ATTORNEY-ADVISOR (INTERNATIONAL) Job in Arlington, VA

Vacancy No. DE-12768979-25-MCJ Department U.S. Marine Corps
Salary $167,603.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/24/2025 Close Date 7/30/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Arlington, VA


Summary

This is a public notice flyer to notify interested applicants of anticipated vacancies. Applications will not be accepted through this flyer. Interested applicants must follow the directions in the "How to Apply" section of this flyer to be considered. There may or may not be actual vacancies filled from this flyer. Notice of Result letters will not be sent to applicants who respond to this flyer.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

Duties

  • You will provide advice directly to the SJA to CMC, HQMC staff, and officials of other organizations on matters including the international law of war issues.
  • You will provide advise on the handling of POWs, the legality of weapons, and war crimes investigations.
  • You will serve as principal legal advisor to the JNLWD regarding the legality of non-lethal weapons.
  • You will conduct comprehensive legal reviews of all Marine Corps weapons systems to ensure compliance with US and international law.
  • You will advise on implementing and interpreting international agreements; draft/negotiate agreements.
  • You will prepare legal opinions and advice on a wide range of international law matters (laws of war, treaty law, foreign legal systems, etc.).
  • You will draft and review Rules of Engagement (ROE).
  • You will participate in DoD and Marine Corps committees focused on the law of war and information operations.
  • You will provide legal advice on international agreements, statutes, and Marine Corps orders related to personnel status in foreign countries, international claims, law of the sea, intelligence oversight, and citizenship.
  • You will interpret international and military law related to Marine Corps operations and policies.
  • You will draft and negotiate treaties and international agreements, representing the Marine Corps' interests.
  • You will review proposed legislation and regulations affecting international law activities.
  • You will assist in drafting domestic legislation, executive orders, and Marine Corps publications related to international law.
  • You will participate in DoD and Marine Corps committees focused on the law of war and information operations.
  • You will draft agreements to address legal consequences of international treaties.
  • You will supervise attorneys and legal staff, assign work, provide guidance, and ensure continuity of operations.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or fail the test. You will be subject to random testing.
  • This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
  • Supervisors in the executive branch have a heightened personal responsibility for advancing government ethics. You will be required to review the 14 General Principles of Ethical Conduct at 5 CFR 2635.101.

Qualifications

Your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-14 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. At least ten years of professional attorney experience serving in the federal government is preferred, along with at least three to five year of experience serving as a international and operational law official. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
Authoritative Legal Advisor: The position provides top-level legal advice on international and operational law to the SJA to CMC (Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps).
  • Expert knowledge of the mission and function of JAD, higher echelon commands, and their relationship with other federal activities and private industry.
  • Knowledge of the principles, practices, and techniques of legal research. Must be able to research and interpret legislative, judicial, and administrative authority, to include those of other nations and international organizations, and apply rules to specific factual scenarios.
  • Detailed knowledge and proficiency in the area of the law of war, including a comprehensive understanding of both the treaties and customary international law affecting the law of war.
  • A professional knowledge of the theories, principles, practices, techniques, and forms of command and staff action (including JCS) to provide legal advice and staff responses within the DoD, DON, and the Marine Corps.
  • Detailed knowledge in the areas of international agreements, intelligence law, intelligence oversight, cyberspace law, the laws and regulations governing DoD support to civil authorities including civilian law enforcement agencies, law of the sea, foreign criminal jurisdiction and sovereignty, and other practice areas set forth in this Position Description.
  • A professional knowledge of Marine Corps doctrine concerning the employment of Marine Corps Air/Ground Task Forces in amphibious/expeditionary operations, and/or sustained operations ashore.
  • Knowledge of the functions, organization, and interrelationship of other federal agencies, as well as deliberative and professional external bodies, to effectively advance Marine Corps views/positions on legal/policy/regulatory issues and to elevate the Marine Corps profile and leadership role in international and operational law policy.
  • Expert knowledge of communications methods and techniques in order to communicate effectively orally and in writing in a clear and concise manner on technical and legal issues and principles with people of various backgrounds.
  • Proficient legal writer with knowledge of Marine Corps and internal correspondence manuals and legal writing standards.
  • Ability to operate with wide latitude of independence.
  • Thorough knowledge of federal statutes, Marine Corps regulations, DoD Directives, and policies in all matters regarding international and operational law matters, including the Marine Corps law of war program.
  • The ability to meet and communicate with others easily and professionally and must possess tact and good judgment.
  • Knowledge and skill sufficient to permit the incumbent to serve as the legal expert in complex international and operational law matters and policy development.
  • Expert knowledge to make realistic assessments of the political and institutional environment in which alternatives are considered and implemented.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of the mission and functions of the SJA to CMC, higher echelon commands and their relationship to other Federal activities, organizational structures, management theories and techniques, administrative and supervisory principles to direct and supervise attorneys and fiscal and administrative personnel.
  • Expert knowledge and skill to identify and define major issues, review appropriate sources, and prepare agency policy documents as they pertain to significant, large-scale issues, initiatives, programs, policies, and plans.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

Education

The successful applicant must have graduated with a J.D. or LL.M. from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia, and be admitted to practice before a state or federal court.

Additional information

This is a public notice flyer to notify interested applicants of anticipated vacancies. Applications will not be accepted through this flyer. Interested applicants must follow the directions in the "How to Apply" section of this flyer to be considered. There may or may not be actual vacancies filled from this flyer. Notice of Result letters will not be sent to applicants who respond to this flyer.

This position is not covered by the Department of the Defense Priority Placement Program.

This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf.

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.

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

As vacancies occur, the Human Resources Office will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this flyer. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume, along with your supporting documentation.

If selected, you may be required to provide additional supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All qualification requirements must be met before being considered for any vacancies.

Required Documents

A complete resume is required. Your resume must show relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information should be provided in your resume, but it is acceptable to provide elsewhere in your application package: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week, and pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience. TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume.

Are you using education as a substitute for some or all of the experience requirement? Is there a basic education requirement for this position? Check the Education section above to see what is allowed and what is required. Any claims you make in your resume or assessment questionnaire regarding education or degrees MUST be supported by submitting with your application official or unofficial transcripts or a list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned issued from your school. While unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial application, an official transcript will ultimately be required if you are selected for the position. You may submit a copy of your degree(s) if specific coursework does not have to be verified.

Are you a veteran claiming veterans' preference?
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must specifically claim such eligibility 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. (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.)

Not all veterans are preference eligible. For a summary of time periods, campaigns, and conditions that entitle an applicant to preference eligibility, please visit https://www.fedshirevets.gov/index.aspx, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans, and see the Veterans' Preference Advisor, operated by the Department of Labor at http://www.dol.gov/elaws/vets/vetpref/vetspref.htm.

Are you an active duty service member? Active Duty Service Members will be required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command during processing of any hiring action. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.).

Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application. You must provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected.

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

Interested Applicants must submit resumes/application packages to:

Michael Baskin - Michael.Baskin@usmc.mil

Please include USA Jobs Announcement Number and JAO Atty in the subject line. Ensure supporting documents are in PDF or DOCX format.

Facsimile applications will not be considered.

All resumes/applications must be received no later than the close date of this flyer.

It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all information in their resume and documents, are received, legible, and accurate. HR will not modify answers/documents submitted by an applicant.

Failure to submit a complete application package will result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration.

Agency contact information

Michael Baskin
Address
HQ US MARINE CORPS
3280 Russell Road
Quantico, VA 22134
US

Next steps

Qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager. The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews.

Our evaluation will be based on the information you provide. You should expect that we will verify performance, suitability, and security information and take that information into account in making employment offers.


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