The Office of the Executive Secretariat (OES) at the Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking Paralegal Specialists to join a fast-paced office that provides direct support to Department leadership. OES has a broad portfolio, including managing DOJ's internal clearance process for decisional documents addressed to senior leadership. Working in OES provides a unique opportunity to learn how DOJ fulfills its mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights.

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. Duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Conduct comprehensive analysis and processing of legal documents, such as reports to Congress or the White House, Freedom of Information and Privacy Act requests, records management proceedings, and other documents related to OES's portfolio. Search for and summarize a broad spectrum of relevant legal and non-legal materials for use by attorneys in the preparation of opinions, recommendation memoranda, and other legal documents. Draft and edit legal documents, reports, and correspondence. Prepare replies to correspondence by researching specific problems. Devise systems to capture, track, and use statistical data in documents for use by OES leadership. Evaluate requests for information and determine if documents or portions thereof can be released. Keep appropriate staff members informed about status of correspondence, reports, and interagency requests. Work on special assignments as directed by the Supervisor and by attorneys in the office.

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, December 31st 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.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Paralegal Specialist at (GS-0950-7/9/11), you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to this 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 SF50 (please refer to the "required documents" section for additional information). For the GS-07 Specialized Experience: For the GS-07, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Locating pertinent statutes, court decisions, legal opinions, or other legal documents for use in preparing reports; AND Reviewing legal documents or reporting data to validate information. OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for this position. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - You must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on my official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). 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) 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-05). For the GS-09Specialized Experience: For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Performing legal research into the legislative history, precedent cases, decisions, or opinions relevant to a particular legal matter; Identifying the factual issues, legal issues, or relevant evidence of a case; AND Verifying citations or legal references in prepared legal documents. OR Education: 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. 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 first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) 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-07). 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 or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Performing legal research of precedents, rules, regulations, or policies to develop evidence to support litigation activities; Analyzing data to evaluate its usefulness in resolving legal issues; AND Preparing summaries or briefs to present findings or conclusions of legal analysis. 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). You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including Time-in-Grade, by the closing date of this announcement, 11/29/2023. 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 Justice Management Division - Executive Secretariat 2 Constitution Square 145 N Street NE Room 9W.300 Washington, DC 20530 US
• Name: Roland Diaz
• Email: [email protected]