Summary
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/
This job is open to
Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of this agency.
Clarification from the agency
Current Federal employees in permanent competitive service positions (status candidates) of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California. Merit Promotion/Internal Employees Only.
Duties
As a Legal Administrative Specialist (Financial Litigation Specialist) in the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Eastern District of California, you will be responsible for complex research and evaluation of debtor assets and the collection of criminal and/or civil monetary impositions. The work is characterized by a comprehensive knowledge of the laws, regulations, and agency requirements to initiate and complete complicated debt collection actions. This includes responsibility for conducting substantive legal research of Federal, state and local laws and the identification and evaluation of hidden assets for the purpose of collecting court ordered judgments and restitution debts. You also will be responsible for communicating directly with debtors and their attorneys, Assistant US Attorneys, court and agency personnel, and people and entities in the private sector, including financial institutions, real estate companies, and title companies. You will be assigned to the Civil Division in the Sacramento office and your duties will include (but are not limited to):
Conducting substantive legal and open source research of Federal, state and local laws and the identification and evaluation of complex hidden assets for the purpose of collecting criminal and/or civil monetary impositions
Developing strategies for locating assets that have been assigned, converted, transferred to or established in names of or for third parties to conceal a debtor's interest in property or rights to property
Evaluating debtors declared financial assets compared with records obtained from open sources and/or third parties and identifying attempts to deceptively conceal assets
Conducting in-depth analysis of debtor income tax returns to ascertain the existence of income earning assets and acquisitions or sales of real and personal property
Researching complicated attempts by debtors to conceal assets by transferring them to individuals such as family members, corporate entities or other individuals who may be unaware of their complicity in diversion of personal assets.
Analyzing debtor financial information to determine ability to pay and recommending or negotiatingpayment schedules or other arrangements to ensuresuccessful collection of debts.
Providing litigation support to Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs)
Reviewing and analyzing debt claims for compliance with the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act and for legal merit.
Determining and initiating appropriate pleadings and orders for post-judgment remedies such as garnishment, debtor exams, and writs of execution
Interpreting and enforcing criminal judgments and independently performing all functions to collect amounts imposed.
Serving as primary contact person and district expert for complex financial litigation cases, and developing and updating district's financial litigation policies and procedures, in coordination with Asset Recovery Unit Chief and/or Asset Recovery Coordinator.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation
You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
If you are a male applicant born 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. See http://www.sss.gov/.
If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.
Qualifications
Note: In order to be considered "qualified" for this position, your specialized experience must be described in your resume. Please be sure that your resume clearly defines any and all of the specialized experience that you may have. If your specialized experience is not clearly detailed in your resume, you may not be considered for this position. The USAO cannot assume what duties were/are accomplished based on a job title.
GS-12: To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service as defined below;
Specialized Experience is defined as: experience performing work directly related to financial litigation which demonstrates a thorough and complete knowledge of the law applicable to financial litigation, legal and fact research methods, and the ability to identify and interpret applicable law and apply applicable law to a set of facts; providing technical advice on financial litigation requirements and systems capabilities; organizing and maintaining debt and case information, financial data, and any case-specific discovery; analyzing debtors' financial circumstances and recommending appropriate enforcement strategies, all on a case-by-case basis; using automated financial litigation support technology such as the Consolidated Debt Collection System (CDCS), Analytics, CaseView, SENTRY, Accurint, Lexis/Nexis, CLEAR, FinCen, Simplifile, OPERA, PACER, and major credit reporting company systems; researching, analyzing and summarizing relevant legal precedents; and preparing and maintaining a variety of enforcement, litigation, ortrial-related documents.
Additional information
Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.
The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.
EEO Statement: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism.
Diversity Statement: 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.
Benefits
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.
You will be rated on the following Competencies (see The OPM Website for definitions):
Attention to Detail, Information Management, Legal, Government and Jurisprudence, Reasoning, and Technical Competence
The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

• Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
• Required: Your resume showing relevant experience and dates (month/day/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or full-time)(cover letter optional).
• Required if you are a current or former Federal employee: a recent copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing title, series, grade, and full performance level (FPL); AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal. Please note your SF-50 must include your FPL in the remark section (e.g., appointment, reassignment, promotion actions), pay adjustments and awards do not include this information so they are not acceptable.
• Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility) for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.

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
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/12/2024 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12344766
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online, contactKatie Montoya at (916) 554-2700 or Katie.Montoya@usdoj.gov as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.
You must specify in your questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility..
Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Agency contact information
Katie Montoya
Phone
(916) 554-2700
Email
Katie.Montoya@usdoj.gov
Address
Eastern District of California
501 I Street, 10th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
US
Next steps
We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit check, and drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.