About This Position
This position is located in the Civil Rights Division's Office of the Assistant Attorney General. As a Community Outreach Specialist, you will serve as the liaison between the Division and the public by maintaining relationships with community members and stakeholders to promote civil rights programs and to ensure that organization's goals align with community needs.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience Requirements: To qualify for the position of Community Outreach Specialist, at (GS-0301-11), you must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09.
Your resume must clearly demonstrate that you possess all of the specialized experience listed below, showing you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Assisting with the development and implementation of media and community outreach activities to support organizational programs, initiatives, or public awareness efforts; AND Supporting outreach efforts by coordinating with community organizations, stakeholders, and media representatives to share information and promote engagement opportunities; AND Drafting and reviewing communication materials such as newsletters, social media content, fact sheets, talking points, press materials, and outreach correspondence for internal and external audiences; AND Assisting with the planning and coordination of outreach events, workshops, meetings, or community engagement activities, including responding to routine public inquiries and providing program information.
OR
Education Requirement: Ph.D.
OR
equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. if related A transcript must be submitted to receive consideration.
OR
Combining Education and Specialized Experience: To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 36 semester hours (54 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education. In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume.
To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. 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. All qualifications and education requirements (if applicable) must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.
YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement. If you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience.
Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.
Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions. During the eligibility review process, the Human Resources Specialist will only review the latest document uploaded to USA Jobs. Therefore, if you submit duplicate documents, ensure the last version uploaded to USA Jobs is the necessary document required to meet the criteria/qualifications described in this job announcement.
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: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
Major 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 an inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the multitude of experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service. The incumbent will serve as a Community Outreach Specialist.
Duties include, but are not limited to: Shares information with community organizations about civil rights programs, maintain relationships with key stakeholders in the community, and coordinate internal and external program opportunities and resources. Knowledgeable of the organization's mission, program goals, and objectives to represent the organization. Works closely with public relations and marketing teams to develop and implement outreach strategies; raise awareness of initiatives, projects, and programs; and promote the mission and vision of the Civil Rights Division.
Develops and execute media strategies, including press outreach, interview coordination, and message development with key communities. Writes and edit high impact materials including op-eds, press releases, talking points, memos, and reports. Participates in community events, conduct outreach, and respond to inquiries from potential customers via email, telephone, and in-person dialogue.
Works closely with public relations and marketing teams to develop and implement outreach strategies; raise awareness of initiatives, projects, and programs; and promote the mission and vision of the Civil Rights Division.
Conditions of Employment
Must be a U.S. Citizen Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration). DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.
You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
You may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. Resume cannot exceed two (2) pages. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Education
This position does not have an education qualification requirement but can qualify using education. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements, please see the statements below.
You will need to submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and/or semester hours earned, degree earned and confer dates. Failure to provide this documentation will result in objection to your qualifications, and removal from consideration.
You will be required to submit your official college transcript if you are selected. 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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to check accreditation. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S.
Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.
How You Will Be Evaluated
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
Your complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment) will be evaluated and rated using DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures.
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 online 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 it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified).
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 06/01/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click "Apply" to access the online application.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork Please
Note: If you meet the qualifications required for the job, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Assessment. The invitation to the USA Hire Assessment will be sent from email address: [email protected].
You must complete the USA Hire Assessment within (48 hours) hours of being sent the email invitation.
Your results will be kept on record, one (1) year, for use when applying for future jobs that require this USA Hire Assessment. Overstating your qualifications and or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment will result in your removal from consideration Requests to re-send invitations to the USA Hire Assessment must be received by [email protected] BEFORE expiration of the (48 hours) window described above.
If you do not meet the qualifications required for the job, you will not receive an invitation to complete the USA Hire Assessment, and You will receive an email message notifying you of your ineligibility.
Your USAJOBS account will be updated to reflect your ineligibility for the position.
You will not be considered further for the position. We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process.
You may preview the assessment questionnaire by clicking here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12968846
Additional Information
EEO Statement: 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. https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline FAIR CHANCE TO COMPETE FOR JOBS: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee has violated your rights under the Fair Chance Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly with the DOJ component hiring office listed in the job opportunity announcement. For more information visit USAJOBS Help Center - What are criminal history inquiries?
SCHEDULE A, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: Learn more at USAJOBS - Individuals with Disabilities. DOJ welcomes and encourages applicants from persons with disabilities and 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 advance on the basis of merit. The Civil Rights Division also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes directly to Diane Turner by email to [email protected].
Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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.
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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/articles/45063274752915-Reasonable-Accommodations The Division's telework policy requires employees to be in the office at least four (4) days per pay period, or as required by the Division's policy. Please
Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.
How to Apply
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 submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/01/2026 to receive consideration. 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 11:59 PM (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 (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_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 in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application. To update any portion of your application other than the assessment questionnaire at any time during the announcement open period, you may return to your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login).
There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update 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: https://secure.login.gov/.
All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. 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. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and all required documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For additional information on uploading documents in USAJobs, please refer to this link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/upload/.
Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources. To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12968846 Please
Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.
Required Documents
The following documents are required for your application to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents will not be accepted.
Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. For additional information on uploading documents in USAJobs, please refer to this link: https://help.usajobs.gov/help-search/results?q=uploading+documents. Required, Resume - Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements.
YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses. Applicants are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show the possession of knowledge of the subject matter pertinent to the position and the technical skills to successfully perform the duties of the position. Additionally, your resume must include the following information for each job listed: month and year, start/end dates (e.g.
June 2007 to April 2008), and full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week). The Resume Builder can also support these recommendations and uses information from your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Required if you meet qualifications based on education: An unofficial college transcript (Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcript will be required prior to your first day.) and foreign education evaluation documentation, if applicable, as described under the "Qualifications" section of this vacancy announcement.
Required: A complete Occupational Questionnaire 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. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as: Veterans Preference Documentation: If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF-15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation. If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Parent or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit a completed SF-15 and all additional proof that is required by the SF-15.
You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability. For more information: https://www.va.gov/records/download-va-letters/ If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here. Suitability It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test, which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment.
Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation.