PARALEGAL SPECIALIST Job in Westfield, MA

Vacancy No. MA-12821489-AF-26-104-003 Department Air National Guard Units
Salary $83,426.00 to $108,448.00 Grade 11 to 11
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/22/2025 Close Date 11/23/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Westfield, MA


Summary

THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 32 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION.

This National Guard position is for a PARALEGAL SPECIALIST, Position Description Number PDD2416000 and is part of the MA ANG 104th FW, National Guard. This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position. The unit point of contact and contact phone for this position is: Mr. Christopher Riga at christopher.riga@us.af.mil.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Open only to current members of the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, MA.

Duties

1. Advises the Staff Judge Advocate on all command issues on behalf of command staff, researching interpretation of federal/state statutes and regulations, and ensuring that legal guidance and support is furnished in a timely manner. Advises Wing leadership on options, which are legally permissible, or desirable, after consultation with the SJA. Prepares, researches, and drafts written legal opinions after SJA review with regard to applicable laws, regulations, instructions, directives, and policies in the area of Administrative Law including, but not limited to: Reports of Survey; Line of Duty Determinations; formal and informal investigations and commander inquiries; legal sufficiency reviews; Inspector General and Equal Employment Opportunity investigations; fiscal law; unfavorable personnel actions; standards of conduct; family advocacy; and public relations. Supports and assist with CDI investigations, reports and briefings. Conducts classes and training for commanders and unit members. Represents the SJA and Wing Commander on legal committees, working groups, and inter-disciplinary teams as well as legal conferences and meetings.(20%)

2. Provides legal assistance on a non-interference basis to members of the ANG and their dependents as authorized by AFI 51-504, CNGBI, NGR, and other AF/JA guidance. As resources and expertise permit, legal assistance may also be provided to Active Component members, or other Reserve Component members, and retirees of any military service. In line with professional responsibility standards, legal assistance with respect to the following legal matters may be provided to eligible beneficiaries with the supervision of the SJA, or draft opinions/documents for the SJA to execute thereof: wills, powers of attorney, living wills and health care directives, notary services, dependent care plans, casualty affairs (death incident to the performance of military duty), employment problems arising from the performance of military duty and subject to the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) or a similar state statute, land-lord tenant problems specifically related to performance of military duty, tax problems specifically related to performance of military duty, matters arising from the performance of military duty and subject to the Service members Civil Relief Act (SCRA), or a similar state statute, providing Special Victim's Counsel (SVC) services, or area defense counsel services, when necessary. Provides deployment legal assistance to ensure personal legal readiness of military members; participates in deployment readiness exercises, mobility lines, and Yellow Ribbon events. Facilitates and coordinates OCI Investigations. Prepares preventative law articles and products for publication and distribution and delivers preventative law briefings. Maintains currency in applicable law and completes education and training requirements, as detailed in AFI 51-504, CNGBI, NGR, and other AF/JA guidance. (20%

3. Conducts legal research of federal and state/territory code, regulations, policies, procedures, case law, legal and administrative decisions and opinions, and summarizes findings to aid the SJA in case or project resolution. Research is performed on a variety of legal subjects including, but not limited to: federal and state/territory code, legislative proposals or intent, military justice and status issues for T10 and T32 members, claims, labor relations, equal opportunity, administrative actions, contractual agreements, ethics, environmental concerns, law enforcement, bankruptcy, taxation, legal assistance, and a wide variety of miscellaneous legal issues. Provides extensive litigation support to Wing Staff Judge Advocates for cases held before the FLRA, EEOC, and MSPB. Interviews clients and potential witnesses, collects and organizes pertinent factual and research material to build case files, and prepares and organizes exhibits. Composes, prepares, and ensures accuracy of various legal or legislative documents. Drafts and edits non-legal memoranda, research reports and correspondence relating to cases. Maintains case files and identifies and corrects file deficiencies and discrepancies. (20%)

4. Provides research, analysis, guidance, and support to administer courts-martial, non-judicial punishment, administrative boards and other legal actions and administrative processes. Reviews procedures, timing criteria and documents relative to the administration of justice under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and associated state/territory code. Performs research to identify factual and legal issues to uncover relevant information for summaries of precedent cases, interviews, testimony, depositions, and related case material for use by the attorneys. (20%)

Performs other duties as assigned.
The above duty description does not contain all details of the official position description. For more details, please contact the POC listed above.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED. If you are not sure you are eligible for military membership, please contact a National Guard recruiter prior to applying for this position.
  • This is an excepted service position that requires membership in a compatible military assignment in the employing state's National Guard, required prior to the effective date of placement.
  • Selectee will be required to wear the military uniform.
  • Acceptance of an excepted service position constitutes concurrence with these requirements as a condition of employment.
  • Males born after 31 December 1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
  • Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
  • Favorable background check is required.
  • Incumbent must possess or be able to acquire the appropriate level security clearance for this position.
  • Must have been awarded their 5-skill level, at a minimum.

Qualifications

Military Grades:
ENL: SSgt to MSgt

Compatible Military Assignments:
AFSC:
*All applications will be considered regardless of Branch AFSC*

If INDEF enter: *This is an indefinite position, tenure 3, with a time limit determined by the needs of the agency. Any permanent military technician who is selected for this position will become tenure 3. The selectee will receive the same benefits and entitlements as the tenure 1 employee, but will be considered tenure 3 for purposes of reduction in force. If a permanent resource becomes available, incumbent may be converted to a permanent appointment without competition*

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open only to current members of the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, MA.

NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED: This is an excepted service position that requires membership in a compatible military assignment in the National Guard. Selectee will be required to wear the military uniform. Acceptance of an excepted service position Constitutes concurrence with these requirements as a condition of employment. Applicants who are not currently a member of the National Guard must be eligible for immediate membership and employment in the National Guard in the military grade listed in this announcement. If you are not sure you are eligible for military membership, please contact a Massachusetts Air National Guard recruiter prior to applying for this position.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Must have at least 1-year specialized experience, education, or training equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the formal and informal rules of evidence and skill necessary to evaluate the adequacy and/or admissibility of evidence, to request additional data or further investigation, when needed, or to develop narrative or graphic exhibits to support specified legal arguments and coordinate actions with other federal agencies or state and local jurisdictions that have closely related responsibilities.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of months/years.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Additional information

If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency (https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx).

MILITARY INCENTIVES - BONUSES AND STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM: If you are selected for this position, you may lose your eligibility for your National Guard Enlistment/Reenlistment Bonus and Student Loan Repayment Program incentives. In order to avoid losing your incentive eligibility, you should check with your incentives manager prior to accepting an offer for the position.

For M-Day/Traditional personnel who are currently receiving incentives to include Bonuses and the Student Loan Repayment Program incentive, the following termination rule applies:

Incentive Termination without Recoupment:
If you accept an Active Guard Reserve (AGR) position or a Military Technician (Mil Tech) Permanent or Indefinite position after 25 February 2010 where membership in the National Guard is a condition of employment, your bonus will be terminated with no recoupment.

Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019
An employee of an agency may not request, in oral or written form, that an applicant for an appointment to a position in the civil service disclose criminal history record information regarding the applicant before the appointing authority extends a conditional offer to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to an agency within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged non-compliance by an employee of an agency. To file a complaint please click this link and scroll to the bottom of the page for more information.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Once the application process is complete, a review of resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Required Documents

Resume must be submitted with the following information:

  • Your name and contact information.
  • Work Experience section of your resume must include:
    • Name of the organization you worked at.
    • Job title you held at the organization.
    • Start and end dates for the position (dates must have month and year).
    • Bulleted statements regarding duties you performed in the position. Be clear and concise in stating your duties, we will not make any assumptions regarding your experience. Your bulleted statements should reflect that you have the required specialized experience described in this announcement.
    • If your position was in the civil service, include the grade and series for the position.
    • If applicable, include TRADITIONAL GUARDSMEN experience. Enter your AFSC, bulleted statements of duties, and start and end dates (dates must have month and year).
  • Education and certificates if applicable. Include name of school, degree, or certificate, start and end dates.
  • Part-Time, unpaid, volunteer work if applicable. Include duties and responsibilities and start and end dates (dates must have month and year).
  • IMPORTANT: Your resume cannot exceed 2 pages
Unofficial Transcripts, if used to qualify (An official transcript must be uploaded to USA Jobs.)

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 complete the online application/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12821489

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.

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/.

Agency contact information

STAFFING MA HRO
Address
MA ANG 104th FW
175 Falcon Drive
Westfield, MA 01085-1482
US

Next steps

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


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