If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! The mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

Duties

If selected for this position, you will serve as a Community Outreach Specialist for the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois responsible for developing and implementing strategies to support community outreach and prevention/intervention efforts that are designed to build trust and legitimacy for the U.S. Attorney's Office and other public safety agencies within communities in the district. Typical work assignments will include: Serving as point of contact for the United States Attorney to all interested organizations, community groups as a specialist in community engagement and prevention and intervention, and participates in developing specific strategies, goals and approach to community engagement and prevention/intervention; Researching and identifying the gaps, needs and goals of communities, including underserved communities. Works with community groups and organizations to promote mutual understanding and/or in pursuit of the prevention/intervention goals of the United States Attorney; Working with district leadership to develop outreach plans and protocols for use in local and regional community outreach efforts and identifying and facilitating efforts to advance public-private sector program partnerships; Working with team members to initiate, develop and conduct special events, workshops, seminars, and other meetings with various organizations to educate, inform, stimulate participation in program activities, identify community concerns and motivate participants to conduct similar programs for their memberships; Initiating and maintaining direct contacts with specialized groups, community and governmental entities and the general public to support communities and assist with prevention/intervention efforts; Reviewing draft press releases from assigned Assistant U. S. Attorneys after pertinent court hearings or significant events (indictments, detention hearing, trial, change of plea, sentencing) and assures release is in standard form; Assisting with preparing public remarks and drafts of speeches for the United States Attorney regarding USAO programs, activities, and initiatives; and Utilizing existing and established contacts with media outlets in the Central Illinois media market to distribute press releases and promote USAO programs, activities, and initiatives. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-07 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience OR Education. Specialized Experience: To be qualified at the GS-07 level you must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level. Specialized experience is defined as performing the following types of duties: supporting ongoing community outreach programs; disseminating information to various law enforcement agencies or organizations, delivering speeches; preparing written materials and reports concerning crime prevention; analyzing evidence-based programs to reduce violent crimes in communities. OR Education in a related field (e.g., Sociology, Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Public Administration): One (1) full year of graduate level education. Such education must directly reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to satisfy the minimum qualifications of the position. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study. 18 semester hours is considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. OR Superior Academic Achievement in a related field (e.g., Sociology, Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Public Administration): Bachelor's degree (or expect to complete the requirements for a Bachelor's degree within the next 9 months) in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related KSAs/competencies necessary to satisfy the minimum qualifications and perform the duties of the position AND possess at least one of the following criteria: (1) Class standing- in the upper third of the graduating class in the college or university. (2) Grade-point average (G.P.A.) - have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on 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 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. (3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society - Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. These honor societies are listed by the Association of College Honor Societies. GS-09: To be eligible at the GS-09 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of the below described specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as assisting in administering a community outreach program regarding crime prevention and intervention; utilizing a variety of communication formats to gather public reaction to organization programs, draw appropriate conclusions, and offer management meaningful recommendations in improving outreach efforts; creating information materials such as program fact sheets, press releases and articles for publication, and handouts for meetings and briefings. OR Education in a related field (e.g., Sociology, Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Public Administration): A Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a job-related field. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year. GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of the below described specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience researching community organizations and establishing relationships with specialized groups, underserved communities, government entities, and the general public to support communities and assist with prevention/intervention efforts; participating in activities focusing on crime prevention and intervention; presenting information on programs, grant opportunities and initiatives geared toward crime reduction; arranging and conducting community relations activities and other special events, workshops, seminars, and meetings with various organizations to stimulate program participation and identify audience concerns; collecting and analyzing views and opinions of various publics to evaluate program effectiveness and recommend modifications. OR Education in a related field (e.g., Sociology, Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Public Administration): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M, if related. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 2 full years. NOTE: Transcripts are required for education eligibility.

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov
OR
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) -VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.

Special Employment Consideration - Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information, click on the links provided below . You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.
Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments

Contacts

• Address Central District of Illinois 318 S. 6th Street Springfield, IL 62701 US
• Name: Carol Price
• Phone: 217-492-4488
• Email: [email protected]