Victim Witness Specialist

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys•Sacramento, CA

About The Position

This position is for a Victim Witness Specialist within the Department of Justice, United States Attorneys' Offices. The role involves providing a variety of services to crime victims, their families, and witnesses, including identifying resources, providing referrals, offering information on case progress, providing in-court support, speaking to groups about victims' issues, collaborating with law enforcement and social service providers, responding to victim inquiries, assessing concerns, determining program eligibility, assisting with applications for funding and services, coordinating victim notifications and restitution claims, and conducting workshops and presentations. Responsibilities will increase in complexity as training and experience progress. The salary for this position contains multiple steps, and typically the minimum salary for the selected grade is offered.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication (fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing).
Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
May be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
Must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of the announcement.
Specialized experience must be described in your resume and clearly define any and all specialized experience.
GS-9 Level Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience assisting with ongoing victim-witness communication needs; supporting victim advocacy communication and/or legal advocacy programs; collaboration with law enforcement personnel and/or social service organizations; and conducting and/or or providing assistance with workshops, seminars, presentations, and/or meetings.
GS-9 Level Education: A LL.B. or J.D. degree (if related), OR a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or higher, OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a closely related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Social Work, Psychology, Sociology).
GS-9 Level Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year.
ICTAP eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees may receive selection priority if they meet specific criteria.
CTAP eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice may receive selection priority if they meet specific criteria.
All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
If male and born after December 31, 1959, must certify registration with Selective Service or exemption.

Responsibilities

Identifying resources and providing referrals to crime victims, their families, and witnesses.
Providing information to victims on schedule changes, status of defendant's pleas, and results of trial.
Providing in-court support to victims and witnesses during and prior to hearings and trials.
Speaking to public, civic, industry and special interest groups on victim's issues.
Collaborating with law enforcement personnel, Federal investigative agency victim specialists and social service providers.
Responding to victim inquiries, assessing concerns, and determining program eligibility for victim-witness services.
Assisting crime victims in completing applications and required documents to access victim assistance funding or needed services.
Coordinating and managing victim notifications, restitution claims, and other pertinent case information.
Conducting victim assistance workshops, seminars, and presentations.
Reviewing literature on victim witness issues.