Assistant Freedom of Information Act Officer, NB-0306-V.2 Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. MP.2-HQ-HR-25-5421-12723206 Department Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Salary $114,271.00 to $212,751.00 Grade 5 to 5
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 4/15/2025 Close Date 4/29/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

As the Assistant Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer in the Office of Public Affairs, you will assist in the management of all aspects of the FOIA Program and the Disclosure Services Unit. You will also identify changes to the FOIA that are based on guidance received from the Department of Justice, other financial regulators, and the Department of Treasury. Additionally, you will supervise assigned staff and direct resources necessary to carry out programs and functions.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All candidates who are: 1. Current OCC employees who are qualifying as Status Candidates or who are currently serving on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA); 2. Former OTS employees currently serving under permanent Schedule A 213.3105(d)(1) appointments with the OCC; or 3. CTAP Eligibles.

Duties

As an Assistant Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer, you will:

  • Create policies and procedures related to FOIA and the Privacy Act (PA).
  • Provide guidance and training to agency and Disclosure staff on FOIA compliance, training on acquired processing technology.
  • Conduct the day-to-day management relating to the processing of all requests for information filed pursuant to the Privacy Act to include, managing the processing of FOIA requests, and oversee the release of information under FOIA.
  • Serve as the liaison between Disclosure Services and the OCC's points of contacts and various subject matter experts regarding various requests and banking matters. Serve as a representative of the OCC at various interagency FOIA meetings.
  • Respond to inquiries and appeals related to FOIA requests, as well as, coordinate with other agencies and stakeholders on FOIA-related matters.
  • Serve as independent FOIA/PA case action officer. Investigate reports of alleged non-compliance to final resolution. Interpret the scope of FOIA requests, negotiate with requesters if requests are not reasonably described or are overly burdensome.
  • Brief supervisor on issues regarding the management and oversight of FOIA/PA programs. Make recommendations to supervisor when there are changes to FOIA/PA requirements or modifications to case law that has been applied in agency records.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time.

There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:

  1. Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back,
  2. FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and
  3. SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information).
  • Complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • Complete a one-year supervisory or managerial probationary period (unless already completed).
  • Complete a background investigation (unless already completed).
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Travel occasionally to attend meetings and conferences.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • File an OCC Financial Disclosure Form.
  • Complete a financial disclosure review and resolve any ethics issues.
  • Click here for important information about OCC ethics standards, such as the requirement that new hires divest their bank securities.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement:

To qualify for the NB-V.2 level, applicants must have specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level, NB-IV level in the federal service. This experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis.

Specialized experience for this position includes:

  • Providing guidance to internal and external customers on disclosure or privacy matters, and
  • Drafting responses consistent with established policies and procedures to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act (PA) requests.


The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector, or through volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis.

To receive any credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate the number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

Education

Education cannot be used to qualify for this position.

Additional information

  • This position is excluded from the bargaining unit.
  • Salary range includes a 25.72% geographical pay.
  • If you are a current OCC employee who previously received a waiver determination permitting you to retain bank securities due to extenuating circumstances, please note that this determination may be rescinded if the nature of your duties changes. We strongly suggest that you discuss the potential implications of any change in duties on a prior securities determination with your ethics official.
  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more positions.
  • The candidate selected for this position may be credited with directly-related non-Federal experience for annual leave purposes if eligible and considered appropriate.
  • Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information and instructions.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. National - Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  • Click "Print" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  • The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Treasury and its bureaus from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Treasury by email at, FairChanceAct@treasury.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact.

Benefits

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 windowLearn 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.

Your application package includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application package will be evaluated in the following areas:

  • Compliance
  • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
  • Written Communication
  • Planning/Organizing
  • Problem Solving

Your application package will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Current OCC employees must have a performance rating of at least Fully Successful (i.e., Level 3) to be eligible for promotion.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus federal employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must be rated as well-qualified to receive special selection priority. "Well-qualified" means that in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective placement factor(s), if applicable, you must receive a score of 85 or higher.

Required Documents

A complete application package includes: 1) A resume, 2) vacancy question responses, and 3) submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). Note: Please ensure that all bank, financial, and other confidential or sensitive information is removed/redacted from each document.

RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a resume by either creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)To receive any credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please review Resume Tips.

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are a former OTS employee serving under a permanent Schedule A 213.3105(d)(1) appointment at the OCC and you are a veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing type of separation and character of service (e.g. DD-214 Member 4 Copy) and if applicable, VA letter. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15, along with required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. You can find additional information about Veterans' Preference at http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS: In addition, you may submit the following:
- Cover letter
- Recent performance evaluation (be sure to redact/remove all sensitive information prior to submitting).

How to Apply

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete the online application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, you must contact us by noon Eastern Standard Time on the announcement's closing date. If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Capital Office. Please contact Sam Reddy at Harnet.Reddy@occ.treas.gov or 202-649-5264 to obtain an alternative application.

If you require a reasonable accommodation for disability during any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Kelly Battista by phone at 202-704-9488 or by email at Kelly.Battista@occ.treas.gov. Treasury provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. You must contact us by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the announcement's closing date to request accommodation. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Ms. Battista is not the point of contact for questions about the vacancy announcement.

To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click here:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12723206.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the Announcement to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Capital Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.

Agency contact information

Sam Reddy
Address
Comptroller's Office
400 7th Street SW
Washington, DC 20219
US

Next steps

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.

For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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