Equal Employment Specialist

Summary

As an Equal Employment Specialist (Investigator) you will serve as a full-time Investigator for the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Office of Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion. Your primary duties consist of investigating sensitive and complex issues encompassing a wide range of employment related issues such as recruitment, selection, promotion, discipline, pay, job qualifications, and retention procedures.

Learn more about this agency

Help

Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

03/21/2024 to 03/25/2024

• Salary

$80,994 - $126,198 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 11 - 12

• Help

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Westchester, IL

• 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 -

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

12

• Job family (Series)

0260 Equal Employment Opportunity

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

• Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CASH-12353311-24-KB-NBU

• Control number

782879300

Help

This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• Federal employees

• Competitive service

Current or former competitive service federal employees.

• Individuals with disabilities

• Land & base management

Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.

• Military spouses

• Veterans

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to those eligible for Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), current or former Federal employees

• Competitive service, Individuals with disabilities, Land & base management eligible, eligible Military spouses and Veterans

Help

Duties

• Identifies and interviews Complainants and witnesses to obtain evidence and sworn testimony relevant to the claims being investigated. Also informs them of their rights.

• Independently plans and coordinates complex investigations based on the forum in which the allegation is to be investigated.

• Responds verbally and in writing to inquiries pertaining to the status of complaints procedures, policies, etc.

• Notifying appropriate individuals within chain of command when liability is discovered at any stage of the investigation.

• Obtains documentary and testimonial evidence that is relevant and material to the resolution of the issues under investigation through witness interviews and affidavits, written requests for information, research, etc.

• Conducts investigations during which the complainant, respondent and witnesses are interviewed, and personnel and other records are examined and redacted according to policy and procedures.

• Prepare Pre-Investigation Planning Document (PIPD), affidavits, reports, types a variety of materials such as memoranda, letters, and related documents into final form. Research EEO regulations, case laws, and policies.

• Prepare a thorough and well-written report of investigation citing specific testimonial and/or documentary evidence, as well as applicable case law, policies and precedents relied upon.

• Write investigative reports that serve as the basis for the preparation of cases for court martials, administrative decisions, or for testifying in legal, quasi-legal, and administrative hearings.

Help

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job

• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation

• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

• A probationary period may be required for employees and supervisors

Qualifications

Specialized Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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; religions; 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.

The Office of Personnel Management's group coverage qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IOR), and individual qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found here.

GS11 To qualify, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as work that involves (1) Coordinating investigations explaining rights and responsibilities in accordance with law, regulations, and VA directives; (2) Conducting investigations for the Dept. of VA and/or other Federal agencies; (3) Responding verbally and in writing to inquiries pertaining to complaints procedures and policies;

OR

Applicants may substitute education for experience at grade GS-11.A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or L.L.M., if related. Or applicants can combine education and specialized experience to qualify for the position

GS12 To qualify, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as work that involves (1) Providing technical guidance to staff on EEO procedural decisions; (2) Reviewing and analyzing testimonies to produce comprehensive investigative records; (3) Providing training to staff on EEO procedures;

There is no educational substitution for the GS12 level.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education for the GS11.

Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for federal employment. You can verify your education here. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.

Additional information

Work Schedule: Regular office hours; Alternate work schedules are available

Title/PD#: Equal Employment Specialist GS - 11/12; PD 40020A and 40021A

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Time-in-grade: Applicants who are/were federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. For a GS11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS09 level. For a GS12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS11 level. To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; driving an automobile, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Please contact the special placement coordinator or the human resources specialist listed on this vacancy for more information regarding applying for consideration under schedule A or as a 30% disabled Veteran.

Displaced federal employees: The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. A well-qualified candidate is defined as meeting all of the minimum qualification standards and eligibility requirements as well as possessing skills that clearly exceed the minimum qualifications requirements for this position. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility can be found here.

Service credit for leave: Veterans Affairs offers creditable service for annual leave accrual for non-federal work experience to eligible employees. For more information about crediting experience for annual leave visit here.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies and other vacancies in the same series, grade, and location.

Read more

• Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Applicants who do not fully address the specialized experience needed for the position (as described above in the job announcement) in their resume or who do not possess the education to substitute for it will not be referred for consideration.

After you have met the minimum qualifications, you will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:

• Analytical Reasoning

• Communication

• Education and Training

• Oral Communication

• Planning and Evaluating

• Writing

If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job-related information, which may include, but is not limited to responses to the knowledge, skills, and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview.

Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

Notice to Applicants: It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.