REFUGEE OFFICER Department of Homeland Security 2,395 reviews - Washington, DC 20005 $56,233 - $106,012 a year - Full-time, Part-time Duties Summary This position of REFUGEE OFFICER starts at a salary of $56,233 GS-09 grade level, step 01, with promotion potential to $106,012 GS-12 grade level, step 10. Responsibilities * The responsibilities described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence, and limited complexity. * Review applications, conduct interviews, and adjudicate requests of applicants for refugee status to determine benefit eligibility and review determine final eligibility to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. * Research immigration laws, policies, and relevant country conditions to analyze testimony, documentation, and credibility to determine eligibility for benefits. * Interpret and apply U.S. immigration laws and policies to make final eligibility determinations and produce written assessments supporting decisions for refugee status. * Review security checks information to identify individuals who are ineligible due to national security or other grounds of inadmissibility. * Work with external federal agencies and non-governmental organizations, and/or private sector stakeholders involved in refugee resettlement. * Screening affidavits to determine eligibility for family reunification refugee cases. * Assist in additional projects as assigned, such as, responding to congressional inquiries, drafting policy documents, statistical analysis of program trends, and review of fraudulent applications and referring for further investigation. Travel Required 75% or less - Frequent travel may be required. Supervisory status No Promotion Potential 12 * Job family (Series) 1801 General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, And Compliance Series * Requirements Requirements Conditions of Employment Probationary Period: You may be required to serve a probationary period of 1 year. The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59pm (Eastern Time) on the closing date of this announcement 07/18/2018. 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. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. 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 Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. 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. * You must submit resume and supporting documentation. * Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service. * Political appointees may require OPM approval before on-boarding. Qualifications GS-09: You qualify at the GS-09 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the following duties: * Assisting individuals applying for refugee, asylum or related benefits by examining documents. * Researching and analyzing appropriate refugee, asylum or other related humanitarian information. * Responding to general inquiries regarding refugee, asylum or other related humanitarian benefits. OR * You may substitute a Master's degree or 2 full years of graduate education leading to such a degree in any field or a J.D. or L.L.B. degree for experience required at the GS-9 grade level. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours. GS-11: You qualify at the GS-11 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. In addition to the requirements of the lower grade level, you must also have experience performing the following duties: * Making final determinations on non-sensitive, routine refugee, asylum or related humanitarian benefit requests that involve interviewing applicants, determining applicant credibility, analyzing evidence, and applying statutory requirements, regulations and judicial and administrative precedents. OR * You may substitute a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent degree) or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in any field, or L.L.M., if related, for experience at the GS-11 grade level. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise three years of graduate study. If that information is not available, use 54 semester or 81 quarter hours. GS-12: You qualify at the GS-12 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. In addition to the requirements of the lower grade level, you must also have experience performing the following duties: * Making final determinations on complex refugee, asylum or other immigration cases involving eligibility for protection and resettlement; researching prohibitions on returning individuals to their country of origin, and refugee benefits. * Writing final determinations with legal analysis to support decisions. Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity. Please be clear and specific when describing your work history as we cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Your application will also be rated and ranked among others based on your responses to the online questions. Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information: * Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job) * Duties (be specific in describing your duties) * Employer's name and address * Supervisor name and phone number * Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g. June 18 2007 to April 05 2008) * Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you've held a federal position. * Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) * Salary Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide the above information may result in a finding of ineligible. Federal Experience: If you are using current or prior federal experience as a basis for qualifying for this position, the grade levels and length of employment (mm/dd/year) at each grade level must be listed in your work history. This information will be further validated if selected for this position. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer 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 criteria 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 service. Please provide the dates and amount of time/hours worked earning this experience. Education COMBINING QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: If you do not qualify based on experience or education alone, you may be able to qualify based on a combination of your experience and education. For more information on combining education and experience, visit the following website: General Schedule Qualification Standards . Training: If you have not already done so, you will be required to attend the residential, paid RAIO Combined Training course and the Division-specific course(s) that relate to this position, at a USCIS training facility. These courses will last approximately seven weeks, and may, in some cases depending on the position, last up to eleven weeks. In addition, if you have not already done so, you will be required to attend the residential, paid BASIC Immigration Officer training program, lasting approximately six weeks, at a USCIS training facility. The trainings 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. Travel: Frequent travel will be required. Circuit rides to overseas locations will last 45-60 days. Domestic circuit rides to Asylum Offices may last more than 60 days. While traveling, a Refugee Officer performs work in a variety of locations, some of which may be physically challenging and may involve working in inhospitable climates, in remote camp settings, or in environments of high security. Political or other unpredictable events may sometimes force sudden adjustments of schedule or work hours. The officer must possess the ability to adjust to unexpected changes in work assignments while maintaining a courteous and professional demeanor. The officer must be physically resilient and flexible enough to adjust to living and working conditions that sometimes involve extreme temperatures, harsh working and living facilities, and long arduous travel. Medical Requirements: You will be required to pass a U.S. Department of State medical examination certifying that you are eligible to complete work assignments worldwide. Medical inoculations may also be required. A Refugee Officer will be required to undergo a periodic physical examination to qualify for deployment to overseas locations where adequate medical care is not always readily available. Vaccinations and other prophylactic measures may be required before traveling to countries with high risk for infectious diseases. Note: * For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here .