Victim Witness Specialist

Full Job Description

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

To be qualified at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience; Education; OR a Combination of Specialized Experience and Education.

Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least work at the GS-09 level in Federal service, which has equipped you with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience is defined as experience performing following types of duties: communicating with victims and witnesses to assess their needs; providing routine resource referrals to crime victims, their families, and witnesses; assisting victims by serving as a liaison with prosecutors; and supporting outreach and collaboration efforts with local, state, and Federal law enforcement, Federal investigative victim specialists, community organizations, and social service agencies.

OR Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice; Criminology; Law; or Social Work): a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree; OR three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.M.

Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: A combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate education as described above may be used to meet total qualification requirements.

In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of two full years.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

If your Department of Justice component 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 receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria.

You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application.

Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Major Duties:

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team to serve as a Victim Witness Specialist for the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Northern District of New York (NDNY) providing direct assistance and liaison services to crime victims and witnesses to facilitate prosecutions.

Typical work assignments will include: Victim and Witness Assistance - Assessing the need for assistance, identifying resources, and providing referrals to crime victims, their families, and witnesses that may include crisis intervention, medical treatment, legal rights, emergency housing, employment services, and transportation assistance.

Assisting United States Assistant Attorneys (AUSAs) in locating victims and witnesses, assessing their ability to testify in court proceedings, and making recommendations about potential challenges to successful court appearances.

Assisting victims and witnesses to deliver testimony and prepare victim impact statements.

Providing in-court support to victims and witnesses during and prior to hearings and trials, including courtroom orientation prior to testimony, facilitating consultations with AUSAs, and assessing safety concerns.

Providing victims and witnesses with information about the criminal justice process and court proceedings, facilitating their understanding and expectations of the criminal process.

Informing victims and witnesses of their rights under Federal law and assists victims with exercising those rights throughout the prosecution and of significant case events, such as charged offenses, trial, verdict, sentence, and probable date of release if the offender is convicted and confined.

Informing victims of the various means to seek financial restitution and assisting them in completing required documents to access victim assistance funding or needed services.

Collaboration with Law Enforcement, Victim Specialists, and Social Service Providers - Developing and maintaining relationships with law enforcement, victim specialists, and social service organizations at the local, state, and federal level to increase resources and services to serve crime victims and witnesses.

Researching and developing partnerships that provide medical, psychological, legal, financial, shelter, childcare, and employment services.

Coordinating with law enforcement and victim service providers to establish new victim assistance plans and share information on programs and services.

Serving as a district representative on local, state, and national task forces, committees, and working groups for victim issues.

Community Outreach - Conducting victim assistance workshops, seminars, presentations, and meetings with law enforcement personnel, Federal investigative agency victim specialists, state and local officials, and members of community organizations.

Developing presentations tailored to different audiences based on specific communication needs and appropriate communication approaches, informational materials, and program literature.

Speaking to public, civic, industry, and special interest groups about victim issues to develop and improve assistance programs.

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