Ethics Program Specialist

This vacancy is for an Ethics Program Specialist in the Office of the Secretary, Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Assistant General Counsel for Ethics Law and Program (AGC-ELP) within the Department of Commerce.

Major duties

As an Ethics Program Specialist, you will perform the following duties: Process, review, and analyze confidential (OGE Form 450) and public (OGE Form 278) financial disclosure reports submitted by Department employees. Ensure reports comply with Office of Government Ethics (OGE) regulations. Research and analyzes activities of companies and entities listed on reports. Provide accurate, objective, and timely ethics advice to employees and agency officials at varying organizational levels. Track the number of financial disclosure reports processed, average processing time, compliance rates, and frequency of ethics violations. Counseling and advising employees and other interested parties on ethics laws and regulations. Apply law and regulations. Gather data on corporations, mutual funds, and other financial interests. Search opinions of the Office of the General Counsel for precedent. Draft advisory memoranda on ethics issues. Analyze complex or novel ethics issues, identify relevant authorities, and develop well-reasoned recommendations or courses of action. This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Ethics Program Specialist GS-0301-11, FPL GS-13 positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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 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. To qualify at the GS-11 level you must meet the following: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience in ethics laws, regulations, policies, and guidance governing an ethics program, including public or confidential financial disclosure, conflicts of interest, gifts, and outside activities; Tracking, compiling and reporting statistics on financial disclosure reports received and processed; Managing multiple assignments, tracking deadlines, maintaining accurate records, and completing work within established timeframes; AND Managing and maintaining effective working relationships with agency officials, employees, attorneys, human resources personnel, and other stakeholders. -OR- SUBSTITUTION OF 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 OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of successfully completed post-high school education and experience totaling 100%. This will be calculated using your resume and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application.

Education

There is no positive education requirement for this position. NOTE: Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position. You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. A probationary period may be required. Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/). If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. Bargaining Unit Position: No Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid License required: No Drug Test Required: No Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band.