Summary
About the Position: This position is located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.
If you are currently serving in a permanent, competitive service appointment in the Federal service, and are selected for this position, the appointment will remove you from the competitive service while you occupy this position.
Duties
- Serves as an Ethics Counselor for the Command and oversees the Command Ethics Program.
- Renders opinions regarding gifts, relations with non-federal entities (NFEs) and private organizations (POs), fundraising activities, post-government employment, conflicts of interest, and related ethics issues.
- Analyzes fact patterns for a determination of potential or actual conflicts of interest, or appearances of same to other ethics counselors within the command and located at other installations.
- Serves as the command’s subject matter expert for the Command’s Ethics Program, guiding upwards of 20 appointed ethics counselors.
- Manages the Department of the Army (DA) Financial Disclosure Management (FDM) Program in accordance with the law and regulations.
- Manages the command’s Confidential and Public Financial Disclosure programs, supporting over 4,000 OGE Forms 450 and 278 filers.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
- A two year trial/probationary period may be required.
- This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance for access for the duration of employment.
- This position may require the incumbent to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278e) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) upon entry, and annually thereafter in accordance with DoD Directive 5500-7-R.
- This position requires the incumbent to maintain an active bar membership that permits the representation of the Federal Government in the courts of their jurisdiction to the extent that private practice attorneys are able to for their clients.
- Ensures filers are identified, reports are timely filed, and all filers are trained in accordance with the JER and Agency directives.
Qualifications
Who May Apply: Current and former Federal employees and US Citizens.
Applicants will be evaluated to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the position. KSA's:
- Skill in identifying and researching highly technical and complex legal issues.
- Skill in providing legal, technical, and policy guidance.
- Ability to effectively, professionally, and ethically manage a heavy caseload of clients with complex legal needs.
Qualification Requirements: The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:
1) Education: Assignments require the first professional law degree (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctorate (J.D.)). Applicants for initial appointment into attorney positions must be graduates of law schools accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of the applicant's graduation. The Army General Counsel may make an exception upon a showing that a candidate possesses superior qualifications and that no well-qualified candidates from accredited law schools are available.
2) Bar Membership: Applicants must be active members in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of a State, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
3) Professional Legal Experience
NH-03: Applicants must possess 2 years of professional legal experience after admission to the bar commensurate with the duties of the position. The Attorney Qualifying Authority may grant an exception to this requirement when an applicant possess special qualifications.
NH-04: Applicants must possess more than 3 years of professional legal experience after admission to the bar commensurate with the duties of the position.
4) Time in Grade (current Federal employees): Candidates selected for advancement will normally have completed at least one year of service that is one grade lower than the position to be filled. The selecting official may request a waiver of the one year requirement in cases where hardship or inequity exists.
NOTICE OF VETERAN'S PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") to their submissions.
Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference", and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. The SF 15 will identify the supporting documentation required along with the list of the types of 10-point preference. The SF 15 is available from the OPM at https://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/sf/.
Education
Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application package (resume and supporting documents) will be evaluated for basic qualification requirements and for the skills needed to perform the duties of the position, as described in this vacancy announcement and identified by the Selecting Official.
NOTICE OF INTERNAL CANDIDATE PREFERENCE: Army Materiel Command Internal Candidates will be afforded preference.
There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service, however the principles of veteran's preference will be followed to the extent that is administratively feasible.
Required Documents
The following documents are required at the time of application:
Your resume:
- Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
- Applicants must list the bar(s) of the State(s), territories, or Districts of which they are active members in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar).
- If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
- For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
- For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
Applicants selected for interview must submit the following documents within 14 days of request:
- Official transcript of the applicant's law school record.
- Official statement of the applicant's standing in law school class. If the applicant's law school does not rank students, and the transcript does not explain that the school does not rank students, the applicant needs to submit an official statement from the school confirming the practice.
- Good Standing Certificate: Official certificate showing the applicant is in good standing with a state bar, dated within three months (before or after) of the date the application is submitted. Good standing status must permit the applicant to engage in the active practice of law in at least one State or jurisdiction in which they are licensed. Active status authorizes an attorney who is a member in good standing to immediately practice law before the highest court of the licensing authority.
- Fitness to Practice Statement: A sworn statement by the candidate that their fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction or; if either has been challenged, a sworn statement giving the facts, circumstances, and any other explanation that the applicant considers appropriate. As an alternative to a sworn statement, a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on (date) (your signature)." The statement must be dated within 3 months (before or after) of the date the application is submitted.
- References: Contact information for three licensed attorneys, preferably prior or current supervisors/employers, who are willing to serve as references for the applicant.
- SF-50 (Federal Civilian Attorneys): Submit a copy of your SF-50 showing when you were appointed to your current position.
- Judge Advocate Candidates: Submit a copy of your orders, or other suitable documentation with a separation/retirement date from your respective Armed Forces branch. This document must be provided within 14 days of a request, unless you receive a waiver from the AMC Command Counsel.
- Writing Sample: Examples of writing skills as demonstrated by legal briefs, memorandum, and/or letters. Regardless of the number of writing samples submitted, the page count of all writing samples combined cannot exceed 10 pages in length. Extracts of selected sections of larger documents are acceptable.
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/24/2024 to receive consideration
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12390885).
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
- It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
- Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Next steps
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.
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