Equal Opportunity Specialist

GS-0360-12

INTRODUCTION:

This position is located in an Area or Field Office of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The incumbent is tasked with independently conducting or leading others in the conduct of difficult reviews and investigations of contractors' compliance with applicable equal employment opportunity regulations generally within the geographical area served by the Area or Field Offices. Mission and functional statements for the OFCCP are on file.. Y

DUTIES:

Conducts (typically) difficult reviews and investigations of
contractors' comp liance with applicable equal employment oppor-
tunity regulations; negotiates remedies, and prepares written
reports of findings. Reviews and investigations which the
employee conducts or leads are normally characterized by:
issues of potential systemic discrimination or failure to
develop or make a good-faith effort to implement acceptable
affirmative action plans; need to identify, analyze, and
synthesize voluminous and disparate data into findings of fact;
complex investigative or data collection problems; complicated
and/or deficient personnel systems; and complicated collective
bargaining agreements. The specialist performs the following
assignments;

- Independently conducts or leads others in conducting
difficult compliance reviews, preaward reviews and
complaint investigations. In so doing, routinely
develops strategies for investigation or data collection
and analysis, conciliates issues which are strongly
contested and frequently negotiates with corporate
officials, union officials, and their attorneys, and
drafts remedies for discriminatory practices and other
noncompliance; when necessary, prepares show-cause
notices and recommendations for enforcement action.
These involve analyses and organization of widely
varied types of evidence, such as relevant labor
statistics, personnel files, policy statements,
employment practices data, and results of interviews,
in such a manner that the completed files can be
readily used by attorneys as the basis for complaints,
briefs and other requirements of administrative or
Sudicial proceedings;

2

Identifies systemic discrimination where it exists in contractor organizations based on facts developed through reviews and investigations. Develops and presents evidence of systemic discrimination meeting applicable standards of proof. Identifies and defines persons and classes affected by discrimination, and calculates the extent of their monetary and other losses due to discrimination. Fashions remedies designed to eliminate those losses and to secure the placement of discriminatees in positions they would. hold "but for" discrimination;

- Monitors reports and/or other activities of contractors to ensure their compliance with the terms of conciliation agreements, letters of commitment, consent decrees, and/ or other contractor commitments;

- Provides technical assistance in developing acceptable affirmative action programs to contractors with large or complex operations. Where contractors are found not to have developed and implemented acceptable affirmative action plans as required, such assistance is provided in the context of developing an overall remedial action package which not only assures future compliance, but includes additional commitments required to completely eliminate the effects of the contractor's previous failure to develop and implement acceptable affirmative action programs;

Maintains a current knowledge of developments in equal employment opportunity law and other applicable disciplines, as well as the social and economic characteristics of the relevant labor areas as they relate to equal employment, and organizations and other resources in the various labor areas;

- Establishes and maintains contacts with minority, women's, handicapped, and Vietnam-era veterans' interest groups, community organizations, job training and development organizations, and trade and business organizations in the labor areas served to obtain information on employment trends, eral opportunity problems, and the extent of, or resources for improving contractors' compliance with equal employment opportunity regulations;

Locates, analyzes and develops EEO and workforce data
from various sources as necessary for application in
the conduct of compliance reviews and complaint investi-
gations.

FACTOR 1, Knowledge Required by the Position

Level 1-7, 1250 Points

Knowledge of regulations, guidelines, procedures, and principles of contract compliance, relevant legal and administrative precedents, and skill in factfinding, analysis, and applying the body of contract compliance principles and regulations sufficient to conduct the complete cycle of compliance reviews and complaint investigations. These knowledges and skills include:

་་

Knowledge of the contractual and procurement bases
for equal employment opportunity regulations affecting
Government contractors, knowledge of administrative
procedures under procurement law, and knowledge of
sanctions available for failure to comply with equal
employment or other contractual obligation. Knowledge
sufficient to conduct reviews and negotiate remedies
in cases for which guidelines may include broadly
stated or incomplete procedural manuals;

- Knowledge of requirements and methods for developing,
implementing, and evaluating progress of affirmative
action programs in large or complex contractor
organizations;

- Skills in organizing data and writing clear, comprehensive,
and timely reports from complex and voluminous materials
gathered during compliance reviews and complaint investi-
gations;

- Knowledge of principles of evidence and skill in using
statistical techniques to determine equal employment
opportunity compliance and non-compliance, e.g.,
systemic discrimination;

- Knowledge of employment practices in the private sector
including recruitment and selection, labor relations,
pay and classification, employee relations, personnel
records systems, and other personnel practices;

Knowledge and skill in applying general equal employment opportunity principles and concepts to situations for which specific guidelines are often inadequate or may be subject to various interpretations.

Knowledge of economic conditions, prevalent attitudes
toward equal employment opportunity, and other social
factors that may affect the degree of compliance for a
particular labor area;

- Skill in defining the effects of previous failure to
develop and implement acceptable affirmative action
plans in large or complex contractor organizations and
skill in developing measures which are sufficient to
completely eliminate the effects of past noncompliance
in such contractor organizations, in addition to assur-
ing future compliance with normally applicable
requirements; and

- Skills in identifying failures and reasons for failure
to achieve goals or fulfill commitments made in affirmative
action programs, and skill to assess the degree of good-
faith efforts made by the contractor in cases where goals
were not achieved and whether the imposition of govern-
ment sanctions is warranted.

FACTOR 2, Supervisory Control

Level 2-4, 450 Points

The supervisor assigns contractor facilities to be reviewed, advises on broad objectives to be achieved, policy matters, or significant problems anticipated. The specialist may assist the supervisor in setting priorities for reviews based on his or her knowledge of firms in the geographical

area.

The compliance specialist independently plans each compliance review or complaint investigation. Independently conducts the investigation and prepares proposed findings.

Completed work is reviewed for achievement of objectives and compliance with general policies. Final decisions are made at higher levels, but the specialist's recommendations are generally accepted because they are technically correct.