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Equal Employment Specialist

Social Security Administration
Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity
This job announcement has closed

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Summary

Responsible for the review and analysis and other aspects of the discrimination complaints process; complaints are based on race, religion, national origin, sex, color, age, physical and/or mental handicap, and reprisal. Also responsible for providing expert planning, organization, advice, and guidance.

These are the duties at the full performance level of GS-12.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
11/18/2024 to 11/20/2024
This job will close when we have received 150 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$55,924 to - $128,956 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Woodlawn, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Flextime, Alternate work schedules may be available, On site presence 3 days per week required
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
SH-12604263
Control number
819481500

Duties

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  • Advises aggrieved individuals on methods that may be taken in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process either in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or in traditional counseling.
  • Analyzes investigative material developed on all complaints of discrimination filed against SSA under the Equal Employment Opportunity Regulations.
  • Assures that decisions are consistent with public law, with precedent appellate judicial and administrative decisions, and with SSA procedures, policy, and personnel management philosophy.
  • Interprets and revises SSA policy on discrimination complaint processing. Participates in formulating policy for the discrimination complaint program.
  • Provides advice and assistance to regional and headquarters staff regarding legal, regulatory, and technical matters relating to SSA’s complaint system.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
  • Fingerprinting and background and/or security investigation may be required
  • Job offers are contingent on fingerprinting and background / security investigation results
  • Selectees may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement

Qualifications

GS-7
To qualify for the GS-7 level, you must have one of the following:
A bachelor's degree AND superior academic achievement. Superior academic achievement is defined as: (1) graduating with at least a 3.0/4.0 GPA; (2) graduating in the top third of the graduating class; or (3) membership in a national scholastic honor society; NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate claimed education; OR
One full year of graduate level study, or possess a Master's or higher degree, e.g., LL.B., J.D., LL.M., Ph.D., etc., in a field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of the position. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate claimed education; OR
At least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-5, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience should include researching, analyzing, and applying principles to identify and solve employment issues; OR
When combined, graduate education and experience total 100% of the requirements.
GS-9
To qualify for the GS-9 level, you must have one of the following:
At least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-7, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled which has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience should include researching, analyzing, and applying equal opportunity principles to identify and solve employment issues which includes consulting, reconciling, negotiating, or investigating activities with regard to equal employment laws, policies; OR
A Master's or equivalent graduate degree, if related. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate education; OR
Completed 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate education; OR
When combined, graduate education and experience total 100% of the requirements.
GS-11
To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must have one of the following:
At least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-9, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled which has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience must include applying Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws, statues and Federal regulations, and applying analytical or fact finding techniques to interpret, resolve or recommend resolution for Federal EEO programs (e.g., informal or formal complaint of discrimination or disability process, Reasonable Accommodation, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Special Emphasis Program) for an organization; OR
A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, if related. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate education; OR
Completed 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, if related. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate education; OR
When combined, graduate education and experience total 100% of the requirements.
GS-12
To qualify for the GS-12, the applicant must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-11 level, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience must include applying Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws, statues and Federal regulations, experience processing and adjudicating formal EEO complaints, to include all of the following: drafting final agency decisions, conducting activities relative to updating/monitoring electronic complaint tracking system(s), drafting acceptance/dismissal letters, reviewing and approving investigative plans, and conducting legal sufficiency reviews of investigative reports.

NOTE: Your resume and supporting documents must specifically address the evaluation criteria for the position. This information is instrumental in determining the highest quality candidates to be referred to the Selecting Official. If your application materials do not demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience needed for this position, your application will be ineligible for consideration.

Your resume must show complete dates (month/day/year) for each position described (and if your position is or was federal, your grade at the time experience was gained). Resumes that don't include this information may not satisfy the requirement to demonstrate 52 weeks performing specific work at the required level.

Education

For GS-7: Successful completion of at least one academic year of graduate education in a field that is directly related to the position or superior academic achievement.

For GS-9: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or successful completion of at least two academic years of progressively higher graduate education in a field that is directly related to the position, or LL.B. or J.D. in a field that is directly related to the position.

For GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, or LL.M. in a field that is directly related to the position.

Combining Education and Experience: Experience and education as described above may be combined to meet the minimum qualification requirements. Experience and education will be computed as percentages of the overall requirements and must equal to 100 percent when combined. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11.

Note: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school you attended has determined to represent one year of study. If this information cannot be obtained from your school, we will consider 18 semester/27 quarter hours to be equal to one year of full-time study.

If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position.

Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation 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 a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System,or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Other Notes:

This is a Career Ladder Position leading to the GS-12 level.
This is a non-bargaining unit position.
This position is on a full-time, flex-time schedule and may be eligible for an Alternate Work Schedule (AWS).
This position is eligible for telework after all conditions for telework have been met.
This position is not authorized to be filled virtually or through outstationing.
The Official Duty Station (ODS) for this position is SSA-HQ Woodlawn, Maryland.
To participate in telework, you must reside within a 2-hour commute to this ODS by the time of your appointment.
Relocation expenses will not be paid; salary will be set in accordance with locality pay provisions.
Successful performance of work in this position and adherence to conditions of this position will be assessed during the 1-year probationary period served that may be served by new appointees (e.g., new to SSA and/or new to this series).
This is a moderate-risk public trust position. You may be required to complete SF-85 (Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions) to have the appropriate investigation conducted.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire, which is designed to capture the desired competencies for this position. These competencies include:

  • Knowledge of EEO laws, regulations, processes, and procedures governing the Federal civilian EEO process. Required for Grades 7, 9, 11, 12
  • Skill in processing and responding to formal EEO within regulatory timeframes (i.e., Intake Acceptance or Dismissal Decisions and Appeal Decisions). Required for Grades 12
  • Skill conducting legal research for matters relating to the Rehabilitation Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Title VII, and the Equal Pay Act. Required for Grades 11, 12
  • Skill in written and oral communication. Required for Grades 7, 9, 11, 12
  • Skill in providing responses to judges or administrative adjudicators. Required for grades 7, 9, 11, 12
  • Skill preparing legal documents for civilian or Federal tribunals. Required for Grades 9, 11, 12

Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. The questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. To preview the questions, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12604263

Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method, based on your responses to the Assessment Questions. If you meet the basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:

1 - Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements.
2 - Well Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and demonstrate a satisfactory level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
3 - Best Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and demonstrate a high level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements will automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category.

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