The mission of the Office of Public Affairs (PAO) is to coordinate the relations of the Department with the news media and serve as the center for information about all components of the Department. PAO ensures that the public is informed about the Department's activities and about the priorities and policies of the Attorney General and the President in the fields of law enforcement and legal affairs.

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. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as the Office of Public Affair's (PAO) coordinator for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), records management, and executive and citizen correspondence. Provides advice to PAO management for issues that require interpretation and adaptation of guidance to situations related to FOIA and the Privacy Act (PA) Administers PAO's Records and Information Management (RIM) program, aligning it with mission needs and developing PAO-specific processes Develops, implements, evaluates, and improves, as necessary, PAO's correspondence program and procedures to fit PAO requirements Collaborates with PAO and Department staff on matters relating to records and information management Establishes and maintains working relationships with internal and external stakeholders Communicates with others both within and outside of PAO to gather and exchange information, resolve issues, negotiate changes and compliance, and to explain policies, standards, and procedures related to government information systems Communicates regularly with Department and Office correspondence contacts and/or subject matter experts on the status of actions and Congressional reporting requirements

Requirements

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary or two-year trial period.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on or after 12/31/1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement at any time if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Government Information Specialist at (GS-0306-11/12), you must possess the required specialized experience specific to the series and grade you're applying to. If you are a current or former government employee on a permanent appointment in the competitive service, you will need to demonstrate 1-year (52-weeks) at the next lower grade level, to meet the time-in-grade requirements for this occupational series and grade. Additionally, please ensure to submit an applicable SF-50 (please refer to the "required documents" section for additional information). For the GS-11 Specialized Experience: For the GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Using electronic data processing or document management systems to track or prepare correspondence; Providing guidance related to creating, disseminating, researching, storing, or disposing of Federal records; AND Locating records pertinent to drafting responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act (PA) requests. OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. Time-in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-09). For the GS-12 Specialized Experience: For the GS-12, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Providing guidance related to the disclosure of information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act (PA); Advising management or staff on the laws, policies, or procedures governing records management; AND Recommending improvements to the internal operation or enhancement of a correspondence program. Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this series and grade, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone. No substitution of education for experience is permitted. Time-in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-11). You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including Time-in-Grade, by the closing date of this announcement, 09/08/2023. May be selected at any grade level with non-competitive promotion potential to the target grade. Non-competitive promotion potential to the target grade based on time-in-grade requirements and demonstrated ability to perform the higher graded duties. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements, please see the statements below: Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in 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; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Contacts

• Address Office of Public Affairs 2 Constitution Square 145 N Street NE Room 9W.300 Washington, DC 20530 US
• Name: Christina Hanson
• Phone: 202-425-2174
• Email: [email protected]