Summary
The U.S. Department of Justice (Department) reestablished the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) as a standalone office in October 2021 to address the access-to-justice crisis in the criminal and civil justice system. ATJ works to break down barriers to the founding principle and enduring mission of the Department of Justice: equal justice under law.
This is a Detail Opportunity (Not-to-Exceed 120 days, with possibility to extend).
This job is open to
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Federal employees - Excepted service
Current excepted service federal employees.
Clarification from the agency
This is a Detail Opportunity (Not-to-Exceed 120 days, with possibility to extend). Eligible candidates must be a current permanent competitive or excepted service federal employee.
Duties
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
The incumbent will serve as a Language Access Program Specialist for ATJ, as a member of the Language Access Team reporting to the Language Access Coordinator and will participate in cross-cutting policy and program matters that involve language access issues. The duties and responsibilities for a 0301 Language Access Program Specialist Detail Opportunity (NTE 120 days) (Non-Reimbursable Detail) generally include, but are not limited to, the following:
Assist in the development, coordination, and dissemination of internal guidance, resources, and materials to expand language access across DOJ.
Coordinate the development, review, implementation and evaluation of language access plans and protocols.
Assist in identifying opportunities and best practices to embed language access in Department-wide processes and planning.
Support the development, improvement, or expansion of Department processes for obtaining and offering translation and interpretation services, including by reviewing where language resource gaps exist; streamlining, centralizing, or simplifying existing processes to access language resources; and assisting to develop solutions for expanded access to language resources.
with arranging interpretation and translation services when requested by ATJ staff or other DOJ staff for effectively communicating with, and providing meaningful access to, limited English proficient and/or deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
Conduct research that informs the integration of language access policies and practices at the Department.
Collaborate with other federal agencies, external stakeholders and impacted communities regarding issues related to language access.
Assist in the coordination and preparation of communications, trainings, and listening sessions with internal and external stakeholder groups.
to answer questions and provide technical support to members of the ATJ team working to incorporate language access best practices into their projects and initiatives.
Provide general support to the Language Access Coordinator in managing the Department's Language Access Working Group, including by working with the coordinator to develop content for Working Group meetings and providing technical assistance to Working Group members to execute deliverables.
Develop, coordinate, and execute special projects as assigned by the ATJ Director, Deputy Director, or Language Access Coordinator.
Assist with the development of online tools to promote intercomponent sharing of language access resources.
The duties listed above are generally written for one grade level. If the position is advertised at multiple grades, the duties will be adjusted in difficulty, complexity, and level of supervision, for higher or lower grades, as appropriate.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
You must be a United States Citizen or National.
You may be required to undergo a security/background investigation and a drug screening.
This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to permanent Federal Employees in the Competitive and Excepted Service.
This would be a 120 day detail.
Remote work may be approved for applicants outside the Washington, DC commuting area; candidates located within the Washington DC locality area will be required to report to the worksite but may telework in accordance with agency policy.
This is a non-reimbursable detail assignment. Salary and benefits will continue to be paid by the home office. Positions will be filled at the employee’s current grade/step level. Reimbursement may be considered subject to availability of funds.
Qualifications
Desired Qualification Requirements:
Bachelor's or other postsecondary degree preferred.
Multilingual proficiency is preferred.
Experience in the development, coordination, and implementation of language access program and policy initiatives.
Experience collaborating with other federal agencies, external stakeholders and impacted communities regarding issues related to language access or access to justice issues.
Experience managing special projects or initiatives to strengthen existing programs.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
The ability to set, manage, and balance diverse, evolving, and challenging projects and priorities.
A commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards.
The Office for Access to Justice encourages applications from individuals who have been directly impacted by legal systems, or who otherwise have lived experience.
Education
Additional information
About the Office:
The U.S. Department of Justice (Department) reestablished the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) as a standalone office in October 2021 to address the access-to-justice crisis in the criminal and civil justice system. ATJ's mission is to make real the promise of equal justice for all. ATJ aims to achieve this core mission by promoting access to judicial systems through legal assistance and counsel; pursuing data-driven, stakeholder-informed and innovative approaches to judicial process; and by promoting accountability and reform of legal systems with the goal of creating a more holistic and equitable approach to justice. The three strategic pillars of ATJ are to: 1) promote justice system accessibility; 2) accelerate justice system innovation; and 3) safeguard justice system integrity.
Additional Requirements: Applicants must obtain supervisory approval prior to applying to this detail opportunity.
This vacancy is open to current Federal employees only. See below for more information:
CURRENT PERMANENT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: See below for more information.
CTAP ELIGIBLES: For more information visit: USAJOBS Career Transition Programs
REASONABLE ACCOMODATION STATEMENT: Our policy can be found at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/eeos/manual-and-procedures-providing-reasonable-accommodation
DOJ EEO STATEMENT: The U.S. Department of Justice fosters an inclusive and diverse workforce, find our EEO statement online at: http://www.justice.gov/jmd/eeos/08-eeo-policy.pdf
SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.
Benefits
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications described above.
Once the announcement closes, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted.
Additionally, we will review your supporting documents and resume to determine if you are in the "Area of Consideration" for this vacancy. Government-Wide Merit Promotion vacancies may only accept applications from a limited audience, pay careful attention to the "Who May Apply" and the "Hiring Paths" information. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
When addressing the specialized experience statement, applicants must present evidence of the experience in their resume. If the specialized experience statement is repeated, in the applicant's resume, Human Resources will deem the applicant as ineligible.
Required Documents
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of document descriptions below, to see which documents are required for your application.
You must submit a detailed resume containing the following information:
Official position title;
Employer name and contact information;
Start and end dates (including month and year);
A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
Your highest salary (or grade/step) achieved; and
The number of hours worked per week (or indicate full-time).
How to Apply
Application Process: All interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter highlighting experience relevant to the duties and qualifications listed above via email to ATJ.Applicants@usdoj.gov with the subject line "Language Access Program Specialist Detail Opportunity."
This opportunity is only open to current competitive and excepted service federal employees. We encourage you to seek supervisor approval before submitting your materials.
Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.
The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from all communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures. We also encourage applications from individuals who have been directly impacted by legal systems, or who otherwise have lived experience.
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The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.
Agency contact information
Nichole Miller
Phone
202-701-5394
Email
Nichole.Miller2@usdoj.gov
Address
Office for Access To Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20530
US
Next steps
Additional information about the Bender Registry is available at www.benderconsult.com [external link]. Individuals with disabilities may also contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC). See list of DPOCs.