Victim Advocate Jobs in Silver Spring, MD (NOW HIRING)

Summary
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia's mission is to enforce the criminal laws of the United States and the District of Columbia, represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, and respond to the public safety needs of the community by leading an effective, well-coordinated law enforcement effort that contributes to the overall goal of improving the quality of life in the District of Columbia.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
Help
This Supervisory Victim Advocate Counselor provides professional services to victims and witnesses of crime within the criminal justice system in the fields of
sociology, psychology, and criminology.
If selected for this position, you will serve as a Supervisory Victim Advocate Counselor in the Victim Witness Division (VWD) of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAODC).
Typical work assignments will include:

• Plans and assigns work accomplished by subordinates based on priorities; sets and adjusts short-term priorities; and prepares schedules for completion of work.
• Provides professional services and relevant information to victims and witnesses regarding dynamics of victimization, social services resources, and the criminal justice process.
• Directs or performs victim-witness program operations regarding Superior Court and District Court general crime, domestic violence, or special victims activities.
• Serves as lead Forensic Interviewer (FI) and assign advocacy/forensic interview cases to advocates within the unit; maintain FI policies, procedures, and practice flow; manage FI tracking logs and annual end-of-year reports.
• Enhances program visibility and growth through planning and coordination; work directly with community outreach to foster community engagement; organizes awards ceremonies and delegate responsibilities as needed.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Requirements
Help
Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National to apply for this position.
• 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.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Relocation expenses will not be paid
• If selected, you will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a one year supervisory or managerial probationary period unless this requirement has been met previously.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).
• Time-in-Grade: Current or former Federal employees applying under merit promotion considerations must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements for consideration 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.
• As needed, additional selections may be made using this announcement.

Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying:
To qualify at the GS-13 level, you must possess:
Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing at least (3) out of (4) of the following duties:

1. Providing victim-advocacy services, including social-service referrals, court accompaniment, safety planning, victim-compensation assistance, or information about victims' rights and the criminal justice process;
2. Interviewing victims or witnesses, assessing needs, providing crisis intervention, or developing service plans;
3. Coordinating with legal, law enforcement, social-service, or advocacy organizations to address victim needs;
4. Directing victim-services operations and supervising staff by assigning work, evaluating performance, or providing guidance and training.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.
TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-12 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level.

• You must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted; recommended SF-50s include promotions and step increases (within grade increases).

All applicants will be reviewed to ensure they meet minimum qualification and eligibility requirements before carrying out the rating and ranking process. Applicants will not be further considered who will not meet within 30 days after the closing date of the vacancy announcement all qualification and eligibility requirements.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Justice requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a clearance as a condition of placement in this Moderate Risk position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
Current or Former Political Appointees: 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, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced 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 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 rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about CTAP eligibility, click here.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
Expand Hide additional information
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.
Benefits
Help
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.