Equal Employment Specialist

About the role

You will serve as a Equal Employment Specialist with Office of the Secretary of Interior. This position may be filled in Washington D.C or current employee duty station. Location negotiable after selection clarification: This is not a remote position, selectee will remain in their current duty station.

What you will do

• This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary (OS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget (ASPMB), Office of Civil Rights.
• At the full performance level (GS-14) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Independently manage complex EEO complaints throughout the complaint lifecycle, from intake and informal counseling through resolution, including preparing legally sufficient acceptance and dismissal decisions, and ensuring accurate and timely case management in the DOI tracking system.
• Independently assess Reports of Investigation (ROIs) for legal sufficiency, conduct comprehensive legal research and analysis, and prepare legally sound Final Agency Decisions (FADs), appellate briefs, procedural dismissals, compensatory damages decisions, and settlement breach determinations involving complex EEO matters.
• Serve as a senior EEO subject matter expert, providing authoritative guidance to DOI leadership, supervisors, and employees on complex EEO laws, regulations, judicial decisions, and emerging issues, and developing strategies to prevent and address workplace discrimination.
• Provide Department-wide oversight of the implementation and compliance of EEO settlement agreements, Final Agency Decisions, EEOC Administrative Judge orders, and Office of Federal Sector rulings, independently monitoring corrective actions, resolving compliance issues, and ensuring timely and complete execution of required remedies.
• Design, develop, and deliver comprehensive EEO training for DOI managers, employees, and OCR practitioners on the EEO complaint process, sexual harassment, reasonable accommodation, accessibility, and applicable anti-discrimination laws, ensuring consistent understanding and compliance with Department-wide requirements.
• Analyze EEO complaint trends and program data to identify systemic issues and opportunities for improvement; lead cross-functional special project teams to enhance program efficiency and effectiveness; and develop comprehensive management documents, briefing materials, and mandatory compliance reports for OCR Leadership, DOI leadership and the EEOC.
• The Office of the Secretary has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and may be allowed with supervisory approval.
• Salary Information Washington D.C.: GS-14 (Step 1) $143,913 - (Step 10) $187,093 per annum.
• OR Salary will vary based on current duty station: Link to OPM Pay Tables: ***
• This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• To learn more, visit ***
• You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• Probationary/Trial Period As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period - OR - 2-year trial period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.
• This probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized.
• In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.
• Upon completion of your probationary period -OR-trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

How you will be evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages.

Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Critical Thinking Data Interpretation Planning and Evaluating Strategic Thinking To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a accomplishment record review.These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered.

Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

DUE WEIGHT Due Weight Consideration is a review process used to provide consideration to performance appraisals and awards submitted with each application on a used merit promotion certificate and factoring the results into the merit promotion selection process.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official.

The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available.

Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level It is your responsibility to obtain and upload your performance appraisal/evaluation and/or list of awards prior to the closing of the vacancy announcement.

Documents you must provide

• Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month-year format (include month/day/year format if needed for 52 weeks of experience), and indicate hours worked per week (or full-time).
• Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank.
• Resumes must not exceed 2 single-sided pages and resumes longer than 2 pages will not be accepted.
• The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text.
• All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression.
• Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed.
• Your 2-page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements.
• Resume Builder: *** Complete All Required Assessment(s).
• Performance Appraisals and Awards: You must submit your most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor dated within the past 18 months.
• If unavailable, a written explanation is required (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
• Performance awards dated within the past 5 years may also be submitted for due weight consideration.
• Eligibility Documentation: Current and former Federal employees must submit latest SF-50 (i.e. Promotion, Separation, Within Grade Increase (WGI)) showing tenure 1 or 2 in block 24, grade, and if applicable, an additional SF-50 showing the highest grade or promotion potential held.
• Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50s.
• If your SF-50 showing highest permanent grade held has an effective date within the past year, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one year.
• Do not submit award SF-50s.
• Veterans Preference Documentation: Veterans eligible under VRA (GS-11 & below only), VEOA, 30% or more Disabled, or Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program must submit the most recent Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions (e.g. DD-214) as listed on the SF15.
• If you are a Parent or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all documentation as listed on the SF15.
• You may request a copy of the VA letter from ***
• If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active-duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
• Special Appointing Authorities: If you are applying under a special appointing authority (i.e. Schedule A), you must submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.
• If you fail to submit proof, you will not receive consideration.
• If you're eligible for an authority not listed, you are responsible for submitting documentation that's appropriate for that specific authority.
• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): You MUST submit proof of eligibility including 1) copy of the agency notice, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc.; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal.
• To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be well qualified.
• For more information visit: USAJOBS Help Center - Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).
• Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
• Do not submit photographs with your application package.
• Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.

What to expect next

Please refer to your USAJOBS account for application status; the Human Resources Office cannot respond to individual status inquiries. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position.

After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application. You can find your path with the Department of Interior at *** Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.

We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background checks, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement.

Additional information

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.