TITLE 32 PARALEGAL SPECIALIST (MI JAG)

THIS IS AN ARMY NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 32 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION. This National Guard position is for a TITLE 32 PARALEGAL SPECIALIST (MI JAG), Position Description Number NGD1241000 and is part of the MI JFHQ Army, Michigan Army National Guard. MICHIGAN ARMY NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED. If you are not sure you are eligible for military membership, please contact a Michigan Army National Guard recruiter prior to applying for this position.

Duties

***THIS IS A TITLE 32 NATIONAL GUARD POSITION THAT REQUIRES MILITARY MEMBERSHIP***

This position is located in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA), of the Joint Force Headquarters (State). 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.

Provides ancillary legal work to state/territory SJA and other assigned Army National Guard
(ARNG) and Air National Guard (ANG) attorneys servicing the state/territory National Guard's case load. Conducts legal research of Federal and state/territory code, regulations, policies, procedures, case law, legal and administrative decisions and opinions, etc., and summarizes findings to aide staff attorneys in case or project resolution.

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.

Manages the Preventative Law Program. Facilitates legal training for unit readiness non­commissioned officers (NCOs) and Directorate of Manpower and Personnel (Jl) personnel, or others by request, on a variety of topics including but not limited to: the military justice system (both Federal and state/territory), inquiries and investigations, unlawful command influence, adverse administrative actions, administrative separations, the Lautenberg Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968, urinalysis testing and other issues affecting traditional guard members and NG full­time employees.

Manages the SJA portion of the state/territory Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program. Advises senior leaders and organizational managers on the suitability of various disputes for resolution through the use of ADR methodologies by promoting program awareness, as well as planning for and providing timely advice or support needed to employ ADR program interventions.

Serves as the primary point of contact for claims. Accepts complaint, summons, documents, or inquiries; identifies the type or purpose; screens for completeness; and identifies the action to be performed.

Serves as the primary point of contact for ethical determinations. Screens requests for ethics opinions and gathers the applicable facts. Analyzes the specifics of each situation.

Reviews changes in regulations on the Freedom of Information Act and updates and advises other legal personnel and field staff of changes. Consults and assists in formulation of NGB regulations regarding the release of information.


The above duty description doesn't contain all details of the official position description.

Salary

• $82,372 - $107,090/year

Conditions of Employment

• MICHIGAN ARMY NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED. If you are not sure you are eligible for military membership, please contact a Michigan Army 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 Michigan Army 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.
• Applicants who are not currently a member of the Michigan Army National Guard must be eligible for immediate membership and employment in the Michigan Army National Guard in the military grade listed in this announcement.
• 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 trial period
• Participation in direct deposit is mandatory
• Must have a valid civilian driver's license.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position.
• position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
• Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
• 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
• duties and responsibilities of your job may significantly impact the environment. Responsible to maintain awareness of your environmental responsibilities as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements, your organization, and its changing mission.

Qualifications

Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the dates of each period of employment (from MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY) and the number of hours worked per week. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.
For additional information see: What to include in your resume.

NOTE: All job seekers will be required to limit their resumes to 2 pages in length when applying for job opportunity announcements (JOAs)

MILITARY GRADE: E5-E8
Selectee(s) must be within the military grade(s) listed in this job announcement prior to the effective date of placement into the technician position to ensure to avoid grade inversion, as determined by the Human Resources Office (HRO). Technicians will not be militarily senior to their full-time supervisor or wage leader (Grade Inversion). Enlisted members currently at a higher grade than allowed by the position (see Military Grade Requirement above) may apply; however, they must administratively reduce prior to appointment and provide confirmation of the reduction to HRO.

GENERAL EXPERIENCE:
Experience, education or training that demonstrates the ability to analyze the legal impact of legislative developments and administrate and judicial decisions, opinions, rulings and determinations on agency programs; conduct research for the preparation of legal opinions on matters of interest to the agency. Practical knowledge and use of basic legal principles and concepts to interpret and apply or explain to others the application of a body of law, regulations, precedents, and practices covering one or more recurring types of legal actions encountered in an agency.

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.


QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE: Length of time is not of itself qualifying. Candidates' experience should be evaluated on the basis of duties performed rather than strictly on the rank of the individual; however, established compatibility criteria/assignments must be followed. The applicant's record of experience, training, and education must show possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to fully perform the duties of the position to be filled.

Education You must meet the following Education requirement to qualify for education in lieu of specialized experience for this position: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related You must provide transcripts or other documentation to support your Educational claims. To receive credit for Education, you must provide documentation of proof that you meet the Education requirements for this position. Other Information SELECTIVE SERVICE: 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 MEMBERS WITH BONUSES: Upon acceptance of a military technician position military members who are currently receiving a military Reenlistment/Extension Bonus (REB) or GI Bill-SR Kicker may lose incentive eligibility and may be subject to termination or suspension of incentive (includes indefinite and temporary technicians on assignment for more than 180 days in any continuous 12-month period). Are advised to meet with education specialist to review contract. NOTE: If the individual selected is currently on a Title 10 or Title 32 tour no action can be taken until he/she is released from tour. THIS IS A TERM APPOINTMENT NOT TO EXCEED 4 YEARS, MAY CONVERT TO PERMANENT WITHOUT COMPETITION IF THE RESOURCE BECOMES AVAILABLE. Required Documents

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

1. Your resume showing:

• Contact Information-your name and the best way to contact you (DO NOT INCLUDE PII OR PHOTOGRAPH)
• For each relevant work experience, you MUST include:
  • Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
  • Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 - 08/2022)
  • The number of hours you worked per week
• Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement. When relevant or required for the position, include your possession of education/ certification/license and provide any required documentation such as transcripts, and/or details (type and date) of certifications and/or licenses.
• If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.

For additional information see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents: Standard Form 50(SF-50), Licenses, Certificates, DD-214

• SF-50: If you are currently an onboard MING Federal Technician/Employee, then you MUST submit your most recent SF-50 at time of your application submission. If you are currently or have previously been employed by another Federal Agency or previously worked for our agency, please submit a copy of the last Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50).This is NOT a requirement for those that have never been employed by a Federal Agency or those currently employed by our agency.

3. Transcripts: Only a requirement if education is required OR you substitute education for specialized experience. Unofficial copies may be submitted for application purposes. To receive education credit transcripts MUST be submitted at time of application submission.

4. Current Military Branch Career Data Brief:
Air- Career Data Brief: can be obtained through vMPF using the following steps: Navigate to https://vmpf.us.af.mil/vMPFNet40/Hub.aspx> Login> Career Data Brief (CDB)> View CDB> Print to Microsoft PDF> Save as a PDF.

Army- Soldier Talent Profile: can be obtained through IPPS-A using the following steps: Navigate to https://ipps-a.army.mil Login> PKI Login> (login with CAC)> OK> My Soldier Talent Profile> Print. From here, you save the document as a PDF.

If you are not currently serving in a Military compacity (any Branch or Service), please provide a letter of intent to join the Michigan Army National Guard.

PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resumes, supporting documents, official transcripts (copies) if needed, licenses, SF 50 etc.) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully prior to the announcement closing. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Human Resources WILL NOT modify, change or add anything to your application packet after the closing date. Incomplete packets will not be considered for the position.

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/13003283

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/.