Legal Administrative Specialist (Probate)

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Superintendent - Rosebud Agency in Mission, South Dakota. This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see What are bargaining units? NOTE: TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. ANY RELOCATION EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REPORTING FOR DUTY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED EMPLOYEE.

Duties

• Provides legal assistance to, consults and interprets decisions with attorney advisors in the Bureau and administrative law judges in the Office of Hearing and Appeals.

• Interprets decisions of the administrative law judges and attorney advisors.

• Evaluates factual documents and other information to determine the level of legal complexity in probate cases.

• Provides guidance in estate planning in accordance with federal, states, and tribal inheritance codes to Indians who own trust or restricted lands and resources.

• Examines legal documents for the purpose of ascertaining ownership status of lands and resources held in trust or restricted status and to ensure the accuracy of legal descriptions.

• Assembles inventories, account ledgers and all legal documents, including heirship data, wills, and codicils into a probate case package.

• Researches land titles and prepares an inventory of real property in Indian estates; collects information regarding trust and restricted funds in Indian estate accounts.

• Prepares reports that set forth the principal and interest amounts of trust and restricted funds.

• Drafts and supervises the execution of wills, codicils, revocations of wills and other property disposition documents in accordance with the intent of Indian clients in compliance with federal statutes and regulations, and tribal and state laws.

• Performs legal research to assist the decision makers in resolving problems arising under federal, tribal, and state case law applicable to the testamentary disposition of property, title status, and genealogy and probate matters.

• At the close of probate proceedings, takes all actions necessary to effect new land and resources ownership data and payment of any trust and restricted funds in the estate account.

Salary

• $39,576 - $77,955/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Form BIA -4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference.
• You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit
• You may be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
• A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• If you are a male applicant 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.
• If you are required to operate a motor vehicle in order to properly carry out assigned duties, the 25 IAM 4 Motor Vehicle Safety Program Policy applies. A Link is provided in the Additional Information Section.

Qualifications EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Administrative and Management Positions, GS-0901).

GS-9: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service that includes work, but not limited to, review, interpretation and understanding legal/financial documents and their effect on land and/or individuals; detected errors and omissions in documents and initiated corrective action; review and determine purpose and effect of documents; posted or updated exiting abstracts, ledgers, databases or other systems with pertinent document information; applied document data to the database systems. These examples are not all inclusive (refer to thesummary of duties for specialized experience).
OR
EDUCATION: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree (36 semester hours, 54 quarter hours or equivalent); or LL.B. or J.D., if related to this position.

GS-7: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service that included work, but not limited to, processing legal documents for review; use of automated systems for the purpose of data entry and record keeping; use of other systems used for purposes of accurately identifying individuals and their relationship to others; maintain communication with officials, staff, federal, state, and tribal government officials; ensuring the correct distribution of trust assets through legal research, interviews, and consultation to individuals and tribal government officials. Determines heirs of trust or restricted lands and resources; and verifies the accuracy and completeness of probate casefiles. These examples are not all inclusive (refer to the summary of duties for specialized experience)
OR
EDUCATION: One (1) full year of graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or equivalent); OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA).

GS-5: 3 years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to the GS-4 grade level OR 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree.

GENERAL EXPERIENCE: Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4, that demonstrates the ability to 1) analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; 2) plan and organize work; and 3) communicate effectively orally and in writing.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. S.A.A. is based on (1) Class standing-applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class, based on completed courses; or (2) Grade-Point Average-applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (3) Election to membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society - membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

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

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date.

Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472).

Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date. Education If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION Other Information

All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2024 Salary Tables here and select the duty station from the Mission, South Dakota to choose the appropriate pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart.

The full performance level of this position is GS-9 . 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. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed.

TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

You will be required to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle in the performance of duties, therefore, a valid driver's license is required. Incumbent must have a safe driving record within the three-year period immediately preceding submittal of GSA Form 3607 and be able to meet the safe driving requirements of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

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 with a score of 85 or above; 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 .

Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals, Peace Corps employees, Foreign Service employees, veterans, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.

Required Documents

The following documents are required for this position:

• Resume which details work experience including dates worked (mm/yy-mm/yy); position title; position series and grade (if federal service); work schedule; hours worked per week; relevant duties performed; supervisor with contact information, and 3 professional references and contact information (Do not include current/former supervisors), etc. Important! If your resume does not show complete information for each job entry, your application will be considered incomplete. Specifically:
  • Beginning and ending dates (mm/yy) of employment,
  • Work schedule (Full-time or Part-time), and
  • Hours worked per week.
  • For more information see What should I include in my federal resume
• On-line Assessment Questionnaire
• Transcripts (if using education to qualify) - Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, an official transcript may be requested at a later time.
• Veteran's documentation - (if applicable) VA letter on VA letterhead stating your overall combined rating, SF-15, DD-214 (copy 4) reflecting an honorable discharge and dates of active duty military service.
• Special Appointing Authority documentation (if applying under a special hiring authority)
• BIA Form 4432 (if claiming Indian preference)
• Performance Appraisal (if applying under the Land Management Flexibility Act)
• Current & Former Federal Employees
  • If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee OR a former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility, you must submit the following by the closing date of this announcement, or you will not receive consideration as such:
    -- a copy of a recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting proof of competitive status, tenure, position title, occupational series, grade level and step; and
    -- your most recent performance appraisal (if you do not have your most recent performance appraisal, please submit an explanation as to why it is unavailable); and
    -- if applicable, a list of any awards you received in the last 5 years (i.e., superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.).

If you are applying as a VEOA candidate, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 and your letter from the VA reflecting an honorable discharge and that you either completed three years of active duty service or are a preference eligible. For more information see: https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/index.aspx#veoa.

If you are unable to apply online, require reasonable accommodation in the application process if you are an applicant with a disability, or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59 PM Eastern Time ON THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. If your application package is incomplete in any way, you will not be considered for this position, and requests for extensions will not be granted. Please double check your application package before you submit it.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLICITED OR ACCEPTED BY THIS OFFICE.

How to Apply

ONLINE APPLICATION SUBMISSION:

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

- 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 résumé 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/ .

PLEASE NOTE - NO APPLICATION MATERIAL WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA E-MAIL.

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.

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