Equal Opportunity Specialist (P) (Open to both U.S. Citizens and Federal Employees)

Clarification from the agency

Open to current and former Federal employees with competitive status, VEOA Applicants, AND All U.S. Citizens.

As an Equal Opportunity Specialist, you will:

• Manage the full lifecycle of Reasonable Accommodation (RA) requests by evaluating medical documentation against operational requirements and determining appropriate accommodations in compliance with the Rehabilitation Act, ADA, and related regulations.
• Facilitate the interactive process between employees and supervisors by providing expert guidance, mediating contested accommodations, processing requests, and identifying effective accommodation solutions that support both the individual’s needs and the agency’s mission.
• Administer accommodations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and for religious beliefs, ensuring that all requests are processed in alignment with federal standards, agency policies, and legal requirements.
• Conduct thorough, impartial investigations into ADA and 504 discrimination complaints, exercising independent judgment to perform fact-finding, evidence-gathering, and analysis to reach formal resolutions that meet standards of legal and procedural sufficiency.
• Provide authoritative advisory services and technical assistance to senior leadership, State agencies (such as DMVs), and stakeholders on civil rights enforcement and compliance, including drafting decision documents, policy guidance, and reports that address sensitive or controversial operational issues.

The ideal candidate for this position is a collegial, reliable, and adaptable professional with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively at all levels, dedicated to integrating civil rights into NHTSA’s core safety mission of saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing vehicle-related crashes. They possess demonstrated mastery of the regulatory framework governing civil rights programs, with specific, hands-on expertise in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

A core requirement of this role is the ability to independently manage the full lifecycle of Reasonable Accommodation (RA) requests—from initial intake and assessment of functional limitations to final recommendation—while maintaining high-quality work and productivity in a fast-paced environment. Furthermore, the ideal candidate is an accomplished investigator, skilled in conducting thorough, impartial investigations into ADA and 504 discrimination complaints and exercising sound judgment to resolve these matters at the lowest possible level.

The candidate exhibits consummate professionalism, providing strategic counsel, confidentiality, and technical guidance to senior leadership, supervisors, and employees on highly or sensitive program issues. They communicate effectively in both physical and virtual settings and remain resourceful when tackling challenging assignments, high-visibility projects, and policy-level responsibilities.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
• You must meet specialized experience to qualify.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
• DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience requirements for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the Grade 12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

• Experience facilitating the interactive process to identify and implement reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including analyzing functional limitations against operational requirements to reach formal resolutions; OR
• Experience conducting fact-finding and evidence-gathering for civil rights investigations, drafting findings based on regulatory standards, and executing resolution strategies for compliance matters. AND
• Experience providing technical assistance and authoritative guidance to State Highway Safety Offices, DMVs, and other respondent agencies regarding ADA compliance, civil rights enforcement, and the resolution of discrimination complaints.
• Experience drafting technical reports and explaining sensitive information to management, team members, employees, complainants, and respondents.

To qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:

• Experience managing reasonable accommodation requests, including evaluating medical documentation, facilitating the interactive process, and recommending accommodation solutions.
• Experience developing and implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for a reasonable accommodation program to ensure consistency, timeliness, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience providing technical assistance and strategic advisory services to State agencies, such as Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs), to resolve ADA compliance issues.
• Experience drafting decision documents and presenting sensitive operational issues to management, program officials, and stakeholders.

To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include:

• Experience managing a portfolio of reasonable accommodation requests and providing authoritative advisory services to senior leadership on sensitive RA/EO and leading the design, implementation, and continuous evaluation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and case management frameworks.
• Experience in adjudicating accommodation requests and civil rights complaints, including determining jurisdictional coverage and ensuring final determinations meet standards of legal and procedural sufficiency.
• Experience drafting determination documents to audiences including senior leadership and external stakeholders.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs):  Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

• Technical Knowledge: Comprehensive knowledge of civil rights laws, including their application to all areas of society, and an extensive knowledge of Federal and State requirements under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). 
• Problem Solving and Adjudication: Ability to lead the interactive process, mediate complex and contested reasonable accommodation requests, and conduct authoritative civil rights investigations and enforcement actions that withstand internal and external audit.
• Technical Assistance and Advisory: Ability to provide expert technical assistance and authoritative guidance to State Highway Safety Offices, DMVs, and recipients regarding ADA compliance, civil rights enforcement, and the resolution of external discrimination complaints.
• Communication: Highly developed oral and written communication skills to present sensitive, complex, and controversial issues to a wide range of audiences, including senior leadership, and to draft complex determination documents, policy guidance, and investigative findings.

For all types of consideration, 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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level. 

All applicants:  Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process.  Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.  Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.  These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages. 

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week,  and position titles.  If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level.  The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS/INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and forwarded to the selecting official in consideration of your application. To receive credit, submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation dated within the last 18 months (i.e. performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.).

VETERANS: Your last DD214 (member 4 copy), Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility.  

• If applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214 (member-4 copy).
• If claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability.  An SF-15 is desired, but not required.
• If applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214 (member-4 copy), which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, OR certification of separation that shows a discharge date within 120 days of the closing of this announcement, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.

FEDERAL APPLICANTS: You must submit SF-50(s) that verify your highest competitive grade, full performance level, and eligibility as a federal applicant.  DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify grade or eligibility. For consideration for a promotion, Box 4 of the SF-50 must show a date that is at least 52 weeks prior to the job announcement closing. We recommend submitting your last promotion SF-50 or within-grade increase SF-50.  Pay adjustment raise SF-50s for the current year will not support the 52 weeks’ time-in-grade requirements. https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/service/sf-50

NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments.

DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 80) and provide all of the following documents:  

• your most recent performance appraisal,
• the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
• your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.

Displaced employees may be eligible for ICTAP or CTAP priority consideration. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.  You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

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