ATTORNEY ADVISER (GENERAL) Job in Kirtland AFB, NM

Vacancy No. NM-12818435-AF-T5-025-016 Department Air National Guard Units
Salary $106,527.00 to $138,486.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/16/2025 Close Date 11/10/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Kirtland AFB, NM


Summary

THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION.
NEW MEXICO AIR NATIONAL GUARD
**You may be eligible for a Recruitment OR Relocation incentive per agency's policy.

This National Guard position is for a ATTORNEY ADVISER (GENERAL), Position Description Number T0097000 and is part of the NM 150th Special Operations Wing, National Guard.

Duties

The position is located in the Joint Force Headquarters - State (JFHQ-ST), Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) or the wing staff Office of the Judge Advocate (SJA ). The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the full-time professional legal adviser and support to the Adjutant General, the Commander of federally recognized Army and Air National Guards, and state/territory unique public defense or safety structures or wing commander . In this primary purpose, this position also serves as the full-time professional legal advisor and support to Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and State Equal Employment Opportunity advisors, and subordinate commanders to support the state prevention efforts relating to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse . This position also serves as a professional legal adviser to the United States Property and Fiscal Officer (USPFO), state/territory National Guard senior leadership, state/territory National Guard directorates, and subordinate National Guard commanded units or state/territory level divisions.

  • Acts as a legal adviser and attorney for the state/territory National Guard, responsible for the formulation of state/territory legal policy and its execution legal representation; legal initiatives; interpretation and litigation of U.S. and state/territory(s) constitutional, civil, criminal, labor law; international law and treaty agreements; and a full spectrum of expert legal advice. Acts as a legal adviser and attorney for the state/territory National Guard, responsible for assisting in the formulation of state/territory legal policy pertaining to prevention of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse, while serving as the special legal advisor to the Adjutant General, the Office of Staff Judge Advocate (OSJA), Commands SHARP and SEEM programs.
  • Responsible to advise on the legal, factual, and other impacting aspects of drafting, interpretation and application of legislation, regulation, tasking orders, decision, opinions or other guiding, or lack thereof, instruments associated with emerging or highly conflicted, sensitive and emotionally charged issues relating to sexual crimes, harassment, domestic violence/abuse, and to the prevention and response of sexual crimes, harassment, and domestic violence/abuse. Serves as legal counsel to Adjutant General and Commanders on legislation, regulation, or guidance as to creating protective environments and promoting healthy social norms specific to military communities, which can include advising on any collaborations with local, state, and federal partners such as county health departments, State health departments, schools, the CDC, Department of Education, other government agencies, academia, and/or other industry that can ensure that the military can evaluate and assess the impact of their community-level prevention strategies both in the short and long-term .
  • Serves as the state/territory National Guard litigation point of contact. Represents the state/territory National Guard in all legal matters in state/territory of original or appellate jurisdictions, to include matters pertaining to sexual crimes, sexual harassment, and domestic violence/abuse. Acts as agency counsel for the state/territory National Guard with the National Guard Bureau Office of Litigation and Employment Law Division, Department of Army and Department of Air Force Litigation Divisions, and the Department of Justice, for Federal courts of original or appellate jurisdictions .
  • Serves as an attorney/adviser providing acquisition and fiscal legal advice to the state/territory's assigned United States Property & Fiscal Officer, particularly in the area of emerging requirements in victim support and legal resourcing (the Chief of the National Guard Bureau's agent in the state/territory) and active-duty military advisers. Advises Army National Guard (ARNG) and Air National Guard (ANG) contracting officers, reviews contracts, procurement actions and real property matters involving Federal and state/territory funds (some involving substantial amounts of money) for legal sufficiency, appropriate titling and claim initiation or resolution actions.
  • Acts as the Adjutant General's representative in third-party proceedings under Federal labor-management and equal employment opportunity statutes and regulatory provisions. Represents the state/territory National Guard as a trial attorney on all sexual assault, sexual harassment and domestic violence cases, administrative judges and arbitrators from various appellate bodies including, but limited to, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, the NG Office of Complex Investigations, the Federal Services Impasses Panel and Federal and State Courts.
  • Serves as the state/territory Ethics Adviser. Reviews sensitive financial disclosure statements for General Officers and other key personnel.
  • Performs other duties as required.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
  • May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
  • Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position.
  • This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
  • Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
  • Must either be currently in good standing (certified) with a State Bar or able to obtain certification.
  • Must be a graduate of an ABA-accredited law school.
  • Work may require frequent travel away from the normal duty station on military and commercial aircraft. The work may require the employee to drive a motor vehicle. An appropriate, valid driver?s license may be required for the position.
  • Please see "Additional Information" section regarding NGB's Probationary/ Trial Period.

Qualifications

GENERAL EXPERIENCE: All series personnel must be competent at the next higher level before being eligible for that level. An applicant must have a validated understanding of the basic principles and concepts of the occupational series and grade.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Must have work experiences as a professional Attorney Advisor. Knowledgeable of the Army National Guard mission requirements and Air National Guard mission requirements. Competent in providing legal interpretation and guidance to managers and senior leaders on Title 32 709, United States Code, National Guard Program. Able to recognize and identify complex constitutional, state-federal, and military-civilian jurisidictional issues frequently associated with the organization and administration of the Title 32 National Guard, and articulate them in the appropriate forum or context. Competent in providing legal interpretation and guidance to managers and senior leaders on 10 United States Code, and the state equivalent to the federal Uniform Code of Military Justice. Experienced in addressing legal questions referred by administrative officials of the employing agency, such as questions concerning the interpretation and application of statutes, rules, and regulations as they pertain to contracts, claims, or other legal instruments involving private business, state, local, national, or foreign governments.

Education

Must have Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree in law issued by an ABA-accredited law school; and, must be admitted to practice law in the highest court of any U.S. state, commonwealth, territory or the District of Columbia.

You must provide transcripts or other documentation to support your Educational claims. To receive credit for Education, you must provide documentation of proof that you meet the Education requirements for this position.

Additional information

If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency (Register | Selective Service System : Selective Service System (sss.gov)).

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment Incentives are only authorized to those considered by federal government standards as newly appointed. To be newly appointed it must be the (1) first appointment as an employee of the Federal Government; (2) An appointment of a former employee of the Federal Government following a break in Federal Government service of at least 90 days; or (3) An appointment of an individual in the Federal Government when his or her service in the Federal Government during the 90-day period immediately preceding the appointment was not in a position excluded by § 575.104 and was limited to one or more of the following: (i) A time-limited appointment in the competitive or excepted service; (ii) A non-permanent appointment in the competitive or excepted service; (iii) Employment with the government of the District of Columbia (DC) when the candidate was first appointed by the DC government on or after October 1, 1987; (iv) An appointment as an expert or consultant under 5 U.S.C. 3109 and 5 CFR part 304; (v) Employment under a provisional appointment designated under 5 CFR 316.403; (vi) Employment under an Internship Program appointment under § 213.3402(a) of this chapter; or (vii) Employment as a Senior Executive Service limited term appointee or limited emergency appointee (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 3132(a)(5) and (a)(6), respectively).

Relocation Incentive: An authorized management official approves a relocation incentives paid in accordance with this volume to a current federal employee who must relocate, without a break in service, to accept a position in a different geographic area (as defined in Section 575.205(b) of Title 5, CFR) that is likely to be difficult to fill. Employee must establish a new residence in the new geographical area and maintain residency for the duration of service agreement. Employee must have a current and "Fully Successful" performance appraisal immediately prior to the move.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your resume showing:

  • Contact Information-your name and the best way to contact you.
  • Relevant work experience-include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and describe how you meet the required qualifications of the job. Federal jobs should include series and grade.
  • Education, certifications or licensures.


2. Other supporting documents: Transcripts

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 application/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12818435

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement 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.

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.


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/.

Agency contact information

Jonelle Suina
Address
NM 150th Special Operations Wing
Kirtland AFB
Albuquerque, NM 87117-5875
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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