Contact Representative

As a Contact Representative, you will be part of Retirement Services. The incumbent will be responsible for providing information and assistance to meet the needs of retirees, their survivors and representatives, and others with interests in benefit programs administered by OPM. This is an Open Continuous announcement. You must reapply every 90 days to remain eligible for consideration. See additional information section for referral guidance. This position is NOT eligible for remote work.

Duties

• Receive incoming calls from annuitants and survivors regarding their retirement and various other benefits (Agent handling volume is 65-85 calls per day.)

• Answer customer inquiries primarily received by telephone making adjustments and resolving questions using available resources.

• Provide customers with forms available through the on-line documents system.

Salary

• $40,918 - $53,190/year

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration)
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required
• This position is eligible for inclusion in the bargaining unit. The union that represents employees in this position is the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2450.
• This position is not eligible for remote work. You will be required to report to East Butler, Pennsylvania on a regular reoccurring schedule.

Qualifications For the GS 5: You must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) which includes all of the following: 1) explaining or answering questions about programs or products; AND 2) assisting customers in completing forms or applications; AND 3) reviewing forms and/or claims for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations.
OR
Have successfully completed four years of education above the high school level obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university.(You must submit a copy of your transcripts)
OR
Have a combination of the education and experience to qualify at this level. To calculate your percentage of education, divide your semester hours of education beyond two years (total semester hours minus 60) by 60. To calculate your percentage of experience, divide the total months of full-time experience by 12. If your experience was part-time, convert to full-time by dividing the number of hours worked per week by 40 then multiply by number of months worked. Add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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

Note: A full year of experience is considered to be 40 hours of work per week. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate their duties and responsibilities for each position and annotate the number of hours a week spent in each position. This may be reflected on the resume as either hours work or fulltime. Education There are no educational requirements for this position. Other Information

THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. Applicants will be referred periodically throughout the announcement period, at any time a vacancy becomes available. The initial cut-off date for referral consideration is September 12, 2024and thereafter, as vacancies occur.

Period of Eligibility: Your application will remain active for 3 months from the date it is received. After 3 months, to receive further consideration, you must submit a new application package.

Initial consideration will be given to candidates whose applications have been received before the first cut-off date. Qualification requirements must be met for those applications submitted by the first cut-off date. ONCE ALL POSITIONS ARE FILLED, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE CLOSED WITH NO FURTHER NOTICE.

Incentive payments will not be considered.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across OPM.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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 Reasonable Accommodation, 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

Required Documents

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

1. Your Resume showing the applicant's name, email address, work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed to include pay plan, series, and grade level for relevant federal experience. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. If each one of the requirements are not submitted completely for each job entry, your application may result in a loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.

• Do not include the following types of information in your resume:
  • Classified or government sensitive information
  • Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Photos of yourself
  • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
  • Encrypted and digitally signed documents

1. Other supporting documents:
   • Cover Letter, optional
   • College Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education
   • 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.
   • Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.) If you are a veteran and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility.
     If you are a veteran and you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference click here.
   • Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
   • Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
   • Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
   • Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and the required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST)on 12/31/2024 to receive consideration.

The application process is as follows:

1. Click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the "Submit Application" button prior to 11:59pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however most applicants complete the assessment in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
8. Your responses to the USA Hire assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically used.

For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the use of USA Hire assessments, review the following resources:

https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application and click Edit My Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/ . Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

You may preview the assessment questionnaire by clicking here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12520305

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. Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits