This position is located at the 162nd in Tucson, Arizona. The primary purpose of this position is for Paralegal support within the state/territory Staff Judge Advocate's Office providing ancillary legal research and analysis. Manages the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Preventative Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs in the state/territory. Serves as a point of contact for claims, ethics determinations, legal assistance for Army and Air National Guard personnel and their families, and provides technical legal guidance and support to National Guard unit commanders and their assigned legal personnel.

Conditions of employment

• Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
• Participation in the Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer Program.
• May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
• Males born after 31 December 1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Incumbent must possess and maintain a current state driver’s license.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance.
• The work may require the incumbent to drive a motor vehicle; if so, and an appropriate valid driver’s license is mandatory
• Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day.
• This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration. (cont.)
• Head of Agency requests to exceed 14 days in a calendar year must be approved in advance by the National Guard, Director of Manpower and Personnel (NGB-J1)

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

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

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

1. Knowledge of the various titles of Federal law and state/territory codes governing and significant current national and local developments impacting National Guard programs and missions.

2. Knowledge of legal reference sources including statutes, codes, subject specific directives, regulations, manuals and other issuances (i.e., types of orders and there sources); court and administrative appellate decisions and nuances sufficient to ascertain legislative history and intent, precedent cases, decisions and opinions relevant to current case work.

3. Knowledge of document control and security measures to insure no untimely or inappropriate release of investigative information occur jeopardizing pending prosecution and/or defense actions or the physical wellbeing of participants, their counsel, witnesses, etc.

4. Knowledge of legal documents and criminal, civil or military justice procedures sufficient to ensure timely and accurate initiation of, or response to legal documents and submissions and routing.

5. Knowledge of, and skill to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in order to provide assistance to customers in the preparation of legal documents, or to assist attorneys by providing written summaries of analyses to support specific legal issues.

To apply for this position, you MUST SUBMIT a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your resume must provide the following information for proper evaluation:

• Name
• Phone Number
• Work experience related to the job for which you are applying; details to include, job title (if federal, include pay plan, series and grade), work schedule, hours worked per week, dates (including Month and Year, e.g., 02/2017, Feb 2017, etc.) of employment, employer's name, supervisor's name and contact number, and duties performed. NOTE: Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, i.e. the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed below. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position. If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified.

2. Other supporting documents if required and/or applicable: DD-214, SF-15, Transcripts, etc.

3. If you are claiming Veteran's Preference please see the list below for your claims and the required documentation to support your claim. If you are unsure if you can claim Veterans Preference click the link to see if you may be eligible: https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/vets/vetpref/choice.htm. Visit the OPM Vet Guide for information on the different categories of Veterans Preference at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide-for-hr-professionals/#4. You must also provide the applicable supporting documentation of your disability (e.g. disability letter from the VA) as described on Standard Form-15 (SF-15). http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf. Applicant must provide the SF-15 and appropriate supporting documentation if claiming 10-point Veterans Preference. Otherwise, Veterans Preference claim will not be adjudicated.

Veteran' Preference Codes:
TP - Tentative preference - 5 points (Required document DD 214 and DD 215 (as applicable))
CP - Compensable disability preference - 10 points (10%-29% disability) (Required documents DD 214 and DD 215 and disability letter from the VA (as applicable))
CPS - 30 Percent Compensable disability preference - 10 points (30% or more disability (Required documents DD 214 and DD 215 and disability letter from the VA (as applicable))
XP - disability preference 10 points (has service-connected disability or received Purple Heart, but does not qualify for CP or CPS.) (Required document DD 214 and DD 215 (as applicable))
XP - 10 Points-Derived preference for deceased relatives (spouse, widowers, parents of deceased veterans)

Next steps