceptable. May be required to produce an official transcript prior to receipt of a formal offer.)

AND

• Must be in academic good standing as defined by the ABA accredited law school, earning at least a 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 GPA scale.

AND

• When local health guidance allows, must be able to report to work in the Rosslyn, VA USPS OIG office for which you are selected during core business hours.

EVALUATION FACTORS

Include your major accomplishments relevant to the evaluation factors in your resume.

• Ability to research and analyze legal issues, including employment and labor law, contracting and procurement law, federal appropriations law, Inspector General-related law, criminal law, ethics, public sector civil litigation, federal administrative law and/or audits
• Skill in writing legal opinions and analysis
• Ability to communicate effectively and maintain client relationships

You will no longer be considered for this position if you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor.

Failure to demonstrate that you meet all evaluation factor requirements will result in a score of zero (0). Upon receipt of a zero score, you will be deemed "not minimally qualified," and you will not be referred for further consideration.

Education

Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation here: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred. Special Instructions for Candidates with Foreign Education: Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in U.S. education programs. You must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. credential evaluation service to interpret equivalency of your education against courses given in U.S. accredited colleges and universities. For further information visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Student Cooperatives are not eligible for USPS OIG Employee Benefits.

This agency provides Reasonable Accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodations for any part of the application and/or hiring process, please send an email to jobs@uspsoig.gov . The decision on granting an accommodation request will be made on a case by case basis.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

The Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications required for this position. You will no longer be considered for this position if you: receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor; fail to attach all required documentation; if your application materials indicate that you are not minimally-qualified for this position; or if you fail to qualify on the interview. Only the top-rated candidates will be referred to a review official or the selecting official for further consideration. Top-rated applicants may be required to participate in an interview. Your rating may be further adjusted or rated as ineligible by the review official or the selecting official based on your interview performance. Once all applicant scores are finalized, the selecting official will make a final decision. NOTE: If you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor or on the interview, you will be considered NOT MINIMALLY QUALIFIED for the position and rated ineligible.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

You must submit all required documents by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date of this announcement, Vacancy Announcement 2021-78-11108641-PC, by closing date 05/19/2021 .

1. RESUME. When completing your online application or uploading your resume, you must categorize it as a "Resume" document).

2. TRANSCRIPTS from an accredited college or university. The information presented in the transcript must be verifiable and should contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses, semester hours, GPA, date and type of Bachelor's Degree issued. Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Attach document verifying that it has been deemed equivalent. For further information visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html . (Required: Upload and save as "Transcript" document.)

3. UPLOAD SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS which may include:

Certificates or Licenses, if applicable. Upload and save as "Other" document. Veterans Preference Documentation. If you are claiming veterans preference you must submit the Member 4 copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and/or other proof of veterans preference eligibility including your VA letter, form SF-15 (www.opm.gov/forms) and all required documents related to your SF-15 claim. Veterans can request the Member 4 copy of their DD-214 at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records, and can download a copy of their VA letter from https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal. (If applicable to you, you are required to upload each veterans' preference document and categorize as "DD-214" or "SF-15" or "Other Veterans Document") Reasonable Accommodation Documentation. 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 at http://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire .
• SF-50 if you are or have been a Federal employee to demonstrate tenure and competitive/excepted service for eligibility purposes. (If applicable to you, you are Required to upload each applicable SF-50 and categorize as a "SF-50" document.)

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.