Instructional Systems Specialist

Summary

The Office of Legal Education's (OLE) mission is to promote justice through training, educating, and developing DOJ personnel and the broader government legal community in legal, legal support, and administrative skills. OLE provides substantive support for the planning, delivery, operation, and evaluation of training programs for EOUSA, the Department of Justice and other Federal agencies. The NAC is located on the campus of the University of South Carolina (UofSC) in Columbia, SC.

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Duties

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If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for planning, developing, providing, controlling, and evaluating the Department of Justice program for continuing legal training and education for both attorneys and support staff in the United States Attorney's Offices (USAOs), Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA), and other components of the Department of Justice. Typical work assignments will include:

• Assists in the design, development, maintenance, evaluation, and improvement of OLE training courses and programs.
• Participates in the review and evaluation of curricula materials for clarity, technical and educational adequacy, and accomplishment of objectives.
• Evaluates instructional aids (e.g., audiovisual materials, charts, diagrams) to determine instructional value, applicability, and relevance.
• Assists in the development and administration of surveys to obtain feedback from students, supervisors, and instructors.
• Collaborates with Training Specialists, Training Instructors, Attorney Advisors, and Assistant Directors on the internal evaluation, revision, and management of curricula.
• Provides guidance on the use of educational technology and other methodologies for instructional courses, programs, or projects.
• Assists in assessing, developing, and providing in-service training in order to maintain well-qualified, efficient, and effective instructors and training teams who meet the highest standards of excellence.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

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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 selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the specialized experience requirement and basic requirement.

Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.

Specialized Experience : Applicant must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in federal service assisting in the design and revision of training curricula by reviewing course materials for clarity and alignment with learning objectives; evaluating instructional aids and technologies to determine suitability for training; AND participate in needs analyses and recommended appropriate instructional methods and materials.

AND

Basic Requirement: Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 credit hours appropriate to the work of the position to be filled and that included study in four of the five following areas:

1. Learning theory, psychology of learning, educational psychology: Study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material.

2. Instructional design practices: Study of the principles and techniques used in designing training programs, developing design strategy and models, and applying design methods to the improvement of instructional effectiveness.

3. Educational evaluation: Study of the techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional/educational programs, including developing written and performance evaluations and survey instruments, and determining reliability and validity of evaluation instruments.

4. Instructional product development: Study of techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training.

5. Computers in education and training: Study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at:

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)- The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see

OR

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

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.

Selective Service: 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

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.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here:

Political Appointees (Current or Former ): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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.

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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.