Summary

The Natural Resources Section has one of the most dynamic and complex practices in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, representing virtually every federal agency in federal district courts, the Court of Federal Claims, and state courts in novel litigation arising under more than 80 natural resource, environmental, and cultural resource statutes.

We are seeking an Assistant Section Chief in Washington, DC, or Denver, for one of our six litigating teams.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens or nationals

Duties

Much of our work involves challenges under the Administrative Procedure Act or the Just Compensation Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. NRS has a dynamic practice with a diverse docket and attorneys may choose to focus on brief writing or trial practice or both. On any given day, the Section's attorneys handle a vast portfolio of cases involving:

The stewardship of our national parks, forests, rangelands, wildlife refuges, and offshore resources;
The balanced use of federal natural resources for varied uses, including mineral extraction, conservation, preservation, recreation, and commercial uses;
Vital federal programs ranging from national energy policy to nuclear materials management to military preparedness;
Original actions in the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve boundary and water allocation disputes in the western part of the country;
Real property claims arising under the Just Compensation Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which involve issues such as military readiness, transportation infrastructure, and flood control; and
The United States' trust relationship with Native Americans and Tribes.

The Section is soliciting applications from experienced attorneys for the position of Assistant Section Chief for one of our six litigating teams. The Assistant Section Chief will supervise a team of attorneys with primary responsibility for litigating a wide variety of cases before the Court of Federal Claims and federal district courts including defense of federal agencies in Fifth Amendment takings litigation involving real property and defense of challenges under the National Environmental Policy Act and other natural resource and cultural resource statutes against the United States Department of War and Department of Transportation in federal district courts across the country. The subject areas and matters that the Assistant Section Chief will supervise are subject to change, according to the needs of the Section.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing.
Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.
J.D. degree required, must be an active member of the bar, any jurisdiction.
Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 7 years post-J.D. experience or post clerkship litigation including significant litigation experience or substantive familiarity with the Administrative Procedure Act or other statutes within the Section's jurisdiction.

The ideal candidate will have significant federal litigation experience; the ability to mentor and manage attorneys and administrative staff to produce high quality work under tight time frames, including the ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously and to adjust to meet new priorities; exceptional legal writing and editing skills, and a strong commitment to developing the writing skills of supervisees; the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with client agencies, court personnel, and opposing counsel, as well as the ability to build productive relationships with managers and attorneys in the Natural Resources Section, other ENRD sections, and other Department of Justice components; and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards. Experience with Fifth Amendment takings litigation and/or experience defending federal agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act is desired but not required.

The possible salary range for Washington D.C. is:

GS-15 ($169,279 - $197,200)

The possible salary range for Denver is:

GS-15 ($164,956 -$197,200)

YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veteran preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/. To verify your veteran preference entitlement, submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.

Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-U.S. Citizens are extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy

Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.

Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs:Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.

Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after HR office issues the certificate of eligibles.

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.

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.

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veteran preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran preference must include that information in their resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions.

Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

Required Documents

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

Resume (not to exceed two pages) demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained
Cover letter with brief statement of interest
Writing sample
Copy of J.D. degree transcripts
DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable

Your resume MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part time hours worked, and description of duties. If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s).

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

You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY Online button. Follow the prompts to answer a few questions and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

Applicants must submit a current resume, cover letter with brief statement of interest, writing sample, law school transcript, and DD-214 (if applicable).

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/

Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment and Natural Resources Division, visit the web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd .

This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers

Agency contact information

Carmen Browne

Phone: (202) 616-3127
Email: carmen.browne@usdoj.gov

Address: Natural Resources Section
150 M Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
US

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 80 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified of the outcome.

Assistant Section Chief - Natural Resources Section Job