Government Information Specialist (Freedom of Information Act)

Summary

About the Position:

The incumbent serves as a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Specialist for the USAFRICOM Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program and the Command Privacy Act Officer located at the USAFRICOM, Secretariat to the Joint Staff.

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Duties

• Administer the command’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) program to ensure adherence to policies and procedures.
• Provide command’s data for input into Annual DoD FOIA program and report to Congress.
• Coordinate declassification review of documents utilizing the command tasking system to the Command Security and the originating directorate offices.
• Maintain the Requester Service Center (RSC) FOIA website in accordance with the FOIA and DoD guidance.
• Oversee the process of FOIA and PA requests in order to complete requests in accordance with required time frames.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• One year trial/probationary period may be required.
• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in the DoD Instruction 1315.19.
• Must be able to satisfy the requirements of the 26JUL12 DODI 1400.25 V1230, DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Employment in Foreign Areas and Employee Return Rights. Visit https://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Top Secret security clearance with eligibility for access to Special Compartmentalized Information (SCI) for the duration of employment.
• This position is subject to a pre-employment screening, and random testing thereafter to meet the criteria for compliance with Federal and Department of the Army Drug Free Workplace Programs.
• This position requires the incumbent to possess, or obtain and maintain, a valid regular and official U.S. Passport.
• Ability to maintain country/theater clearance per the Foreign Clearance Guide located at: https://www.fcg.pentagon.mil/docs/ET.cfm.
• Required to obtain smallpox, anthrax vaccinations and other applicable immunizations based on country requirements.

Qualifications

Position may be filled as a time-limited promotion, reassignment or change to lower grade not to exceed (NTE) 3 years by a current permanent Army employee. Time-limited promotions may be extended up to a maximum of five years. Time-limited reassignments and changes to lower grade may exceed five years, however return rights may be impacted. Position may be made permanent without further competition.

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 Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

• Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Applying on Time-Limited Assignments

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) ensuring organization practices and adheres to policies, procedures, and regulations concerning the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act program; AND 2) proposing legal interpretations regarding information disclosures and privacy concerns; AND 3) reviewing Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act procedures to provide recommendations to increase efficiency and effectiveness. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone–no substitution of education for experience is permitted

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

• Administration and Management
• Customer Service
• Knowledge Management

Time in Grade Requirement: 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-11).

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement.
• Locality pay does not apply in the overseas area.
• If an employee brings a child to an overseas location and that child is entitled to attend a DoD school on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, the DoDEA and the Military Department responsible for providing related services will ensure that the child, if eligible for special education, receives a free appropriate public education, including related services pursuant to DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
• If an employee brings an infant or toddler (up to 3 years of age) to an overseas location, and that infant or toddler, but for the child’s age, is entitled to attend the DoDEA on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, then the Military Department responsible for EIS will provide the infant or toddler with the required EIS in accordance with the eligibility criteria consistent with DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
• Employees (and family members) who require medical or dental care in the overseas location will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only.
• Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants for positions at overseas locations. Pay retention will not be offered as an incentive for employees moving between overseas positions.
• Selectees may receive certain foreign area benefits such as: Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) or government quarters, home leave, etc. Selectees will have their eligibility for foreign area benefits determined at the time of hire in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR) and DoDI 1400.25 volume 1250.
• For positions in a foreign country, that country’s laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of an employee’s same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information and direct questions concerning a specific country (Foreign Duty Location) to the appropriate Army Human Resources point of contact prior to the acceptance of employment and your entrance on duty.
• This is a General Administration and Management Career Field position.
• The initial length of this overseas tour is 36 months.
• Defense National Relocation Program will not be authorized.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.
• Relocation/Recruitment incentive may be authorized if determined to be in the organization’s interest.
• Advanced Rate In-Hire/Advanced Leave Accrual may be authorized if determined to be in the organization’s interest.
• Student loan repayment may be authorized if determined to be in the organization’s interest.

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• Benefits
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• 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.
• 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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The selecting official has requested a competitive and noncompetitive candidate list for this vacancy. If you are eligible for the noncompetitive list, you will be evaluated on basic and/or minimum qualifications, as applicable. While required to answer the assessment questions, non-competitive candidates will not be evaluated against the competitive rating and ranking criteria. The selecting official may select from any of the candidate lists.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.

If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM’s Career Transition Resources website.

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How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/10/2025 to receive consideration.

• 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 (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12677949).
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
• You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
• It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
• Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

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/.

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Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk Army Applicant Help Desk

Website

https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq

Address

HR-APF-W6L6AA USAE US AFRICA CMD

DO NOT MAIL

APO, AE 09096

US

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Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.

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