US Department of the Interior Hiring for Government Information Specialist (FOIA) at Jefferson, LA Full Time

Duties

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Gulf of Mexico OCS Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director for Production, Regional Field Ops, and Data, FOIA and Records Office in Jefferson, LA.

At the full performance level (GS-11) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Serves as a contact to external FOIA requesters and internal DOI employees to clarify and resolve issues relating to specific FOIA requests or overall FOIA processes and procedures.
• Carefully conducts quality control reviews of all proposed withholdings before the agency response is issued to the FOIA requester to ensure that any releases and withholdings are legally justified.
• Interprets the scope of FOIA requests, identifies the types of records being sought by the requester, and ensures that reasonable, properly documented searches are conducted for responsive records.
• Works with and assists the Department’s FOIA Appeals Officer and the Solicitor’s Office (SOL) to provide the justification for denials to the appropriate attorney.
• Assists SOL or other government attorneys in the preparation of the Department’s defense in litigation by reviewing documents for release.

BSEE has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Salary Information

GS-09: $59,966 – $77,955 per annum

GS-11: $72,553 – $94,317 per annum

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

This vacancy is also announced as BSEE-EENN-24-CM-284(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
• You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
• You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
• Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

To qualify for this position you must meet the A. Specialized Experience, B. Education, or C. Combination of Education and Experience for the grade to which you are applying.

GS-9

• Specialized Experience:

To Qualify For The GS-09, You Must Possess At Least One Full Year Of Specialized Experience Equivalent To At Least The GS-07 Grade Level In The Federal Service, Or Comparable Experience Not Gained Through Federal Service. Specialized Experience Is Experience That Equipped The Applicant With The Particular Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities To Perform Successfully The Duties Of The Position, And That Is Typically In Or Related To The Work Of The Position To Be Filled. Specialized Experience Is Defined As Demonstrated Experience:

• assisting in responding to inquiries and requests for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) information;
• logging, tracking and managing incoming requests and preparing reports as needed for FOIA/PA information; AND
• communicating, coordinating and collaborating with the FOIA/PA requester community regarding the status/processing of the requests. MUST MEET ALL.
• OR-
• Education: Successful completion of a master’s degree, or two full years (36 semester hours or equivalent) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or possess a LL.B. or J.D., in a related field that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the work.
• OR-
• Combination of Education and Experience: A qualifying combination of post baccalaureate education and specialized experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

GS-11

• Specialized Experience:

To Qualify For The GS-11, You Must Possess At Least One Full Year Of Specialized Experience Equivalent To At Least The GS-09 Grade Level In The Federal Service, Or Comparable Experience Not Gained Through Federal Service. Specialized Experience Is Experience That Equipped The Applicant With The Particular Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities To Perform Successfully The Duties Of The Position, And That Is Typically In Or Related To The Work Of The Position To Be Filled. Specialized Experience Is Defined As Demonstrated Experience:

• responding to inquiries and requests for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) information;
• tracking and managing incoming requests and preparing reports as needed for FOIA/PA information;
• presenting findings and recommendations to management on responding to FOIA/PA requests; AND
• providing support in conducting analysis of FOIA/PA requested information concerning the impact on organizational operations. MUST MEET ALL.
• OR-
• Education: Successful completion of aPh.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., in a related field that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the work.
• OR-
• Combination of Education and Experience: A qualifying combination of education in excess of the first two years of progressively higher-level graduate education earned toward a Ph.D. or the equivalent doctorate and specialized experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

NOTE: If qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to submit a copy of your official or unofficial transcripts.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM’s website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

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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.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are “Platinum”, “Gold”, and “Silver”. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the “Platinum” category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans’ preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

• Information Management – Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems.
• Oral Communication – Expresses ideas and facts to individuals or groups effectively; makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others; facilitates an open exchange of ideas.
• Problem Solving – Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgements.
• Written Communication – Expresses facts and ideas in writing in a succinct and organized manner.

If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12544679