This vacancy is also being announced concurrently with Ann# ENRD-26-034-MP for employees with Federal status or eligibility and applicants eligible for special appointment authorities. Please review that announcement to determine if you are eligible to apply. Applicants must apply separately for each announcement.

The Environmental Defense Section offers one of the most varied dockets within the Division, routinely handling cases in the federal courts of appeals and district courts. EDS defends petitions for review brought in the courts of appeals pursuant to special statutory judicial review provisions of the environmental statutes, as well as claims for judicial review brought in district courts pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act. The substance of these cases ranges, for example, from high-profile, multi-party challenges to national EPA rules (such as major Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act rules) to more targeted challenges to site-specific agency decisions. EDS also handles complex claims of liability against federal agencies under pollution control laws, such as for costs of response actions at Superfund sites, federally owned facilities, and private sites. The Section also brings affirmative civil enforcement actions in district courts for unpermitted discharges of dredged and fill material to waters of the United States under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

As a Paralegal Specialist, typical work assignments may include the following:

• Conducting research in various databases including Westlaw, PACER and Lexis; performing cite checks pursuant to The Bluebook, compiling legislative histories; researching and verifying credentials of witnesses; proofreading and editing legal briefs and memoranda prior to filing in court; and ensuring conformance of documents to applicable court rules.
• Organizing and writing synopses of factual materials; summarizing depositions; preparing, organizing, and indexing administrative records; and preparing non-legal memoranda.
• Creating and maintaining litigation databases.
• Providing specialized litigation support services and coordinating trial logistics at off-site facilities, including with U.S. Attorneys' Offices and other government agencies; and traveling to various locations throughout the United States to assist with legal and technical assignments at trial.
• Performing case docketing; maintaining filing deadline calendar and coordinating with attorneys on each court filing; and preparing and assisting with filing all court documents.
• Collecting, analyzing, and recording case data in the Division's Case Management System.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen or national
• Must complete a Background Investigation to include pre-employment drug testing
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable
• Must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by closing date
• If this is your first appointment in the Federal service, your salary will be set at Step 1 of the grade selected.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at GS-7, you must have one of the following:

A. At least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-5 Federal grade level providing litigation support in a legal environment. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, using litigation software to identify documents potentially relevant to litigation cases or maintaining legal databases used to track the production and receipt of documents, or

B. A bachelor's degree and Superior Academic Achievement (See below), or

C. One full year of graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work, or

D. A combination of education and specialized experience, that together meet 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Superior Academic Achievement: This provision applies to persons who have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university as evidenced by one of three methods described below (within a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled):

1. Class standing -- Applicants 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.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: a) 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 b) 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 2 years of the curriculum. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.
3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies.

To qualify for this position at GS-9, you must have one of the following:

A. At least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-7 Federal grade level or above utilizing automated legal databases to verify legal citations and statutory references; analyzing and organizing factual, legal, and archival records; providing assistance to attorneys in preparation for hearings and/or trials; and creating and maintaining litigation databases for management of case materials; or

B. A master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or LL.B or J.D. Such education demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a Paralegal Specialist; or

C. A combination of graduate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation).

To qualify for GS-11, you must have one of the following:

A. One year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-9 Federal grade level or above preparing summaries of depositions and other documents; performing factual, legal, and archival research; compiling and researching a variety of sources to verify, support, or dispute case information; and resolving problems in line with established policies, precedents, directives, and practices; or

B. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or

C. Three (3) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.M., if related; or

D. A combination of education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. (Only graduate education in excess of the second year may be used in this calculation).

Qualifying education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

Applicants are required to submit a writing sample. Please provide a 1-5 page double spaced sample for which you are the primary author. This can include papers, or portions of papers, submitted for classes or writing assignments done for a previous employer.

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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12969646

The possible salary range for Washington DC:

• GS-07 ($57,736 - $75,059)
• GS-09 ($70,623 - $91,815)
• GS-11 ($85,447 - $111,087)

The possible salary range for Denver, CO:

• GS-07 ($56,262 - $73,142)
• GS-09 ($68,819 - $89,470)
• GS-11 ($83,265 - $108,251)

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated and rated under our Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your qualifications will be reviewed based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire. When addressing the education and/or specialized experience qualification statement, you must present evidence of that education and/or experience in your resume. If the specialized experience statement is merely repeated in your resume, you may be deemed ineligible.

If you meet the minimum qualifications, your application will then be compared to your responses to the online assessment questionnaire(s) that measure important competencies required to perform the job. If you self-rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Legal Jurisprudence
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Decision Making
• Reading
• Reasoning

Based on your assessment responses, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within each category, Veteran Preference eligibles will be listed at the top of that category and will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Applicants in the Best Qualified category are referred to the hiring official for employment consideration.

*Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

You must submit a detailed resume containing the following information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

• Official position title;
• Employer name and contact information;
• Start and end dates (month and year);
• A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
• Your highest salary (or Federal grade/step) achieved; and
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time.

Additional required documents must be submitted by the closing date of the job announcement. Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list below to determine which documents are required for your application.

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your resume (not to exceed two pages)
2. Cover letter (optional)
3. A writing sample, up to 5 pages double-spaced
4. An unofficial transcript if you are using education to qualify. (If you are selected for a position, you must provide an official, sealed transcript before your hiring date can be established to include the date your degree was conferred.)
5. Documentation to support your claim for veteran preference, if applicable
6. CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable

If you are using education to qualify for this position, or if education is required:

1. You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
2. Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
3. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
4. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.

If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit:

1. A copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service, OR
2. A certification letter from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. This letter must contain (a) military service dates including the expected discharge or release date and (b) character of service.

If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference as a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, in addition to the documents specified above, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15. For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.

If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP:

1. Submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency.
2. If you have not yet been separated, provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of a RIF.
3. Also submit your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential and duty location.
4. Additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility can be found at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp

If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.

Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume:

• Classified or government sensitive information
• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Photos of yourself
• Personal information, such as age, religious affiliation, etc.
• Encrypted and digitally signed documents

If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate content, you may not be considered for this vacancy.

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