Paralegal Specialist Jobs

Duties

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-12. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

As a/an Paralegal Specialist, you will:

• Assist with other HUD program matters, including but not limited to, Assisted Housing and Community Planning and Development matters, and assists in resolving single-family real estate owned issues and handling single-family foreclosures and bankruptcy matters.
• Perform a comprehensive range of legal duties which involve legal research, analysis, and evaluation; as well as support in the areas of legal document review or preparation, correspondence control, preparation and processing of documents and records releases, exhibits and report preparations, and responses to litigation and inquiries under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
• Coordinate scheduling, reviews documents, and participates in closings involving Insured Housing programs. The paralegal specialist is part of the review team for real estate transactions and is responsible for compliance with closing checklists, including accuracy of Note and mortgage amounts, accuracy of title, survey, and legal descriptions, and other essential requirements of HUD transactions.
• Formulate legal documents which reflects substantive and detailed evidentiary research. Analyze and summarize legal decisions, opinions, and other legal matters for use by attorneys; and based on specialized paralegal background, sherardize case law and evaluates the status of statutes or judicial opinions.
• Perform substantive independent legal research, analysis, and evaluation, which requires detailed knowledge of a diverse combination of case law, government policies, federal regulations, legal texts, legislative history, and state and federal statutes. Analyze and evaluate factual and legal evidence and questions related to relevant cases and actions.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

The official duty station for this position will be in Nashville, Tennessee. Failure to report to duty at this location may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• A one year probationary period may be required.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
• Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment."
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.

How You Will Be Evaluated

• New employee probationary period
• To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
• Financial suitability

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

  A complete application includes:
  
  1. A resume: All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)

  • To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
  • It is suggested that you preview the online assessment questionnaire, to ensure that your resume thoroughly describes how your skills and experience align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and support your responses to the online assessment questionnaire.
  • For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center.

  2. Vacancy assessment question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.
  
  3. Submission of any required documents identified below, if applicable: Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

  • VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION:
    • If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

  • CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS:
    • If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, in order to be eligible under one of these authorities you must submit all required documentation as outlined in this link: CTAP/ICTAP
  • EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:
    • For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

  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.

• Selective Service
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION:
  • If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
• EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:
  • For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

• How to Apply

  HUD has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
  
  Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.
  
  To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday).
  
  The application process is as follows:

  • To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.

  • Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.

  • Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.

  • After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.

  • If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements

  • Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.

  To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (

  https://usajobs.gov).

  There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
  
  To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. 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/.
  
  Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
  
  For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
  
  To preview the application questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12037844

  Agency contact information

  Applicant Call Center

  Phone

  304-480-7300

  Email

  [email protected]

  Address

  Office of General Counsel
  Administrative Resource Center
  Parkersburg, WV 26101
  US

  Next steps

  Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
  
  Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
  
  We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.

• To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
• If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, in order to be eligible under one of these authorities you must submit all required documentation as outlined in this link: CTAP/ICTAP

• Fair and Transparent

  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request
• It is suggested that you preview the online assessment questionnaire, to ensure that your resume thoroughly describes how your skills and experience align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and support your responses to the online assessment questionnaire.
• If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
• Privacy Act
• After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.
• Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.
• If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements
• For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center.
• For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Benefits 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.
• Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
• CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS:
  • If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, in order to be eligible under one of these authorities you must submit all required documentation as outlined in this link: CTAP/ICTAP
• Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request

Required Documents

Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.