The Research Support Specialist will provide essential research and administrative support to the National Security Division's Foreign Investment Review Section (FIRS), which reviews acquisitions of and investments in U.S. companies by foreign entities, in order to determine the transaction's or license's effects on national security.

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. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing legal support to the National Security Division. Typical work assignments will include: Perform a variety of research, operational, administrative, and related tasks in support of the Foreign Investment Review Section. Utilize databases in maintaining, collecting, inputting, and analysis of information used in the conduct of the research. Responsible for storing and maintaining project data information electronically when analyzing issues associated with the responsibilities of the organization. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress to the full potential of this position.

Requirements

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year trial/probationary period.
• Selective Service registration is required, see the announcement for full details.
• Under Pathways Recent Graduate regulations, you are eligible only if you have graduated from an academic program of study or earned your degree within the last two years.

Qualifications

This vacancy is open to RECENT GRADUATES. Applicants to the Recent Graduates Program must apply within two years of degree or certificate completion. Veterans who were unable to apply to the Program within two years of receiving their degree due to military service obligations have up to six years to apply to the Program after degree or certificate completion. If you are appointed to a position under this program, you will need to complete a requisite number of work and training hours, based on the agreement you will complete with the hiring office and the agency Pathways program coordinator. After completing the required number of work and training hours, and meeting all other program requirements, you may be eligible for a conversion to a term or permanent appointment. To learn more about the specific requirements and conditions of the Pathways Recent Graduate program, please see the USAJOBS Students & Recent Graduates page, or the OPM Pathways Program site... In addition to the requirements above, you must also meet the specific qualifications requirements for this announcement and the occupational series and grade of this position as described in the Qualifications section below. Please pay careful attention to the entire announcement to ensure you understand these important requirements. To qualify for the position of Research Support Specialist (Recent Graduates) (GS-0301-5/7/9), you must meet the basic qualification requirements AND possess the required specialized experience and/or education specific to this series and grade. To qualify for the GS-05 level, you must meet one of the following experience OR education requirements for the position: A. Applicants must have at least three years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least the GS-04, which demonstrates the ability to: 1. Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; 2. Plan and organize work; and 3. Communicate effectively orally and in writing. -OR- B. Applicants must have completed a 4-year course of study, in any field, leading to a Bachelor's degree. -OR- C. Applicants must have a combination of education (post high school) 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 qualifying experience by 12. Then, divide your semester hours of undergraduate education in excess of 2 years (60 semester hours) by 60. Add the 2 percentages. Note, for the purpose of qualifications, 1 full year of undergraduate education is equivalent to 30 semester hours. To qualify for the GS-7 level, you must meet one of the following requirements for the position: A. Applicants must have one year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as meeting 2 of the 4 items listed below: 1. Experience conducting qualitative research on various topics to identify, analyze, and recommend solutions; 2. Experience drafting summaries of analyses with evidence to support findings; 3. Experience storing and maintaining data electronically; 4. Experience drafting information materials using presentation software. -OR- B. One full year of graduate level education. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 full years of full-time study. Note: For the purpose of qualifications, 1 full year of graduate education is equivalent to 18 semester hours. -OR- C. Superior Academic Achievement. Education may be substituted for specialized experience with a Bachelor's degree that included curriculum related to this position and Superior Academic Achievement. Superior Academic Achievement can be based on one of the following: Class standing - being in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university or major subdivision; Grade point average - a) having a 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on an official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum or b) having a 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 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 curriculum; or national scholastic honor society membership (other than a freshman honor society). -OR- D. Combination of education and specialized experience. A combination of education and specialized 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 qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education by 18. Add the 2 percentages. Note: For the purpose of qualifications, 1 full year of graduate education is equivalent to 18 semester hours. To qualify for the GS-9 level, you must meet one of the following requirements for the position: A. Applicants must have one year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the federal service, as described in items 1-4 below: 1. Experience conducting qualitative research on national security, international trade, acquisitions, or various topics to identify, analyze, and recommend solutions; 2. Experience drafting summaries of analyses with evidence to support findings; 3. Experience storing and maintaining data electronically; and 4. Experience drafting information materials using presentation software. -OR- B. Graduate Education. Completion of a Master's, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D. Graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. -OR- C. 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. When addressing the specialized experience statement, applicants must present evidence of the experience in their resume. If the specialized experience statement is repeated, in the applicant's resume, Human Resources will deem the applicant as ineligible. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/02/2024.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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 toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should 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 National Security Division 2 Constitution Square 145 N Street NE Room 9W.300 Washington, DC 20530 US
• Name: Kathleen Vanderbur
• Email: [email protected]