Appeals Officer

This position is located in the Administrative Appeals Office, Knowledge Management & Development Division. As an Appeals Officer, you will serve as leading subject matter experts in complex adjudications, apply knowledge to train, and guide quality assurance initiatives. Collaborate with teams to assess the organizational impact of training for AAO officers & supervisors. Develop, implement & analyze quality assurance reviews of legal & consistent decisions.

Duties

• Adjudicates complicated, sensitive, or high-profile cases, stays abreast of emergent issues in AAO caseloads.

• Analyzes key issues in AAO caseloads to inform AAO supervisory and managerial decisions, and for use in training, policy, and procedural development.

• Leads the development, implementation, and assessment of reviews assessing the legal sufficiency and quality of AAO adjudications.

• Briefs AAO managers on results of quality assurance reviews and proposed action plans.

• Instructs, develops and analyzes all levels of training evaluation from knowledge acquisition to organizational effectiveness.

• Leads knowledge management programs by compiling resources, eliminating redundancies, ensuring timely updates and maintaining consistency and visibility of training, procedural, and policy guidance materials.

Salary

• $139,395 - $181,216/year

Qualifications The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 01/23/2025. Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. The Time-in-Grade requirement must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 01/23/2025. GS-14: You qualify at the GS-14 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the following duties: Expertise in U.S. immigration law and policy and other areas of law and policy relevant to USCIS and AAO adjudications, such as criminal, business, or family law; Experience evaluating the legal sufficiency, consistency, or efficiency of immigration adjudications; Experience developing, delivering, or evaluating adjudications training programs; Experience with software and systems that support knowledge management, training, or quality assurance; Worked collaboratively with diverse individuals at all levels of an organization; Professional verbal and written communications. Please read the following important information to ensure you submit everything we need to consider your application: It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your responses and appropriate documentation prior to 01/23/2025. Your resume will be used to determine your qualifications for the position advertised in this announcement. Therefore, your resume must highlight your most relevant, significant experience related to the requirements found in the qualification section of this announcement, as well as any applicable education. USCIS will only review the first 5 pages of your resume to determine your initial eligibility/qualifications for a position. As such, please be sure to include content to support your eligibility/qualifications for this position within the first 5 pages. Please note that your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred. Be clear and specific when describing your work history since Human Resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Your application will be rated and ranked based on your responses to the online questions. Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information: Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job) Duties (be specific in describing your duties) Employer's name and address Supervisor name and phone number Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g. June 18 2007 to April 05 2008) Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you've held a federal position. Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Salary Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide the above information may result in a finding of ineligible. Note: Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Federal Experience: If you are using current or prior federal experience as a basis for qualifying for this position, the grade levels and length of employment (mm/dd/year) at each grade level must be listed in your work history. This information will be further validated if selected for this position. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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 criteria 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 service. Education EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION: There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Common definitions for hiring terms found in this announcement. Required Documents Resume: You must submit a resume that clearly demonstrates you have experience that meets the requirements of this position as outlined in the "Qualifications" section. USCIS' Human Resources Office will only review the first 5 pages of your resume to determine your eligibility/qualifications. To ensure that you include all necessary information within the first 5 pages of your resume, you are highly encouraged to save and submit your resume as a PDF instead of submitting it through Resume Builder or a word-processing program such as Word or Google Docs. Your responses to the job questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12645800, which are submitted through the on-line application process in USAJOBS, DO NOT need to be attached as an additional document to your application. Are you a veteran? You must provide acceptable documentation of your preference or appointment eligibility. The member 4 copy of your DD214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," is preferable. If claiming 10 point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF-15), "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference." If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. View more veterans' information. Are you a current or former Federal employee? Submit a copy of your official SF-50* (no text version) or other official "Notification of Personnel Action" document that shows the following information: your appointment in the competitive service tenure grade and step full performance level If your SF-50(s)* does not provide the information needed to make a final determination for qualification, you will be found ineligible for the position. SF-50B print screens from NFC are not official documents and are not acceptable. This includes USCIS employees as well. All current DHS employees can print their own SF-50's* by accessing the DHS eOPF website. If you have forgotten your user name or password, eOPF offers a self-service feature to assist you. If you are a current CIS employee and need access information to eOPF, contact USCIS.EOPF@uscis.dhs.gov. For all other agencies please see your servicing Human Resources Office. If your SF-50* is not yet available in eOPF please provide an email from HR or a letter including the information requested above and HR will tentatively accept that as documentation. You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and or incentive awards. If you are a Federal employee and have received a current performance rating, it is strongly encouraged that a copy accompanies your application submission. Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)? Submit: a copy of your agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50*, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location. Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50*, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent appointment: Position title Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee) Agency Beginning and ending dates of appointment * A General Adjustment, Detail, Any Award (Cash, Time Off, Performance, etc.) or Realignment SF-50 may NOT have the information needed. How to Apply Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/23/2025 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, click the Apply Online Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/23/2025. To update your application, excluding External Assessment responses, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account (https://secure.login.gov/). All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides the Announcement Status and a "You applied on" date. This information does not confirm the agency application status. Use the "Track this Application" link for additional information regarding the agency application status, the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Announcement Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Announcement Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. We strongly encourage you to apply online. If you cannot apply online, you must contact the Human Resource Office listed below at least one business day prior to 01/23/2025 for instructions. Applications will not be accepted by mail.