ATTORNEY-ADVISOR (CONTRACT)

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from U.S. Citizens (U.S. citizenship required at time of application).

1. Provides Advice and Legal Guidance. Advises and provides legal guidance to the Space and Missile Systems Center Commander, Deputies, Contracting Officers, Program Directors, Project Officers, Finance Officers, staff and other personnel concerning legal and related business matters during the various stages of acquisition and procurement management.

2. Renders and generates authoritative written and oral legal opinions. Opinions involve extremely complex and difficult legal problems resulting from the formation and management of contracts.

3. Reviews contractual instruments for legal sufficiency. Reviews for legal sufficiency, highly complex, long term, contractual instruments, solicitations and documents, e.g., contracts for various space and satellite systems, launch and orbital support services, architect and engineering services contracts, training for military and civilian employees on operational phases of space and satellite systems, study and research contracts with educational institutions and Systems Engineering/Technical Direction, and integration contracts with the Aerospace Corporation and other contractors.

4. Reviews and assists in preparation of disputes cases. Interviews witnesses, drafts legal memoranda, affidavits, and other legal documents for the Government and assists the Air Force Trial Attorney, Department of Justice Attorney or U.S. Attorney in preparing and presenting the case for hearing before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and U.S. District Courts.

5. Provides advice and guidance on intellectual property issues. Determines rights of Government in technical data; i.e., drawings, technical data, and reports received from contractors under contracts and from prospective contractors.

6. Serves as a federal government legal representative on panels, boards, committees, reviews, etc. Participates as designated member or legal advisor on acquisition strategy panels, source selection boards, award fee reviews, contracting officer review boards, contractor negotiations, processes for resolution of contract performance and administration issues, and other similar boards, meetings, briefings, panels, or reviews.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• PCS expenses if authorized will be paid IAW JTR and Air Force Regulations. This is a Centrally Managed position under the Legal Career Field
• Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov.
• Employee must be able to obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance required and commensurate with sensitivity level of position
• This position may require drug testing, and the candidate may be subject to passing a drug test upon selection
• Employee must maintain current certifications
• Attorney appointments are subject to serve a one-year trial period.
• Candidates are not required to have active duty service or veterans’ preference to be referred and considered. All qualified candidates who meet the recruitment assessment criteria will be referred to the selecting official.
• Upon completion of your probationary/trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Employee must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, and be currently licensed as an attorney, in active (or equivalent) status and in good standing, with the bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth
• Employee may be required to file an Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, upon appointment and annually thereafter
• Selectee must provide certificate of good standing dated within 4 months of the date of the application. Screen shot is permissible as long as the date obtained is reflected and dated within 4 months of the date of the application
• Relocation costs or other incentives may be available and considered by the organization
• Work may occasionally require travel away from the normal duty station on military or commercial aircraft
• Employee must be able to acquire and retain a Top Secret (TS) clearance with potential Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access in order to fully perform duties and responsibilities

Qualifications

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

• You MUST have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).
• In addition, at the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status and date obtained is reflected and dated within four months of the date of application. A copy of the Bar Card is not acceptable proof of good standing.

A4.1.1. To be eligible for consideration for appointment as an attorney, an applicant must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the ABA. Note: Applicants seeking to use foreign education to meet qualification standards must meet Office of Personnel Management foreign equivalency requirements.
Qualifications Required at GS-14 or GS-15 Level. General requirements set forth under paragraph A4.1. In addition, the attorney shall have professional legal experience in excess of three years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.


KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Ability to provide authoritative legal advice concerning the various stages of contracting, acquisition, and procurement.

2. Ability to render authoritative written and oral legal opinions involving extremely complex and difficult legal problems resulting from the formation and management of contracts.

3 Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

4. Skill in reviewing highly complex, long term, contractual instruments, solicitation documents, etc., for legal sufficiency and protection of the government's interests.

5. Ability to serve as a federal government legal representative on panels, boards, committees, reviews and to support preparation and presentation of disputes cases for hearing before such arbiters as the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, or U.S. District Court, etc.

6. Knowledge of Federal fiscal laws, rules, and regulations.

At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status and in good standing with a bar of the highest court of a State, US commonwealth, US territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status and date obtained must be shown and dated within four months of application. A copy of the Bar Card is not acceptable proof of good standing.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

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, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The resume/documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job.

Applications who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration. Other documents may be required based on the eligibility/eligibilities you are claiming. Click here to view the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide and the required documents you must submit to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming.

1. Online Application: Questionnaire
2. Resume: Your resume may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts. You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume is illegible/unreadable. Additional information on resume requirements can be located under "How To Apply".
3. License: At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status and date stamped within 4 months of the date of application.

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: The VOW Act requires federal agencies to treat an eligible active duty service member as a veteran, disabled veteran, and preference eligible (as applicable) when applying for civil service positions before the effective release or discharge date. Appointment of military members before the release or discharge date is permissible if the member is on terminal leave. At the time the active duty member applies for a civil position, he or she must submit a "certification" memo in lieu of a DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. The certification memo must originate from the member's military service branch on official letterhead and contain the following:

• Name/Rank/Grade of Service Member
• Branch of Armed Forces
• Dates of Active Service (Start and End Date(s)
• Expected Date of Discharge/Release from Active Duty
• Terminal leave start date (if applicable)
• Expected character of service/discharge (honorable/general) and type of separation (i.e. separation or retirement)
• Must be certified within 120 days of anticipated discharge
• Signature by, or by direction of the adjutant, personnel office, unit commander, or higher headquarters commander

NOTE: The VOW Act provides tentative preference. If appointed, a DD Form 214 must be submitted upon receipt.

NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE:
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 to their submissions.

Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim Veterans Preference must submit VOW certification memo or copy of the official DD Form 214, which must include the character of service, and 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 www.opm.gov.)

NOTE: Applicants for attorney appointments do not require veterans' preference in order to be eligible for consideration.

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