Help Help
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
- You must be a U.S. citizen.
This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.
You must meet time in grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement.
If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period if appointed as Competitive Service or a two-year trial period if appointed as Excepted Service.
REAL ID requirements will become effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected and come on board with EPA on or after that date and plan to use your driver’s license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.
Qualifications
NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must have one of the following:
- 1 year of full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level defined as reviewing electronic records; providing legal support to one or more attorneys during legal proceedings.
- 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; the education must provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position
- equivalent combination of education and experience
NOTE: 1 year of full-time undergraduate study is 30 semester or 45 quarter hours. 1 year of full-time graduate education is the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study; if that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours is considered 1 year of full-time study.
To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must have 1 year of full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level defined as providing legal support including legal research, writing, document compilation/review/formatting; and assistance with litigation.
Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:
- Ability to prepare and deliver briefings to managers on study findings and recommendations.
- Skill in performing extensive legal research into legislative history, precedent cases, and decisions applicable to legal matters.
- Skill in oral communication.
- Skill in written communication.
- Knowledge of business principles and techniques, including information technology tools, and ability to apply them in analyzing voluminous, complex and often incomplete records.
- Skill in conducting the review and evaluation of FOIA responses and eDiscovery.
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.
- If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
Additional information
Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.
EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
Although the Service type indicated in the Overview section is Competitive, you may be appointed as Excepted Service based on your eligibility to be hired under certain appointing authorities.
Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures
NOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must have a score of 87 or higher--see the How You Will Be Evaluated section).
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.
If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.
This position is in the bargaining unit.
Read more
- Help Help 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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options! Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA.
EPA offers workplace flexibilities as described on the EPA Benefits page. These flexibilities are not guaranteed, and eligibility will be determined in accordance with position requirements, policy, and/or applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement after you are hired.
PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF): As a federal employee, you may be eligible for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on federal Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer, including EPA. Learn more: pslf.gov
This position has portable work. If selected for this position, you may be eligible for partial work-from-home flexibilities after meeting eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
