Job opening: Language Specialist (Reasonable Accommodation and American Sign Language Interpreter)
Salary: $117 962 - 153 354 per year
Published at: Jan 22 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package. Your application may not receive full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined.
This position is located at 500 "D" Street, SW., Washington, DC., within the Office of Civil Rights, Disability Employment (DE) Division, at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Duties
Administers and manages the sign language interpretation and transliteration program for the Department, and by special arrangement, assists other agencies of the Federal Government.
Serves as American Sign Language interpreter/translator and may be called upon to interpret/transliterate for a wide range of clients, including high-level officials in Governmental and private sector circles.
Oversee the preparation, presentation to Agency leadership, submission to the EEOC< and public dissemination of the mandatory EEO Program Status Report (MD-715 Report) Part J (Special Program Plan).
Develops training curriculum and provides sign language instruction at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels, including assessing needs, selecting training materials/learning strategies, and conducting and evaluating training
Advises on sections 501, 504, and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the American with Disabilities Act, the RID Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct, recruitment sources for people with disabilities, and various communication technologies.
Maintains collaborative working relationships with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the Government Accountability Office to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and policies.
Requirements
- United States Citizenship is required.
- Relevant experience (see Qualifications below).
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
- Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required.
- If you have no prior Federal experience or are selected under Delegated Examining procedures, you will be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
- If you select to be considered under Merit Promotion requirements, you must meet the Time-in-Grade requirements before the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
- These are Testing Designated Positions (TDP's) under the Agency's approved Drug-Free Work Place Program. All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.
Qualifications
Basic Requirement:
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- the appropriate foreign language from an English-speaking college or university, English from a college or university in the other country, or translating or interpreting where English and the foreign language were prerequisites.
OR
Experience in translating, interpreting, or other work requiring the use of English and the other language; or a combination of work (that required English and the other language) and training at the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Service Institute, or comparable training.
Specialized Experience:
GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. Examples of qualifying specialized experience at the next lower level for this position include: a) interpreting and translating material of a highly sensitive nature such as domestic and overseas briefings, contract negotiations, instruction for safety inspectors, office of security/diplomatic security (clearances, interviews, etc.), and highly classified or restricted information; b) analyzing trends in spending and progress towards meeting budgetary objectives to assure funds are used for the purpose for which they were allocated; and c) facilitating communication between hearing and non-hearing individuals within the agency and with external individuals or groups, including interpreting, transliterating, and sight translation duties to enhance understanding and provide opportunities for advancement for Deaf/Hard-Of-Hearing employees.
Selective Placement Factor:
This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placements Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not demonstrate the experience below are ineligible for further consideration.
1. Must have a certification from a professional national certifying organization i.e., Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), National Association for the Deaf (NAD) at least level 4, and;
2. Must have fluent command of the American Sign Language (ASL), Pidgin Signed Language (PSE), and spoken English in order to interpret and transliterate in a diverse and expansive range of subject matter to include complex technical terminology in a variety of fields, including a mastery of simultaneous and consecutive interpretation, transliteration, and sight transliteration techniques from ASL to English and English to ASL.
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 relevant to the position's duties to be filled, including volunteer experience.
CTAP/ICTAP candidates will be referred to the selecting official if they are found well qualified. Well-qualified means an eligible applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that clearly exceed the position's minimum requirements. In addition, a well-qualified employee must meet the qualification and eligibility requirements of the position, including any medical qualifications, suitability, and minimum education and experience requirements, meet all selective factors (where applicable); meet quality ranking factors and are assigned to the Silver Category or higher Category; be physically qualified with reasonable accommodation to perform the essential duties of the position; meet any special qualifying U.S. OPM-approved conditions; AND be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry without additional training.
A well-qualified candidate will not necessarily meet the definition of highly or best qualified when evaluated against other candidates who apply for a particular position. Therefore, selecting officials will document the job-related reason(s) for qualification determinations without selective and quality ranking factors.
Education
This position does not have a positive education requirement. However, you must provide proof of certification as stated below:
Contacts
- Address Office of Civil Rights and Diversity
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20523
US
- Name: USAID HR Help Desk
- Phone: 202-712-1234 X2
- Email: [email protected]
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