Posted June 22, 2026
Paralegal Specialist
National Security Division
Washington, D.C.
Full Time
Compensation: $70,623 to $111,087 Annually
Reference: NationalSecurityDivision873234400
NSD is responsible for developing, enforcing, and supervising the application of all federal criminal laws related to the national counterterrorism and counter espionage enforcement programs; and litigating and coordinating a wide range of prosecutions and criminal investigations targeting individuals and organizations that commit or attempt to commit terrorist acts in the U.S. or against U.S. persons or interests abroad, or that assist in the financing of or providing support for those acts. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements, please see the statements below.
Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from accredited institution.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. The purpose of this position is to serve as a Paralegal Specialist, providing paralegal support to one or more NSD attorneys engaged in national security litigations related to counterterrorism and counter-espionage matters including Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) related work. Paralegal support and legal research assignments require significant knowledge of legislative and judicial decisions, opinions, determinations, and rulings of cases relevant to intelligence, terrorism, espionage and FISA issues. Legal knowledge required is less than that represented by graduation from a recognized law school.
A Paralegal Specialist at full performance level will perform duties such as:
To qualify for a GS-9 position you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector:
Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.
After you submit your application, you will receive notification indicated whether or not the USA Hire assessment is required. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement 06/22/2026 to complete the assessment which is part of your application.
Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from accredited institution.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. The purpose of this position is to serve as a Paralegal Specialist, providing paralegal support to one or more NSD attorneys engaged in national security litigations related to counterterrorism and counter-espionage matters including Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) related work. Paralegal support and legal research assignments require significant knowledge of legislative and judicial decisions, opinions, determinations, and rulings of cases relevant to intelligence, terrorism, espionage and FISA issues. Legal knowledge required is less than that represented by graduation from a recognized law school.
A Paralegal Specialist at full performance level will perform duties such as:
- Performing administrative support to assist attorneys with daily operations.
- Designing user applications to meet specific automation needs.
- Maintain familiarity with the section's processes including case tracking and reporting
- Monitoring pending cases to maintain timely submission of legal filings.
To qualify for a GS-9 position you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector:
- Contributing in a team acting as the intersection of the prosecution and the law enforcement community; AND
- Collaborating with other paralegals to provide support to prosecuting attorneys working for the city, state, military, or federal level. OR
- Possess a Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR
- 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR
- Possess an LL.B. or J.D., if related OR
- Have a combination of education and experience
- Independently acting as the intersection between the law enforcement community and the criminal prosecution team serving the city, state, military, or federal government; AND
- Independently supporting criminal prosecution attorneys on the city, state, military, or federal level while ensuring confidential and critical case elements remain protected. OR
- Possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR
3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR - Possess an LL.M., if related OR
- Possess a combination of education and experience
Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.
After you submit your application, you will receive notification indicated whether or not the USA Hire assessment is required. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement 06/22/2026 to complete the assessment which is part of your application.
