Summary This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as program support specialist performing a variety of complex clerical, administrative, and office automation functions in support of receiving, intake, considering, opening, and closing allegations and complaints within the Compliance Branch. Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position. Responsibilities As a Program Support Specialist, GS-0301-7/9/11, your typical work assignments may include the following: Reviewing incoming correspondence and directions for appropriate handling, and preparing outgoing correspondence and reports in final form. Maintaining complaint records. Drafting/preparing other written correspondence including agendas, reports, and minutes ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness. Triaging, date stamping, sorting, and distributing incoming hard-copy correspondence. Maintaining appropriate records and/or logs for tracking and reconciliation purposes. Supporting the collection and compilation of statistical data required to prepare reports. Compiling, tracking, and analyzing information for a wide variety of programs: entering, tracking, and analyzing data. Identifying trends and areas where problems exist, developing and presenting recommendations for improvements to management. Assisting Compliance Branch staff by providing a wide range of support and administrative services, including but not limited to, maintaining complete and accurate entries in the complaint management system, scanning documents, establishing follow-ups, and managing systems for sharing information and organizing program work. All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5 business day open period due to the number of applications received. View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications GS-7 Level: You may qualify at this grade level by meeting one (1) of the following below: Specialized Experience To qualify at the GS-7 level, you must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level or equivalent pay band in Federal Service or equivalent private/public sector experience. For this position, specialized experience is defined as all of the duties listed below: Preparing outgoing correspondence and reports. Maintaining complaint records. Preparing written correspondence including agendas, reports, and minutes ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness. Compiling, tracking, and analyzing information for a wide variety of programs. Identifying trends and areas where problems exist, developing and presenting recommendations for improvements to management. Assisting managers by providing accurate information regarding incoming correspondence, complaint data, and other information pertaining to the intake process. Assisting staff by providing a wide range of support and administrative services, including but not limited to, maintaining complete and accurate entries in the complaint management system, scanning documents, establishing follow-ups, and managing systems for sharing information and organizing program work. Substitution of Education for Experience You may substitute education for experience at this grade level by possessing one of following: One (1) full year of graduate level education Superior Academic Achievement, to meet this you must possess one of the following: Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society Combination of Education and Experience You may qualify at this grade level if you have a combination of education and experience (i.e. 6 months specialized experience and over 9 graduate level credits). GS-9 Level: You may qualify at this grade level by meeting one (1) of the following below: Specialized Experience To qualify at the GS-9 level, you must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-7 level or equivalent pay band in Federal Service or equivalent private/public sector experience. For this position, specialized experience is defined as all of the duties listed below: All of the duties of the GS-07 grade plus the following: Reviewing incoming correspondence and directions for appropriate handling and preparing outgoing correspondence and reports in final form. Maintaining appropriate records and/or logs for tracking and reconciliation purposes. Identifying trends and areas where problems exist, developing and presenting recommendations for improvements to management. Reviewing an electronic database and verifying data on a periodic basis, troubleshooting the system, and performing testing and evaluation. Assisting staff with tasks and projects related to incoming correspondence and complaint investigations. Assisting in the development of procedures for establishing, operating, and assessing the effectiveness of administrative control systems. Reviewing and revising manuals and procedures to ensure they are current and support effective operation of the program. Substitution of Education for Experience You may substitute education for experience at this grade level by possessing one of following: Master's or equivalent graduate degree Two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree LL.B. or J.D., if related Combination of Education and Experience You may qualify at this grade level if you have a combination of education and experience (i.e. 6 months specialized experience and over 18 graduate level credits). GS-11 Level: You may qualify at this grade level by meeting one (1) of the following below: Specialized Experience To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-09 level or equivalent pay band in Federal Service or equivalent private/public sector experience. For this position, specialized experience is defined as all of the duties listed below: All of the duties of the GS-09 grade plus the following: Assisting leadership by providing accurate information regarding incoming correspondence, complaint data, and other information pertaining to the intake process. Analyzing incoming information tasked for processing, which includes processing matters, issue spotting, drafting clear and concise summaries, and presenting matters at meetings. Reviewing and analyzing management and program directives and instructions from higher level offices concerning project management systems (planning, execution, evaluation and analysis, and reporting requirements) for consistency, reporting requirements and background information. Substitution of Education for Experience You may substitute education for experience at this grade level by possessing one of following: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree Three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree LL.M., if related Combination of Education and Experience You may qualify at this grade level if you have a combination of education and experience (i.e. 6 months specialized experience and over 36 graduate level credits). NOTE1: If qualifying based on specialized experience at any grade level, your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. NOTE2: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify for the next grade level. You must also submit a copy of your transcript for review if substituting education for experience or combining education for experience at any grade level, otherwise you will receive an ineligibility rating. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Time-in-grade: Current General Schedule (GS) federal employees, and those that have served in GS positions within the last 52 weeks, must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade, or a combination of the next lower grade level and an equivalent band in the federal service by the closing of this announcement. Note: Current or former Federal employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job). If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CONSIDERATION AS A STATUS CANDIDATE. 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, including volunteer experience. Education Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. Additional Information Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement. Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation for a Suitability Clearance as a condition of placement in this Non-Sensitive, Moderate-Risk position. This review may include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.