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Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, seeks enthusiastic individuals to serve taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the IRS. Please click "Learn more about this agency" to find out more about Chief Counsel's various offices, to view some of the workplace attributes that Chief Counsel's workforce rates most favorably, and to hear from employees themselves.
Learn more about this agency12/12/2024 to 01/02/2025
$59,966 - $117,400 per year
GS 9 - 11
Few vacancies in the following locations:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
11
No
No
CCCR-25-12637057-MP
823562700
Current federal employees of this agency.
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.
The Strategic Litigation (SL) Division Counsel is a national organization with approximately 90 attorneys and 30 paralegals located in 33 cities nationwide. The SL Division, through its Special Trial Attorneys and paralegals, is responsible for handling the Office of Chief Counsel's most complex, high-profile, and significant cases in the United States Tax Court, which cases often establish national precedent or are otherwise important to tax administration. The SL attorneys and paralegals provide a full range of legal services on all issues, including advising the Internal Revenue Service on its most significant non-docketed cases, handling significant case litigation in the United States Tax Court, and assisting the Department of Justice in the handling of significant cases in both Federal and State Courts.
As a Paralegal Specialist, you will:
Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See "Required Documents" for a list of document requirements for all employment authorities.
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements detailed below by the closing date of this announcement. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.
To qualify for this position of Paralegal Specialist you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:
For GS-09:
Specialized Experience: Your resume must detail at least one year of specialized experience which includes: Experience assisting with most aspects of case litigation, such as legal research, factual development, and discovery; experience assisting with routine analysis of documents and data, routine management and tracking of documents, and basic drafting of documents; assisting with experts and/or the hiring of expert witnesses.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).
OR
Education Substitution: You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as Paralegal Studies or Legal Studies, OR an LL.B. or J.D.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education: Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions.
For GS-11:
Specialized Experience: Your resume must detail at least one year of specialized experience which includes: Experience assisting attorney(s) with case litigation, such as legal research, factual development, discovery; experience analyzing and organizing documents in both paper format and in a document management program (e.g., Relativity); assisting with expert procurement; drafting of legal documents. Experience in electronic legal document management programs in Federal or State Court litigation is desirable.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-9).
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. in Taxation/Tax Law.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education: Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions.
NOTE: If qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application package.
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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.
Time in Grade Requirement for GS-09: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-07).
Time in Grade Requirement for GS-11: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-09).
For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.
A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Computer Skills, Legal, Government and Jurisprudence, Oral and Written Communication, Planning and Evaluating, and Research. Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position.
Referral:If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site. If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)), you must receive a score of 80 or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.
Bargaining Unit Chief Counsel employees will be given first consideration. To receive first consideration, Bargaining Unit Chief Counsel employees seeking reassignment must be on the Master First Consideration List (MFCL). In regard to this announcement, the MFCL is only for reassignments of employees currently occupying Bargaining Unit positions. If you are applying for a promotion, please apply to the announcement.
A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.
Current and Former Federal Employees - Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment- Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status. (The "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2".)- Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.- Submit a copy of your most recent, signed, completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating. If it is not dated within the last 12 months or if you have not received a performance appraisal, please explain why in your application.
Current Chief Counsel Employees on an Excepted Service Veteran's Recruitment Appointment (VRA) or Schedule A (Employee with Disability) Appointment - If you are eligible in this category, you are required to submit an SF-50 showing current Chief Counsel Excepted Service VRA or Schedule A (Employee with Disability) Appointment (block 24 must be a "1" or "2" AND block 34 must be a"2.").
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Documentation If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.
EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. See "Education" for more details.
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.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 01/02/2025 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00-4:30 ET, Monday - Friday). To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12637057
If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability or medical condition during any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Kimberly Johnson, Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator, HR Labor & Employee Relations Division, by phone at 469-801-1728 or by email at Kimberly.F.Johnson@irscounsel.treas.gov. The IRS - Office of Chief Counsel provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. You must contact us by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the announcement's closing date to request accommodation. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/823562700. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
1,634 (72%) Chief Counsel employees took the 2023 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and most rated critical workplace characteristics favorably - view a selection below. If you seek a professional environment where employees rate their supervisors highly, are treated with respect and supported in their efforts to balance work and other life issues, and collaborate with colleagues to produce meaningful work, consider Chief Counsel.
Sample of High-scoring 2023 FEVS Questions (percent favorable):
My supervisor treats me with respect (93%)- supports my need to balance work and other life issues (93%)- listens to what I have to say (91%) - supports employee development (90%)- I have trust and confidence in my supervisor (88%).
Employees in my work unit produce high-quality work (94%)- share job knowledge (92%)- cooperate to get the job done (91%)- support my need to balance my work and personal responsibilities (87%)- respect people's differences (87%)- make me feel I belong (86%)- care about me as a person (85%).
My organization is successful at accomplishing its mission (90%)- I am given a real opportunity to improve my skills in my organization (86%)- I recommend my organization as a good place to work (85%)- I can be successful in my organization being myself (83%).
To learn more, click the links below:
IRS Office of Chief Counsel Careers Site
Meet Our People
Learn about our Legal Divisions
Come Join the Department of the Treasury and Invest in Tomorrow.
