Equal Employment Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Your application will be considered if you: Live in the Philadelphia , PA commuting area and are eligible under GSA’s Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP); are a VEOA eligible veteran; are a Military spouse, are an eligible Land Management employee.

As an Equal Employment Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

• Serves as an expert advisor on the adjudication of discrimination complaints; provides expert advice and consultation to agency management, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) officials, agency attorneys, complainants, and other interested parties regarding the resolution of complaints; and writes final agency decisions and orders that set forth the facts of the matter and interpret and apply applicable laws, regulations, and legal precedent.
• Reviews and evaluates case records to extract facts, determine the circumstances surrounding complaints, and determine the adequacy of evidence; initiates further investigations, as necessary, to clarify or establish facts and issues; and applies legal principles, analytical methods, and case law research to determine whether discrimination occurred and develop appropriate findings and recommendations.
• Reviews class action discrimination complaints and analyzes issues involving class certification and acceptance; prepares correspondence and supporting documentation for review by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); reviews EEOC decisions and determines whether to implement or appeal certification or non-certification determinations; and reviews external civil rights complaints alleging discrimination or retaliation by Federal financial assistance recipients.
• Provides expert advice in responding to communications from attorneys and complainants involving legal proceedings against the agency in EEO matters; furnishes and exchanges factual and procedural information pertinent to these actions; writes decisions on attorney fee requests and other legal documents, including breach of settlement agreement decisions and decisions to disqualify representatives; and provides expert assistance to other team members to achieve technically sound and legally sufficient final decisions.
• Recommends appropriate corrective actions based on findings on individual and class complaints, including promotion, back pay, compensatory damages, or changes in organizational policies, procedures, or practices; monitors compliance with findings of discrimination and settlement agreements; reviews and tracks settlement agreements to ensure that settlement terms are timely met; analyzes breach of settlement agreement claims; and prepares final actions and related reports.

Conditions of employment

• US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
• Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
• Meet time-in-grade within 30 days of the closing date, if applicable
• Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

Qualifications

To evaluate your qualifications, your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet the specialized experience described below. Your resume must not exceed two pages. To ensure your qualifications can be fully evaluated, we recommend including the following information: 

• Name, address, telephone number, email address;

• Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);

• Relevant work experience—should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement.

• Education, certifications or licensures—If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure to include the required information and any required documents like transcripts.

Your resume should contain enough information to make a valid determination that you fully meet experience requirements for each grade level you are applying to. If you do not provide enough information for us to determine your qualifications, you may be rated ineligible.

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

The GS-14 salary range starts at $138,595 per year.  If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.  

To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level or higher in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience reviewing and analyzing discrimination complaints; evaluating case records and evidence to determine the facts and issues involved; applying applicable laws, regulations, policies, and legal principles; and developing findings, recommendations, final agency decisions, or other actions to resolve complex Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints.

How you will be evaluated

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

A panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review the application of qualified candidates and assign a score for each of the five required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) based on the experience documented in the resume and narrative responses.

1. Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and methods of Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) to determine final agency decisions and final actions for EEO complaints and breach of settlement determinations.
2. Skill in conducting extensive case law research and applying case law to the facts and issues involved in EEO matters.
3. Knowledge of Federal civil rights laws and regulations, including Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1991, as amended; the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended; the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act; and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008.
4. Skill in consulting and negotiating on broad, complex, and sensitive equal employment opportunity issues.
5. Skill in interpreting, explaining, and applying a body of law, regulations, and procedures and applying advanced fact-finding, analytical, and problem-solving methods.

Demonstration of these KSAs must be supported by your application. Applicants should also make note of each KSA, as you will be asked to address them later in the application process.

Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume so that information will be taken into consideration during the selection process.  If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If you are eligible under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or GSA’s Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), your resume must clearly demonstrate experience in at least 3 of the 5 required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) to receive priority consideration.

ALL required documents must be submitted before the closing date. Review the following list to determine what you need to submit.

Resume: Must not exceed two pages. Refer to the Qualifications section for resume requirements. 

If you are a 30% or more disabled veteran, VEOA or VRA applicant or qualified spouse, widow/widower, or parent:

(a)  Copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 that shows your type of discharge and the dates of your active duty service.
(b)  If you are a disabled veteran, or are applying under VRA or VEOA as a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran, submit both of the following in addition to the DD-214: (1) completed SF-15 form; and (2) proof of your entitlement (refer to SF-15 for complete list).

If you are active duty military- Certification on a letterhead from your military branch that includes your rank, character of service (must be under honorable conditions) & military service dates including discharge/release date (must be no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted).

Current or former Land Management Agency Employee - Submit a and b:

     (a) one or more SF-50s, including your most recent one that shows you were on a competitive time-limited appointment(s) with a Land Management Agency and served on the appointment for a period(s) totaling more than 24 months without a break of 2 or more years.
     (b) Copy of your agency’s annual performance appraisal(s) or written reference(s) from a supervisor at the agency verifying satisfactory performance during your appointment(s).

ICTAP/CTAP eligible - submit a, b, and c: (a) proof of eligibility including agency notice; (b) SF-50, and (c) most recent performance appraisal.

Current or former political appointee: Submit your SF-50.

Next steps