Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Asst. Dir.)

Duties

Several Assistant Director positions are available for the Borrower Defense Group and one Assistant Director position is available for the Investigations Group.

As a Supervisory Attorney Advisor, Asst. Director GS-0905-15, the incumbent will be leading work that includes the following:

Borrower Defense Group

The Borrower Defense Group considers and issues decisions on claims by individual borrowers who assert a defense to repayment of Federal student loans based on an act or omission of an of Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) that gives rise to a cause of action under State law or Federal regulations, as applicable. As Assistant Director of the Borrower Defense Group, the incumbent will be leading and managing work that includes the following:

• Conducting legal research and analysis of borrower defense claims and assessing injury

• Corresponding with IHEs and third parties to obtain information and records needed to evaluate borrower defense claims
• Collaborating with the Enforcement Groups as needed to gather additional information regarding individual borrower defense claims and refer to the Investigations Group those claims that appear to indicate a pattern, practice or repeated instances of conduct giving rise to borrower defense claims
• Determining borrower eligibility for relief
• Coordinating with enforcement divisions of other Federal and State agencies regarding individual borrower defense claims
• Advising the Director of Borrower Defense on law and policy matters

Investigations Group

The Investigations Group is responsible for identifying and coordinating the investigation of, and response to, indicators of potential misconduct or high-risk conduct on the part of IHEs. As Assistant Director of the Investigations Group, the incumbent will be leading and managing work that includes the following:

• Identifying problematic issues at IHEs, independently and through coordination with other FSA and ED offices, and other Federal and State agencies
• Applying a risk-based priority setting plan to determine where to focus efforts
• Conducting targeted investigations, using interviews and administrative subpoenas to compel production of documents and responses to interrogatories, in order to develop administrative enforcement actions
• Collaborating actively with other agencies that have complementary enforcement resources.
• Providing support to the Office of the General Counsel as needed, including witness testimony, documents, and data analysis, in litigation involving challenges to administrative enforcement actions undertaken at the recommendation of the Enforcement Office
• Working with FSA Business Units to review applications for certification, eligibility, and expansion from IHEs that are under investigation by the Investigations Group
• Investigating IHEs in connection with borrower defense claims and analyzing the ability to make recoveries against IHEs based on evidence obtained from borrower defense claims and other appropriate evidentiary sources
• Preparing comprehensive analysis reports covering all phases of studies and investigations relative to assigned area of responsibility. Reports include summations of all areas of investigation covered, conclusions reached, and recommendations for improvement or corrective action
• Advising the Director of Investigations on policy and investigative matters

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a US Citizen
• You may be subject to serve a one-year trial period.
• You may be subject to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

General Attorney Series 0905 (opm.gov)

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. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.

How You Will Be Evaluated

• Benefits

  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.

  FSA is a great place to work. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid vacation and sick leave, federal holidays, health and life insurance, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). For more information about the many benefits available to Federal employees, please visit:
  https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits
  
  As an FSA employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a productive balance between work and home, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you, may include teleworking and alternative work schedules.

  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.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

  You must submit:

  • A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire
  • Law school transcript (unofficial or copy is acceptable at the application stage)
  • Bar card (at time of offer)
  • Writing samples may be requested of the candidates who are selected for interviews. Candidates will be asked to provide any representative legal memo that demonstrates writing style and analytical ability. The sample should be written entirely by candidate, light editing by others if any. Will be considered as part of overall candidate assessment.
  • Cover Letter highlighting your relevant skills and experience, describing your interest in enforcement issues generally and pertaining to higher education such as borrower defense or federal student loans specifically (if applicable), and explaining how your professional experiences relate to the qualifications listed above.

  Veteran Documentation: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit:
  

  • A copy of your DD214, member copy 4 (Separated Members only).
  • A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions. A “certification” is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. (Current Active Duty Members only)

  • The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) • The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference (e.g., a letter from the Department of Veterans' Affairs certifying the service-connected disability and percentage of disability) (if VEOA eligibility is based on a service-connected disability or derived preference).
  
  If you are claiming selection priority under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), please visit:
  CTAP: http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ctap.html
  ICTAP: http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ictap.html
  
  If you are claiming eligibility under any Special Hiring Authority, you must submit:
  

  • Adequate proof of your eligibility.

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• How to Apply

  Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov.
  
  Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
  
  Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)).
  
  Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click “Finish” to submit your application.
  
  NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts.
  
  In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

  Agency contact information

  Human Capital Office

  Phone

  202-401-0520

  Email

  FSA_HR_Recruitment@ed.gov

  Address

  EDUCATION-OFC OF FEDERAL STUDENT AID
  830 First Street, NE
  Washington, District of Columbia 20202
  United States

  Next steps

  As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process.
  1. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received.
  2. After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official.
  3. Finally, we will inform you if and when a selection is made.

• Fair and Transparent

  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all U.S. citizens. Location Negotiable After Selection, United States