Paralegal Specialist

DOE offers you the chance to be part of the clean energy revolution and make a difference in the fight against the climate crisis. Join the DOE Clean Energy Corps!

Duties

Salary

• $99,200 - $153,354/year

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Subject to the appropriate background investigation to determine suitability or fitness for federal employment. Continued employment is contingent upon favorable adjudications of periodic reinvestigations, if applicable.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• These positions are to be filled under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act or Scientific, Technical, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) direct hire authority.
• This position is included in a Bargaining Agreement.
• A one year probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS GS-11:: You must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service. Experience is defined as:

• Gathering legal material for use by attorneys for opinions, briefs, motions, pleadings, and other legal documents.
• Assists with the review of documents to determine whether the requestor meets eligibility requirements and to ensure compliance with legal requirements and technical accuracy.
• Utilizes computerized systems to process and maintain documents such as invention disclosures, confirmatory licenses, assignments, and patent applications.

OR EDUCATION: 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.

OR COMBINATION: You may qualify on a combination of education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the specialized experience requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the educational requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of 36 semester hours (54 quarter hours), may be used to combine education and experience.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS GS-12:: You must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Experience is defined as:

• Performing legal research and gathering legal material for use by attorneys for opinions, briefs, motions, pleadings, and other legal documents.
• Reviewing documents to determine whether the requestor meets eligibility requirements and to ensure compliance with legal requirements and technical accuracy.
• Utilizes computerized systems to process and maintain documents such as invention disclosures, confirmatory licenses, assignments, and patent applications.

There is no substitution for education at the GS-12 grade level.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

OPM Qualification Standards for the GS-0950 series can be found at the following website: OPM Qualifications Standards - 0950 Series

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

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

Education If substituting education for specialized experience you must submit proof of your qualifying education. Failure to provide college transcripts may result in a rating of 'Ineligible'. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. Other Information

The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
• For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov
• Status and Non-Status applicants from outside DOE selected under these authorities are required to serve a mandatory one (1) year probationary period. A DOE career status employee selected for this position may be required to serve a new one (1) year probationary period, pursuant to 5 CFR 315.802.
• If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM ICTAP/CTAP website for more information. In order to be considered under the ICTAP program, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category as stated in the Qualifications section.
• This public notice is to gather applications that may or may not result in a referral or selection.
• There may or may not be actual/projected vacancies at the time of your application.
• More than one selection may be made under these hiring authorities.
• Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.
• Many positions require successful completion of a background investigation.
• Positions may be filled at varying levels of leadership, ie Team Lead, Manager, Supervisor.
• Supervisory positions may require a 1-year probationary period, if not yet completed.
• New employees to the Department of Energy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify
• Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the links at the bottom of this page or visit the FedsHireVets website.
• All males born after December 31st 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.
• EEO Policy: USAJOBS Help Center - Equal employment opportunity policy
• Reasonable Accommodation Policy: USAJOBS Help Center - Reasonable accommodation policy
• Veterans Information: USAJOBS Help Center - Veterans
• Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/
• The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by completing the Fair Chance Act Intake Form and submitting it to the Administrative Investigations Program at AdministrativeInvestigations@hq.doe.gov.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes:

• Your RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume.
• Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement. Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.
• Veterans' Preference documentation,if applicable, DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter. For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information.
• 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.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.

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 for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

The application process is as follows:

1. You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: USAJOBS Help Center - How to create a login.gov account
2. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button.
3. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation and submit your application.
4. Applications will not be accepted after 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.

You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; 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://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/

If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.

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.