ATTORNEY-ADVISER (GENERAL) (T5) Job in East Greenwich, RI

Vacancy No. RI-12623475-RIANG-25-013 Department Army National Guard Units
Salary $119,355.00 to $155,164.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 2/27/2025 Close Date 3/6/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
East Greenwich, RI


Summary

THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION.

This National Guard position is for a ATTORNEY-ADVISER (GENERAL) (T5), PD# T0097000 and is part of the RI Joint Force Headquarters. 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.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Open to on-board Rhode Island National Guard T-32 and T-5 employees or currently serving and retired members of the Rhode Island National Guard only.

Duties

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. Primary coordinator and advisor in the OSJA pertaining to military justice/adverse actions that are initiated against alleged offenders. Serves as the primary point of contact for outside entities and stakeholders, including Special Victims' Counsel, Defense Services, the SARC and the SEEM Manager preventing future harm to victims by ensuring the proper procedures are implemented and followed and that justice and adverse actions are administered properly. Assignments include some of the most diverse, complex, difficult, and novel legal issues found in the emerging area of victims' right law and is responsible for the formulation of state/territory legal policy and its execution in the area of sexual assault accountability, prevention, and response; sexual harassment; domestic abuse and lines of duty and medical discharges for Army and Air personnel. Responsible for advising and providing legal sufficiency reviews of Adjutant General and other senior leaders messages of sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention methods in formal and informal settings, and the review of any implementation of DoD policy or guidance related to competencies leaders must have related to overseeing prevention. Included in this duty is to assist the Adjutant General, after any required coordination with the National Guard (NG) Special Victims' Counsel Program , in publishing the accountability actions taken associated with substantiated allegations of sexual assault, domestic sexual abuse, and sexual harassment (both formal complaints and violations of the UCMJ), and to coordinate with local law enforcement, prosecutors, and MCIOs to track cases of sexual assault involving National Guard perpetrators or victims, and to provide legal support to staff elements whose duties include sexual assault accountability, prevention, and response, including retaliation and reprisal. When issues and inquiries arise from the media, congressional, IG and other outside entities (including SVC), incumbent does the research, gathers relevant information, and drafts responses on behalf the organization, coordinating with other staff elements as appropriate. Acts as expert legal counsel for medical evaluation boards (MEB), physical evaluation board process, and lines of duty (LOD) for Army and Air personnel. Responsible for legal counsel to the Adjutant General and Commanders on any public or private sector collaborations to develop definitions for essential primary prevention competencies for leaders and performs legal review of any associated policy and guidance for evaluation guidance as to prevention. Assist the command in 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. In addition, the position is responsible for 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. Assignments include some of the most diverse, complex, difficult and emerging legal issues found in any area of law, to include: home land security, emergency response, sovereignty, state/territory compacts, fiscal and contract law, civil affairs, employer support, military statute and administrative law (Federal & state/territory), non-military employment law (Federal & state/territory),administrative law, environmental law and emerging areas of law, i.e. domestic operations, intelligence law, weapons of mass destruction emergency response and assistance to civil authorities, etc. Counsel provided covers the full spectrum of legal and organizational concerns, frequently involving the most politically and legally substantive, sensitive, and privileged issues faced by senior public sector leaders.
Performs other duties as required.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
  • Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
  • If coming from the Competitive Service, transfer into an Excepted Service position is mandatory. Once placed in the position incumbent will no longer be in the Competitive Service.
  • 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. 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.
  • Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day.
  • The duties of your job may significantly impact the environment. You are responsible to maintain awareness of your environment as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements and your organization.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration. This designation will not exceed 14 calendar days per year unless otherwise approved in advance by the TAG.
  • Civilian attorneys practicing law as NGB, and NG employees must be active members of the bar of the highest court of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia.

Qualifications

GENERAL EXPERIENCE: Active membership in the bar of the highest court of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: More than two years of professional legal experience that is equal to the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Education

You must meet the following Education requirement to qualify for this position.

  • Assignments require the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.)

You must provide transcripts or other documentation to support your Educational claims in English. 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)).

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 meet the Area of Consideration and are minimally qualified (determined the Specialized Experience in the Qualification Standards), 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. The position's job analysis and credit plan's ranking factors are knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that are expected to significantly enhance performance in a position; however, are not essential for satisfactory performance. Applicants who possess such competencies are ranked above those who do not; but no one is rated ineligible solely for failure to possess all defined competencies. Basic Eligibility - all ELIGIBLE candidates are referred following the rules found in 5 CFR 302.304 (b)(5). When candidates have been rated only for basic eligibility, agencies must enter the names of all applicants rated eligible on the appropriate list in the following order.

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of 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 (for example, 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. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at.)

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
Decision Making, Integrity/Honesty, Legal, Government and Jurisprudence, and Reasoning

Required Documents

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

MANDATORY:

  • Resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates (including Month and Year, e.g., 02/2017, Feb 2017, etc.) of employment and duties performed.
  • Assessment Questionnaire
  • Official Transcripts
  • Certificate from a State agency demonstrating that they have active membership in the bar of the highest court of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia and are permitted to engage in the active practice of law

OTHER DOCUMENTION:
  • NGB 22 (Required for retired RING members)
  • SF 15 (Required if claiming Veteran's Preference)
  • Veterans' Preference supporting documentation (Required if claiming Veteran's Preference)
  • SF50 (Required if prior Federal service)
  • Performance Appraisal (Required if a current Federal employee)
  • OF 306
  • Professional certificates
  • Cover letter

Other supporting documents, such as college transcript(s) if qualifying based on education, must be submitted in English. Failure to submit the required documentation will result in automatic disqualification. Please ensure your resume accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities under each position you have held with each employer. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. It is your responsibility to make sure your resume states complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/YYYY; and total hours worked per week). If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position.

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/12623475

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

Christina Petrone
Address
RI Joint Force Headquarters
Joint Force Headquarters
2841 South County Trail
East Greenwich, RI 02818
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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