Clarification from the agency

These positions will be filled through the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority for the occupation and is open to all U.S. citizens. Due to high volume of applicants, the first 50 applicants will receive first consideration. Additional applicants, beyond the first 50, may be considered, upon management's request.

This position is located in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facility, specifically the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC), in Williston, Vermont. The LESC serves as a national operations center by providing timely immigration status and identity information to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies on aliens suspected, arrested or convicted of criminal activity. Apply for this exciting opportunity in furthering public safety and national security.

Note: This position is NOT a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO), or law enforcement retirement covered position.

As a Law Enforcement Specialist, at the full performance level you will perform the following duties:

• Collect and analyze precise, accurate information pertaining to aliens status and develop reports for dissemination;
• Conduct and coordinate analytical assignments and/or research projects in support of investigations;
• Evaluate and interpret findings for submission to engage in data analysis;
• Analyze the impact of new regulations and directives on local operations and prepare complete and comprehensive written reports; AND
• Represent the agency in outreach programs with various local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must successfully pass a drug screen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
• Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Probationary Period: This is a full-time permanent position (Career/Career-Conditional appointment). Upon appointment to this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

You qualify for the GS-05 grade level if you possess one of the following:

Experience: Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience, one year of which was equivalent to the GS-04 grade level that demonstrates the ability to:

• Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions;
• Plan and organize work; and
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing; OR

Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in any field leading to a bachelor's degree. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester or 45 quarter hours;

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience may be used to meet the qualification requirements for the GS-05 grade level. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent.

You qualify for the GS-07 grade level if you possess one of the following:
Experience: One (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-05 grade level or equivalent performing duties such as:

• Determining which automated systems to search based on the nature of an inquiry;
• Searching various databases to analyze and review information as requested;
• Receiving and interpreting incoming telephone electronic and written inquiries to submit for higher level review;
• Preparing written reports of findings; extracting information from files and flawlessly entering them into various databases and/or systems; and
• Responding to phone calls by triaging and prioritizing time sensitive issues;

OR

Education: One (1) full year of graduate level education from an accredited college or university in a field of study which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a GS-7 Law Enforcement Specialist. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement;

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet the qualification requirements for the GS-07 grade level. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent;

OR

A Bachelor's Degree with Superior Academic Achievement: The bachelor's degree must be in a field of study which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a GS-7 Law Enforcement Specialist from an accredited university or college. Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.

1. Class standing -- Must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Must have a grade-point average of:
   • 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
   • 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2years of the curriculum.

1. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

• Please note: Grade-point averages will be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.

You qualify for the GS-09 grade level if you possess one of the following:

Experience: One (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level or equivalent performing duties such as:

• Conducting interviews, and writing reports from law enforcement case records concerning allegations of violations of the law;
• Initiating searches from an inquiry and analyzing the information from various automated databases; and
• Employing a variety of methods and techniques to prepare and complete written reports or findings;

OR

Education: Master's degree 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 to the position. Graduate level education must be from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study;

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education more than one (1) year that, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements.

Direct Hire Authority: These positions will be filled through the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority. The "Rule of Three", Category Rating and Veterans Preference will not apply to this vacancy. For more information on Direct Hire Authority, please see: OPM Direct Hire Fact Sheet.

Veterans: Although the Direct Hire Authority permits hiring without regard to Veterans Preference, applicants who are eligible for Veterans Preference are still encouraged to include that information in their application and submit supporting documentation (i.e. DD-214, or other substantiating documents). This position is not considered scientific/professional. View information on veterans' preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under ICTAP, you must be placed in the well qualified category for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12564, and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions (testing designated positions) are subject to random drug testing. Moreover, other drug testing of employees (e.g., reasonable suspicion drug test) may be conducted in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. All applicants tentatively selected for employment at ICE are subject to pre-employment drug testing and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result.

1. 2-Page Resume showing relevant experience, education and training. Work experience must include: job title, duties, employer's name, employer's telephone number, employer's address, starting and ending dates (MM/YY), hours worked per week, and indicate whether or not we may contact your current supervisor. Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. In describing your experience on your resume, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumption regarding your experience. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. (for more information, see the How do I write a resume for a federal Job-Two-Page Resume Limit).
2. Are you qualifying based on education? Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) or a list of coursework with hours completed. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.
3. Are you a veteran? Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 or other (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or notice form. Those applying for 10-Point preference must fill out the SF-15 and provide documentation that demonstrates preference eligibility. If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. View more veterans' information.
4. Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency Career Transition Plan (ICTAP)? If so, submit a copy of your agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.
5. Are you a current or former federal employee? Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current grade; your highest grade held; your current promotion potential and proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an interchange agreement. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions.
6. Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title, type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee), agency and beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Failure to submit required documents will result in disqualification for this vacancy.

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