Paralegal Specialist - Environmental Enforcement Section

Summary

The Environmental Enforcement Section is responsible for bringing civil judicial actions under federal laws enacted to protect public health and the environment from pollution. Our attorneys pursue enforcement actions that result in significant benefits for public health, from reducing air pollution to cleaning up contaminated lands and waterways. The incumbent will provide paralegal support to the Section's attorneys in all aspects of affirmative civil litigation.

Duties

One or more positions to be filled in either Denver, CO or Washington, DC. As a Paralegal Specialist, typical work assignments may include the following: Performing research in various databases including Westlaw, PACER and Lexis; performing cite checks pursuant to The Bluebook, compiling legislative histories; proofreading and editing legal briefs and memoranda prior to filing in court; and ensuring conformance of documents to applicable court rules. Conducting document management, including creating and maintaining litigation databases. Organizing and writing synopses of factual materials; summarizing depositions; preparing, organizing, and indexing administrative records; and preparing non-legal memoranda. Providing assistance at hearings and/or trials, for example, preparing exhibits and coordinating travel and trial logistics. Performing case docketing; maintaining filing deadline calendar and coordinating with attorneys on each court filing; and preparing and assisting with filing all documents using PACER (ECF) and LEXIS-NEXIS (CourtLink) systems Supporting attorneys and case teams in their efforts to identify and collect information for discovery, including e-discovery, purposes.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at GS-7, you must have one of the following: A. At least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-5 Federal grade level providing litigation support in a legal environment. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, using litigation software to identify documents potentially relevant to litigation cases or maintaining legal databases used to track the production and receipt of documents, or B. A bachelor's degree and Superior Academic Achievement (See below), or C. One full year of graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work, or D. A combination of education and specialized experience described above, that together meet 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. Superior Academic Achievement: This provision applies to persons who have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university as evidenced by one of three methods described below (within a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled): Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. To qualify for this position at GS-9, you must have one of the following: A. At least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-7 Federal grade level or above utilizing automated legal databases to verify legal citations and statutory references; analyzing and organizing factual, legal, and archival records; providing assistance to attorneys in preparation for hearings and/or trials; and creating and maintaining litigation databases for management of case materials; or B. A master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or LL.B or J.D. Such education demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a Paralegal Specialist; or C. A combination of graduate education and experience described above that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation). 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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Time in Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements (one year at the next lower grade) by the closing date of announcement. 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. Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13064148 The possible salary range for Denver, CO.: GS-7 ($56,262 - $73,142) GS-9 ($68,819 - $89,470) The possible salary range for Washington D.C.: GS-7 ($57,736 - $75,059) GS-9 ($70,623 - $91,815)

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 www.ed.gov 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 https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be reviewed based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire. When addressing the education and/or specialized experience qualification statement, you must present evidence of that education and/or experience in your resume. If the specialized experience statement is merely repeated in your resume, you may be deemed ineligible. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your application will then be compared to your responses to the online assessment questionnaire(s) that measure important competencies required to perform the job. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Performance & Awards Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork If you are found to be among the top candidates based on your assessment responses, you will be referred to the hiring manager for employment consideration. Referrals will be based on the following cut-off dates for receipt of applications: October 12, 2026 October 26, 2026 November 9, 2026 This announcement may be amended to include additional cut-off dates or may close early once all vacancies are filled. *Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate. 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 here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

Required Documents

You must submit a detailed resume containing the following information for each job entry listed in your employment history: Official position title; Employer name and contact information; Start and end dates (month and year); A detailed list of duties & accomplishments, Your highest salary (or Federal grade/step) achieved; and Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time. Additional required documents must be submitted by the closing date of the job announcement. Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list below to determine which documents are required for your application. To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: Resume (not to exceed two pages) Cover letter (optional) SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service or Federal reinstatement eligibility, such as an appointment action, within-grade increase, promotion, or separation whichever is most recent. An Award or General Pay Adjustment action will not suffice. Performance appraisal issued within the last 12 months. CTAP documentation, if applicable Your online responses to the Occupational Questionnaire If you are using education to qualify for this position: You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award. Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included. If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP: Submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency. If you have not yet been separated, provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of a RIF. Also submit your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential and duty location. Additional information about CTAP eligibility can be found at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume: Classified or government sensitive information Social Security Number (SSN) Photos of yourself Personal information, such as age, religious affiliation, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate content, you may not be considered for this vacancy.

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 the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement 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 and 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 ho...

To qualify for this position at GS-7, you must have one of the following: A. At least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-5 Federal grade level providing litigation support in a legal environment. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, using litigation software to identify documents potentially relevant to litigation cases or maintaining legal databases used to track the production and receipt of documents, or B. A bachelor's degree and Superior Academic Achievement (See below), or C. One full year of graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work, or D. A combination of education and specialized experience described above, that together meet 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. Superior Academic Achievement: This provision applies to persons who have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university as evidenced by one of three methods described below (within a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled): Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. To qualify for this position at GS-9, you must have one of the following: A. At least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-7 Federal grade level or above utilizing automated legal databases to verify legal citations and statutory references; analyzing and organizing factual, legal, and archival records; providing assistance to attorneys in preparation for hearings and/or trials; and creating and maintaining litigation databases for management of case materials; or B. A master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or LL.B or J.D. Such education demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a Paralegal Specialist; or C. A combination of graduate education and experience described above that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation). 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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Time in Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements (one year at the next lower grade) by the closing date of announcement. 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. Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13064148 The possible salary range for Denver, CO.: GS-7 ($56,262 - $73,142) GS-9 ($68,819 - $89,470) The possible salary range for Washington D.C.: GS-7 ($57,736 - $75,059) GS-9 ($70,623 - $91,815)