Benefits Advisor-Bilingual (College Graduate)

Duties

Major Duties for this GS-0301-09 position include, but are not limited to:

• Provide information, guidance, and assistance to plan administrators, plan service providers, participants, beneficiaries, the general public and other government agencies concerning provisions of ERISA and other related statutes, regulations, and Department published guidance; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
• Assist participants and beneficiaries in obtaining benefits to which they are entitled but which they have not been able to secure from plan officials.
• Develop complex recoveries and referrals per EBSA's standard operating procedures.
• Explain the law, regulations or other guidance and work with employers to informally resolve benefit issues; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
• Conduct research, fact-finding, analyze data, and prepare and present information about particular situations.
• Identify and develop responses to inquiries.
• Review eligibility or entitlement to benefits with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
• Identify potential criminal or civil disputes that require formal investigation, or situations where it appears that a fiduciary violation of law has occurred, and develop investigative referrals; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
• Educate individuals on their rights and responsibilities under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and other related laws enforced by EBSA.
• Assist with planning and conducting outreach events; disseminate information related to ERISA employee benefits plan protections and retirement savings education; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
• Gather information so that agencies can determine how well programs and activities are meeting established needs and goals.
• Maintain agency databases and systems with information that is used to generate reports supporting both policy and budget decisions; with supervisory/senior advisor assistance.
  
  

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Benefits Advisor (Foreign Language)- regularly use specific foreign language translation skills in performing duties listed above and on a as needed basis to assist other office staff; receives assignments involving people who may communicate in native foreign language and unable to communicate effectively using English language.

Languages the specific regions are looking for:

Atlanta/Plantation: Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese

Boston: Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese

Chicago: Spanish, Polish, Mandarin, Arabic

Cincinnati/Fort Wright: Spanish, Arabic, German, Mandarin

Dallas: Spanish, Vietnamese, French

Kansas City: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, German

Pasadena: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog

New York: Spanish, Russian, French Creole.

Philadelphia: Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin

San Francisco: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog

Seattle: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be able to speak/read/write English AND 1 of listed foreign languages.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
  
  

This appointment is made under the noncompetitive College Graduate hiring authority. To be eligible an applicant must have received a baccalaureate or graduate degree within the past two years or will be earning such degree no later than 90 days after the closing date of this announcement. Or in the case of an individual who has completed a period of not less than four years of intervening obligated service in a uniformed service, not later than two years after the date on which the individual was released or discharged from that uniformed service.

We are filling bilingual vacancies only. For the bilingual vacancies, applicants will be required to self-certify proficiency in Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese, Polish, Arabic, German, French, Tagalog, Russian, OR French Creole by responding to a foreign language question which will be used to determine initial language proficiency. Applicants who are otherwise qualified and referred must satisfactorily complete an interview to demonstrate their foreign language proficiency in order to be considered for appointment.

Notification Concerning COVID-19 Vaccinations. As required by

Currently, implementation and enforcement of Executive Order 14043 has been suspended pursuant to an injunction pending further litigation.

Qualifications

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service or meet the education requirement or have an equivalent combination of education and experience. Specialized experience is experience in or directly related to the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Applicants will be required to self-certify proficiency in English AND at least one foreign language listed by responding to a foreign language question which will be used to determine initial language proficiency and also meet the specialized experience or education listed below. Applicants who are otherwise qualified and referred must satisfactorily complete an interview to demonstrate their foreign language proficiency in order to be considered for appointment.

For the GS-9 level, Applicants must possess 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-07, in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience:

• Experience working in a customer service environment providing technical information, guidance, and assistance that demonstrates both written and oral communication skills.
• Experience that demonstrates the ability to provide educational information and outreach activities.
• Experience that provided knowledge of laws, policies, regulations, and precedents.
• Experience in fact-finding research, analyzing data, reviewing requirements and providing determinations based on the information.
  
  

OR

2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree, in a related field of study that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work;

OR

LL.B. or J.D., if related.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click

Additional information

This job is not 100% telework; it requires employee to report on a regular basis to their assigned office location.

Position Telework eligibility is determined by management based on position duties during the recruitment process. Employee participation in telework on a routine or situational basis is determined by management primarily based on business needs. Employees participating in telework are subject to the terms and conditions of the Department of Labor’s Telework Program.

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflect the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and model a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

Refer to these links for more information:

• This position is inside the Bargaining Unit (BU).
• Additional selections may be made using this announcement if more vacancies are approved to fill.
• 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. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.