Summary

The Natural Resources Section handles litigation arising under more than 80 natural resource, environmental, and cultural resource statutes, various treaties and international agreements, interstate compacts, and congressional referrals. The incumbent serves as the liaison in performing support functions in the following areas: administrative management; human resources; legal intern program; and finance/procurement.

This job is open to

• Internal to an agency
  
  Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

Open to current Federal Status employees within any component of the DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ONLY including DOJ CTAP eligibles.

Duties

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

As an Administrative Specialist, duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide high level administrative support to the Section Chief and Deputies.
• Serve as Correspondence Tracking System Coordinator to track all incoming and outgoing packages to the Front Office and other DOJ components.
• Provide support to the Expert Witness and Judgment Fund Programs.
• Serve as a Timekeeper for the Section; review all requests for accrual of travel compensatory time; perform audits of leave balances; resolve or troubleshoot issues.
• Represent the Section on work groups for building security; serve as fire drill monitor.
• Assist with planning for the Section's Continuity of Operations Planning exercises.
• Set up conference rooms for management meetings including video teleconference with assistance from the Office of Information Technology.
• Maintain spreadsheets of applicants for attorney hiring; track metrics; coordinate candidate interview schedules; liaise with hiring committee members.
• Prepare new employee packets; coordinate office assignments; and provide office equipment and supplies.
• Maintain annual telework forms and training completion certificates.
• Edit and proofread training materials created by others.
• Liaise with management and employees to coordinate volunteer opportunities.
• Assist with administrative aspects for intern hiring.
• Serve as a Section-wide purchase card holder, ensure that all invoices are properly stamped and filled out.
• Answer transit subsidy questions; liaise with Office of Administrative Services.
• Assist with building & office equipment support (phones; computer; furniture)

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
• You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing.
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
• You must complete or have completed a one-year probationary period.
• You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.

Qualifications

To qualify for GS-9, you must have one of the following:

A. At least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-7 Federal grade level or above preparing reports, correspondence, and other written material in accordance with established regulations and guidelines; assisting in performing administrative tasks in support of litigation matters, or relating to human resources, travel, supplies, procurement, equipment, office moves, or budget and finance; or

B. Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B or J.D., if related. Such education demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. This education was obtained in or verified by a U.S. accredited college or university; or

C. A combination of experience and graduate education described above, which when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirements for this position at the GS-9 Federal grade level. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation).

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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Time in Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements (one year at the next lower grade) by the closing date of announcement.

YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12412311

Additional information

Career Transition Programs: The Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in DOJ with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If you have received written notification of your eligibility for consideration under CTAP/ICTAP, you may receive special priority consideration for this position if you are well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria.

Benefits: DOJ offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

General Employment Information:

1. DOJ EEO STATEMENT: The U.S. Department of Justice fosters an inclusive and diverse workforce, find our EEO statement online at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/dl?inline
2. SELECTIVE SERVICE: Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your resumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. All applicants' qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):

• Administrative Policies and Processes
• Oral Communication
• Performance & Awards
• Technical Competence
• Writing

Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions in the Division become available within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  You must submit a detailed resume containing the following information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
  
  • Official position title;
  • Employer name and contact information;
  • Start and end dates (month and year);
  • A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
  • Your highest salary (or Federal grade/step) achieved; and
  • Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time.
  
  Additional required documents must be submitted by the closing date of the job announcement. Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list below to determine which documents are required for your application.
  
  To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
  
  
  1. Resume (Cover letter optional)
  2. SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service or Federal reinstatement eligibility, such as an appointment action, change in tenure, within-grade increase, or promotion, whichever is most recent. An Award or General Pay Adjustment action will not suffice.
  3. For Federal employees, performance appraisal issued within the last 12 months.
  4. CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable
  5. Your online responses to the Occupational Questionnaire
  
  If you are using education to qualify for this position:
  
  
  1. You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
  2. Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
  3. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
  4. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.
  
  If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP:
  
  
  1. You must submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency.
  2. If you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force.
  3. Additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility can be found at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp
  
  Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume:
  
  
  • Classified or government sensitive information
  • Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Photos of yourself
  • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
  • Encrypted and digitally signed documents
  
  If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate content, you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  
  
  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.
• How to Apply
  
  You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY button. Follow the prompts to login or create an account, answer a few questions, and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.
  
  To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
  
  If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Office of Human Resources using the contact information below.
  
  Agency contact information
  
  
  
  Carmen Browne
  
  Phone
  
  (202) 616-3127
  
  Email
  
  carmen.browne@usdoj.gov
  
  Address
  
  Natural Resources Section
  
  150 M Street NE
  
  Washington, DC 20002
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

You must submit a detailed resume containing the following information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

• Official position title;
• Employer name and contact information;
• Start and end dates (month and year);
• A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
• Your highest salary (or Federal grade/step) achieved; and
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time.

Additional required documents must be submitted by the closing date of the job announcement. Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list below to determine which documents are required for your application.

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

1. Resume (Cover letter optional)
2. SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service or Federal reinstatement eligibility, such as an appointment action, change in tenure, within-grade increase, or promotion, whichever is most recent. An Award or General Pay Adjustment action will not suffice.
3. For Federal employees, performance appraisal issued within the last 12 months.
4. CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable
5. Your online responses to the Occupational Questionnaire

If you are using education to qualify for this position:

1. You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
2. Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
3. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
4. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.

If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP:

1. You must submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency.
2. If you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force.
3. Additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility can be found at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp

Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume:

• Classified or government sensitive information
• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Photos of yourself
• Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
• Encrypted and digitally signed documents

If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate content, you may not be considered for this vacancy.


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.

How to Apply

You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY button. Follow the prompts to login or create an account, answer a few questions, and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/

If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Office of Human Resources using the contact information below.

Agency contact information



Carmen Browne

Phone

(202) 616-3127

Email

carmen.browne@usdoj.gov

Address

Natural Resources Section

150 M Street NE

Washington, DC 20002

US

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Financial suitability
• Selective Service
• New employee probationary period
• Signature and false statements
• Privacy Act
• Social security number request