Paralegal Specialist
What you'd do
The Senior Paralegal Specialist performs substantive legal duties in support of NNSA/NA-LA. Duties include: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act review/coordination; Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP) liaison; NA-LA liaison for external auditing groups such as OIG, GAO, or U.S. Department of Labor; NNSA ethics reviews/file management; LANL litigation coordination, invoice reviews, and use of the Litigation Management Tracking System (LMTS).
Major duties
As a Paralegal Specialist, you will: Perform legal analysis of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) requests under the provisions of applicable statutes and determines if documents or segregable portions can be released. Reviews proposed FOIA responses submitted by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) contractor for accuracy, coordinates final responses with the NNSA FOIA Officer/team, and performs related support. Serve as NA-LA's liaison for the DOE Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP). Coordinates and integrates EEOICP activities resulting from claims filed by current or former employees of LANL, follows up on DOE/NNSA or Department of Labor data requests as needed, and performs related support. Serve as NA-LA's liaison with external auditing groups and agencies such as the Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), and other entities as needed. Handles management referral process for NA-LA and coordinates with LANL. Receives requests for management to investigate or review anonymous hotline reports or written allegations of potential waste, fraud, or abuse by LANL employees, brings substantive issues to the attention of management, coordinates referrals to management or LANL as appropriate, consolidates and develops responses, and closes out actions. Provide oversight support for LANL contractor litigation, reviews litigation reports, tracks contractor outside attorney costs, conducts reviews of contractor legal invoices to assess accuracy/compliance, prepares correspondence for the contracting officer/counsel as needed, and coordinates with NNSA General Counsel and NA-LA staff attorneys on issues as appropriate. Compiles, maintains, and prepares litigation reports using the agency's Litigation Management Tracking System (LMTS). Supports other litigation related functions as needed. Support NNSA/NA-LA ethics program officials, identifies and provides appropriate DOE/NNSA ethics guidelines/federal regulations, assists ethics counselors in addressing staff questions, and serves as a local system administrator for the Department's Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 450) system. Helps NNSA attorneys prepare ethics documents (e.g., recusals, 5 C.F.R. 2635.502 authorizations, post-employment restrictions, etc.), conducts research as needed to support legal opinions on various matters of agency interest, and performs related duties as required.
What you need to qualify
NQ-2: To meet qualification requirements for the NQ-2 level (GS-9-11 equivalent), a qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA Demonstration Project pay band or GS grade level in the Federal service, i.e., NQ-01 or GS-07/08. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work demonstrating knowledge of at least 3 of the 5 listed below: Examines and processes a variety of legal documents. Analyze and evaluate data responses of complex and sensitive requests. Prepares briefings, pleadings, litigation recommendations, documents and correspondence. Search and review legal references and case files. Provides support and other sources of information and data for attorneys or court personnel. OR You may substitute the successful completion of master's or equivalent graduate degree, OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR A combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement. This is computed by determining the total qualifying specialized experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Only graduate education in excess of one full year may be used to qualify. NQ-3: To meet qualification requirements for the NQ-3 level (GS-13/14 equivalent), a qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA Demonstration Project pay band or GS grade level in the Federal service, i.e., NQ-02 or GS-12. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work demonstrating knowledge of at least 4 of the 5 listed below: Legal research, laws, precedent decisions, regulations, agency policies and practices, judicial or administrative proceedings; Reviews/coordinates responses to FOIA/Privacy Act requests (or similar requests sought through a state authority). Manages matters related to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA), either through the DOE Program, U.S. Department of Labor, or a related state program. Management and coordination of responses to inquiries by federal or state audit/investigation authorities (e.g., OIG, GAO, or similar state authorities); /state ethics programs and related matters. Provides liaison support to legal counsel in carrying out their responsibilities. "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. CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section. If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 85 or better. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
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