Summary
This position is located in a National Labor Relations Board field office and is supervised by the Division of Operations-Management in Washington, DC. The Division of Operations-Management is responsible for the management of case processing work in the field offices. The position serves as an interpreter, translator, transcriber for the full range of field office unfair labor practice case handling and elections work performed by the field examiners and field attorneys.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
All U.S. Citizens (Including Veterans); All current and former federal employees (status & non-status); and Qualified ICTAP; CTAP; RPL candidates
Duties
As a Language Specialist, GS-1040-7/9, your typical work assignments may include:
- Assisting professional staff as an interpreter during personal interviews and telephone conversations in connection with processing of cases.
- Drafting and composing documents and correspondence to ensure accuracy and completeness of Spanish/English language.
- Using effective interpersonal skills to work with office staff at all levels to accomplish the work effectively and efficiently in managing the interpretation and translation.
- Establishing and maintaining case files that includes uploading and documenting case data in the electronic case management system.
- Collaborating with office professionals to serve as a language liaison by interpreting the verbal communications during representation hearings, affidavits / depositions, and status hearings.
- Translating, transcribing and interpreting conversations, audio/video recordings, testimony, instructions at formal hearings, statements in interviews, manuals, correspondence, and other material concerning all case processing.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U. S. Citizenship Required.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
- This is not a remote appointment.
- Relocation expenses are not authorized.
- May be subject to a background investigation prior to appointment.
- A one-year probationary period may be required.
- Must be bilingual in English and Spanish.
- This is a positive education position. Transcripts are required to be considered for this position.
- Transcripts are required if qualifying based on education in lieu of specialized experience.
- Transcripts are required if qualifying on a combination of experience and education.
- This position is part of the Bargaining Unit
- This position is in the Competitive Service.
- Salary range listed is base. Locality salary to be determined after selection.
- Submit complete application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
Qualifications
All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
Ideal Candidate Statement
The ideal candidate for this position has experience interpreting, while typing and translating, information from dictation; experience interpreting in a legal or professional setting; transcribing from recording devices and has the ability to adapt to daily changes in their work procedures depending on the need.
Minimum Qualifications
To qualify at the GS-07 level
Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Language Specialist, at the GS-07 grade level.
Specialized experience includes:
- Experience in translating, transcribing and interpreting or other work requiring the use of English and Spanish; or a combination of work (that required English and Spanish) and training at the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Service Institute, or comparable training.
The following are examples of work in the required language that may have provided the required abilities: translator; transcriber; interpreter; librarian or information specialist required to make abstracts, screen, index, and scan material; intelligence; writer or editor; international organizational work, such as the Peace Corps, World Bank, United Nations, business, or other organizations; or professor, teacher, or instructor work at the high school or college level that required use of the foreign language.
This experience must be fully supported and articulated in your resume to receive consideration. Please do not cut and paste the position description, specialized experience, or assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
OR
Education: Must have completed at least one (1) full academic year of graduate level education (18 credit hours) or meet Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) criteria. ( Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)
OR
To qualify at the GS-09 level
Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Language Specialist at the GS-09 grade level.
Specialized experience includes:
- Experience in translating/interpreting from English and Spanish and vice versa correspondence, reports, briefings, and conversations; and
- Experience using a wide range of vocabulary in addition to the correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling to produce a more precise translation in English and Spanish and vice versa; and
- Experience transcribing/translating notes taken at informational meetings and various proceedings as well as from audio files; and
- Experience utilizing automated systems such as Outlook, Word and PowerPoint, etc. to produce a wide range of documents.
This experience must be fully supported and articulated in your resume to receive consideration. Please do not cut and paste the position description, specialized experience, or assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
OR
Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of official transcripts.)
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100 percent. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of official transcripts.)
For more detailed information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website here.
NOTE: 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.
Education
Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Applicants can verify accreditation here.
All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.
You mustmeet all qualification requirements. (Required - if applicable) All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, please click here.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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 accredited U.S. education programs; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
For further information regarding Foreign Education, please click here.
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.
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 will be compared against your responses to the questionnaire to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:
- Attention to Detail
- Computer Skills
- Customer Service
- Foreign Language
- Interpersonal Skills
The questionnaire includes a cut score based on the minimum level of the required skill set for this position.
You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you do not meet the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
If you meet or exceed the cut score, your application package will be forwarded to Rating and Ranking Panel Members for further review and assessment.
Your rating from the questionnaire and Rating and Ranking Panel will determine if you meet the quality categories of Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified candidates.
- Best Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
- Well Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
- Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis. If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.
If your final rating places you among the top candidates, your application package may be referred to the selecting official for further review.
You may be asked to participate in a writing and/or interpreting exercise.
To preview the assessment questionnaire, please click here:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12453680
Required Documents
In addition to your responses to the assessment questionnaire, you must submit the following additional documents specific for this vacancy:
Resume. Your resume must describe your job-related experiences and will be used to verify your qualifications. It is important that the information be relevant, detailed, and addresses the competencies for this position. Your resume must contain the dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present) to include the hours worked per week (i.e., 40 hours full-time per week). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If your resume consists of more than 5 pages, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
Other documents (if applicable). For more information, please click on the applicable link.
Most Recent Performance Appraisal. (Current/Former Federal Employees). If performance appraisal is not dated within the last 18 months or if you are unable to provide a performance appraisal, an explanation why must be provided. Please include a document in your application package explaining why the performance appraisal is not available.
Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50). (Current/Former Federal Employees). Most recent SF-50 showing current grade, tenure, and highest (permanent) grade ever held, if different from your current grade. Performance Award, Realignment/Reassignment, Name Change and Detail SF-50s will not be accepted as proof of grade and tenure. If applying for a higher grade, provide a SF-50 or SF-50s which show the length of time in current/highest grade (i.e. Promotions, With-in Grade Increases, and SF-50s with dates that show proof of you holding the grade for at least a year) to support meeting time-in-grade requirements. As a current or previous Career or Career Conditional employee in the Competitive Service, you may determine your current status by checking block 24 on your SF-50. The block must reflect "1" or "2". Also, block 34 must reflect "1". A copy of your SF-50 must be provided for verification.
Transcripts. An unofficial copy of your transcripts is sufficient for this application package. The unofficial transcripts must be verifiable; contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses (with grades), semester hours, and GPA. If the position has a positive education requirement (i.e. LL. B or JD), as indicated under the "Education" section, the unofficial transcripts must show type of degree and degree date received (conferred). In lieu of unofficial transcripts, a verification of enrollment letter is also sufficient; however, all required information listed above for the unofficial transcript must be included in the verification letter, including type of degree and degree date received (conferred) if applicable. If selected, an official copy of the transcripts is required and must be received before employment.
Schedule A - Disability Letter
Veterans - DD-214 (Member Copy 4) Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty
Disabled Veterans - DD-214, SF-15, and proof of disability, Department of Veterans Affairs letter dated 1991 or later.
Certain Military Spouses Copy of service member's PCS order authorizing the spouse to accompany the service member AND Proof of marriage to the service member; OR Proof the service member was released or discharged from active duty due to a service-connected disability AND documentation of the service member's 100% disability AND proof of marriage to the service member; OR Proof of the service member's death while on active duty AND proof of marriage to the service member.
Family Member Preference (Derived Preference)
Reinstatement
Former Peace Corps or VISTA Volunteers
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)
If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting the minimum requirements for the position and scoring at least an 85) and provide all of the following documents:
- your most recent performance appraisal; AND
- the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency; AND
- your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
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 to 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.
All materials must be received by 07/09/2024 to be considered for this announcement.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:
- Resume;
- Assessment Questionnaire; and
- Any other documents needed to verify your qualifications or eligibility (see the Required Documents section).
Please follow the instructions listed below for submitting your complete application package. Application procedures are specific to this vacancy announcement. Please read all instructions before you begin.
To begin the process, click the APPLY button at the right side of this screen to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire. Please ensure you click the SUBMIT MY ANSWERS button at the end of the process.
If you have never applied through USA Jobs for a position with the Federal Civil Service, you will need to create a USAJOBS account.
To change or update your application, simply reapply through USAJOBS, before the closing date. New or updated resumes are considered "incomplete" applications until the required virus scan is cleared.
To check the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.
Next steps
Applicants will be initially reviewed for Minimum Qualifications determinations.
All qualified applicants will then be screened by the Rating and Ranking panel members and placed into one of three categories: Best-Qualified, Well-Qualified, and Qualified.
Applicants that meet the Well-Qualified category or higher, may be referred to the Selecting Official for further consideration.
You may be asked to participate in a writing and/or interpreting exercise.
If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.
Applicants will receive notification when a final selection has been made.
|