Supervisory Asylum Officer

Summary

Protect your homeland and defend your culture. Join USCIS, America’s frontline defense against illegal foreign infiltration and fraud.

As a Supervisory Asylum Officer, you will supervise a team of Asylum Officers, observe Asylum Officer interviews, review proposed adjudications to ensure that an appropriate level of quality is maintained, complete performance evaluations, and initiate appropriate personnel actions when necessary.

Duties

• Supervise individuals who make eligibility determinations on complex and highly sensitive affirmative applications for asylum, NACARA, and terminations, including those involving national security concerns and emerging areas of immigration law.
• Oversee the screening and adjudications of individuals indicating a credible fear during the expedited removal process, including final review of Asylum Officer determinations on credible and reasonable fear cases.
• Conduct supervisory reviews to ensure that asylum benefits and other services are being granted appropriately and that an appropriate level of quality in interviewing, case write-ups, and out-processing is achieved and maintained.
• Prepare plans, reports, and analyses of the asylum benefits operation – to include reviewing individual and program performance, and taking action to ensure compliance with established requirements, goals, standards, and objectives.
• Advise and plan the work to be accomplished by subordinates based on priorities and difficulty of work assignments.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to apply for this position Successfully pass a Background Investigation including financial disclosure You must pass a drug screening Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service Political appointees may require OPM approval before on-boarding USCIS applies the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 to its telework program This position IS NOT considered “essential” for purposes of reporting to work when the facility might otherwise be closed.
• Residency Requirement: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
• This residency requirement states that candidates must have, for three of the last five years immediately prior to applying for this position; (1) resided in the United States; OR (2) worked for the United States Government as an employee overseas in a Federal or Military capacity, OR (3) been a dependent of a U.S. Federal or Military employee serving overseas.
• Supervisory/Managerial Probationary Period: You may be required to serve a twelve-month probationary period upon appointment to this position.
• You may also be required to complete an appropriate supervisory training course within one year of assignment to this position.

Education

EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION: There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Training: If you have not already done so, you will be required to attend any training that relates to this position as required by the agency. This training may last multiple weeks and may be held in-person or virtually. The training must be completed successfully according to the standards of the agency.

Failure to do so will be grounds for mandatory removal from the position. Such failure will result in either reassignment to a different position, demotion, or separation by appropriate procedures.

Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP): Per 5 CFR 576.202, An employee who receives a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) and later accepts employment for compensation with the Government of the United States within 5 years of the date of the separation on which the VSIP is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, must repay the entire amount of the VSIP to the agency that paid it (proof of payment is required) before the individual’s first day of reemployment.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Common definitions for hiring terms found in this announcement.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Customer service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal skills Problem solving Resilience Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12976129. Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) Eligible: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP eligible.

View information about CTAP eligibility on OPM’s Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under CTAP, you must be placed in the Well-Qualified category for this position, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement.

Special Employment Consideration: The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707.

Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs.

To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Note: Applicants who are referred to the hiring office for selection consideration may be required to complete a writing sample and/or other writing exercise as part of the interview/selection process.

If the hiring office decides to request a writing sample and/or other writing exercise as part of its selection process, a designated contractor or Agency representative will contact you to: (1) inform you of this requirement; and (2) provide further instructions.

Benefits

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays.

Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities.

For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select “Benefits.” Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service- connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

Required Documents

• Resume: You must submit a resume that clearly demonstrates you have experience that meets the requirements of this position as outlined in the “Qualifications” section.
• Limit your resume to no more than two pages.
• The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
• To help ensure your resume remains clear and easy to read, we recommend using margins of at least 0.8 inches and a font size of at least 11 point.
• Your responses to the job questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12976129, which are submitted through the on-line application process in USAJOBS, DO NOT need to be attached as an additional document to your application. Are you a veteran?
• You must provide acceptable documentation of your preference or appointment eligibility.
• The member 4 copy of your DD214, “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty,” is preferable.
• If claiming 10 point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF-15), “Application for 10-point Veterans’ Preference.” If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification.
• This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions.
• View more veterans’ information.
• Are you a current or former Federal employee?
• Submit a copy of your official SF-50* (no text version) or other official “Notification of Personnel Action” document that shows the following information: your appointment in the competitive service tenure grade and step full performance level If your SF-50(s)* does not provide the information needed to make a final determination for qualification, you will be found ineligible for the position.
• SF-50B print screens from NFC are not official documents and are not acceptable.
• This includes USCIS employees as well.
• All current DHS employees can print their own SF-50’s* by accessing the DHS eOPF website.
• If you have forgotten your user name or password, eOPF offers a self-service feature to assist you.
• If you are a current CIS employee and need access information to eOPF, contact USCIS.EOPF@uscis.dhs.gov.
• For all other agencies please see your servicing Human Resources Office.
• If your SF-50* is not yet available in eOPF please provide an email from HR or a letter including the information requested above and HR will tentatively accept that as documentation.
• You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and or incentive awards.
• If you are a Federal employee and have received a current performance rating, it is strongly encouraged that a copy accompanies your application submission.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)?
• Submit: a copy of your agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50*, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee?
• Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50*, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent appointment: Position title Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee) Agency Beginning and ending dates of appointment * A General Adjustment, Detail, Any Award (Cash, Time Off, Performance, etc.) or Realignment SF-50 may NOT have the information needed.