Victim-Witness Services Coordinator

United States Attorneys' Offices; New York (NY); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job description

Summary

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York prosecutes cases involving violations of federal laws and represents the interests of the United States government and its agencies in criminal and civil matters. The Office investigates and prosecutes a broad array of criminal conduct of every conceivable magnitude, even when the conduct arises in distant places.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York prosecutes cases involving violations of federal laws and represents the interests of the United States government and its agencies in criminal and civil matters. The Office investigates and prosecutes a broad array of criminal conduct of every conceivable magnitude, even when the conduct arises in distant places.

This position is also being announced to all US Citizens and Nationals under 26-NYS-13065660-DE.

Duties

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Responsibilities

• Responds to victim inquiries via phone, e-mail, letters and fax, providing initial screening of victim concerns, and determining program eligibility for victim-witness services.


• Maintains accurate resource materials that identify available counseling and treatment programs in the jurisdiction.


• Provides information to victims on schedule changes, status of defendants' pleas, results of trial, and whether a defendant is incarcerated and for how long, opportunities to address the court, and post-sentencing notification.


• Coordinates with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as needed, to assist victims with the return of their property being held as evidence, obtaining copies of reports needed for securing services and assistance from other programs.


• Assists Victim-Witness staff and other support staff with logistics of court events by assisting victims and witnesses with issues concerning employers in connection with court appearances, preparing witnesses to testify by explaining processes and procedures and resources available to them, providing information on restitution to AUSAs, and forwarding Victim Impact Statements to U.S. Probation.


• Secures travel and lodging reservations for victims and witnesses and prepares vouchers for payment and reimbursement of expenses.


• Assists with the mailing, emailing and distribution of victim and witness notifications and information.


• Inputs data into applicable databases and produces notification documents using the automated Victim Notification System (VNS).

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

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

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National to apply for this position.


• 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.


• 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.


• A probationary period may be required.


• 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 basic requirement and specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

To Qualify At The GS-8 Level, You Must Possess

Specialized Experience

• Screening victim, witness, client, or customer concerns and determining eligibility for available services;


• Maintaining case tracking or tickler systems and advising program staff of case status and upcoming actions;


• Assisting victims, clients, or customers in obtaining available benefits, services, resources, or referrals;


• Preparing witnesses, clients, or customers for hearings, meetings, or other proceedings by explaining applicable processes, procedures, and available resources;


• Maintaining case files, correspondence, reports, and related records;


• Arranging travel and preparing vouchers or other documentation for payment of authorized expenses.

Typing Proficiency:

To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.)

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).

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS

Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-7 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-8 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).

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 Non-critical Sensitive/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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (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 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.

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.

Special Hiring Authorities for Military Spouse and Family Members: FedsHireVets - OPM.gov

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.

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.

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.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.