You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For the GS-09, you must have one year specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level that is directly related to the position and has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is: Leading a small component of a team, program, or project; AND Communicating with customers internally and externally to provide information and resolve issues; AND Applying and researching rules, regulations, policies, and practices to gather facts, and draw conclusions and/or make recommendations. OR You may qualify with a Master's or equivalent degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree that demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work OR a LL.B or J.D, in a field related to this position; (attach a copy of your transcript or list of college courses designating semester or quarter hours earned to ensure proper credit) OR You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 18 semester hours may be combined with experience. Credit will be given for partial experience so long as specialized experience and or required education or training meet or exceed the minimum level required for the position. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following requirements, if applicable (as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F): Time-in-Grade: For the GS-09, you must have been at the GS-07 level for 52 weeks. Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment.