VICTIM ADVOCATE

Duties

• You will serve as a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Victim Advocate (VA), facilitating care and providing non-clinical support to adult victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment.
• You will assess safety concerns, inform victims of available reporting options and resources, encourage self advocacy, establish short and long-term goals for sexual assault recovery, and facilitate referrals.
• You will serve as an advocate for the expressed interests of victims with all intervening agencies to include law enforcement, medical, and legal.
• You will explain the restricted and unrestricted reporting options available to a victim, including the exceptions and/or limitations for victims' privileges under Military Rules of Evidence 514, and their rights and responsibilities as a victim.
• You will conduct risk assessments of victims to determine their immediate needs, and evaluate safety concerns and levels of risk.
• You will accompany victims to appointments, investigator interviews, and civilian and military court proceedings, as appropriate and when requested by the victim
• You will assist the installation Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) in the development and delivery of comprehensive sexual harassment training
• You will capture service delivery outputs in the Fleet and Family Services Management Information System (FFSMIS)
• You will provide 24/7 support by serving on the SAPR watch bill
• You will assist the SARC in coordinating the services that victims receive from various agencies including medical, legal, mental health, and investigative services
• You will facilitate care to include crisis intervention, when necessary and provide referrals and non-clinical support to the adult victims of sexual assault.
• You will thoroughly explain to the victim each of the reporting options available to him or her, including the exceptions or limitations on use applicable to each, while ensuring victims are informed of their rights
• You will maintain appropriate follow-up contact and assist the victim with prioritizing actions and establishing short- and long-term goals related to recovery from sexual assault
• You will accompany the victim to appointments and civilian and military court proceedings, as appropriate and when requested by the victim
• You will consult regularly with the SARC and will be directly accountable to the SARC for all SAPR cases
• You will attend the monthly Sexual Assault Case Management Group (SACMG) meetings in order to advocate on behalf of the victim and to ensure the victim's needs are met.
• You will assist the SARC with the development and coordination of installation SAPR prevention and public awareness campaigns and local events
• You will conduct trainings on sexual assault prevention and response, as required
• You will assist SARC in incident data collection and reporting requirements

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
• Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain a current valid United States driver's license.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• You will complete, obtain, and maintain Defense Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program (D-SAACP) certification
• You will comply with DoD Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program (D-SAACP) policy guidelines and complete initial and ongoing certification training requirements
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
• This position is subject to work an uncommon tour, including nights, weekends, and holidays to meet mission requirements. Overtime or night differential pay and/or unusual duty hours may be required

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience providing non-clinical support to adult victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment;
• Experience applying primary prevention principles, sexual assault dynamics, and local social services delivery systems, concepts, principles and theories and community resources for sexual assault, victim advocacy, and the prevention and response to provide one-one-one victim advocacy assistance and information to sexual assault victims;
• Experience working with military and civilian medical, social service, law enforcement and legal personnel on behalf of sexual assault victims;
• Experience using software applications, such as Microsoft Office suite to enter, collect and organize data, prepare reports, compose written reports and develop information;
• Experience employing interpersonal skills and professional, verbal, and written communication methods and techniques to build trust and develop supportive relationships with military personnel and families of diverse backgrounds (racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic), sexual orientation, and gender identities;
• Experience employing various methods and techniques typical of a sexual harassment victim advocate program, including crisis intervention, situational assessment, and analyzing the needs of the victim to provide support and/or assistance to them in the resolution of complex problems; AND
• Experience using virtual video conferencing and training platforms, and various training methods and techniques to develop and deliver presentations and training

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work is primarily sedentary; however, the incumbent will be required to climb ladders and walk on uneven surfaces when conducting business in a shipboard environment or shore based office. Incumbent may be required to carry training and display materials between installation locations, setup training spaces, and lift/transport boxes weighing up to 25 pounds

WORK ENVIRONMENT : Work is performed in a normal office setting that is well-lighted, ventilated, and heated; and in ashipboard environment that involves normal everyday low risks or discomforts.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

Education

Applicants must meet the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual: Applicants must possess

Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position

OR

Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

OR

Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: Applicants may substitute the following education for the required experience, provided it demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position:

Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a related discipline appropriate to the position

OR

Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be combined to meet the total qualification requirements.

NOTE: You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

Additional information

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Several vacancies may be filled.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: .

Veteran's preference does not apply when selecting individuals under this specific hiring authority. However, if you claim veteran's preference, you will be required to submit supporting documentation with your application as described in the Required Documents section below.