Attorney-Adviser Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. HQ-25-DE-12613031-AS Department Headquarters, NASA
Salary $139,395.00 to $191,900.00 Grade 14 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/21/2024 Close Date 12/6/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

You will serve as an Attorney Advisor (Employment and General Law) in the General Law Practice Group, within the NASA Office of the General Counsel at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. You will focus on federal employment law, including providing counseling and advice to senior managers and defending judicial and administrative complaints of employment discrimination, with federal sector litigation in multiple venues. You will also perform other general law duties.

Duties

  • Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
  • Conducts and evaluates research and drafts and reviews legal documents, including briefs, legal opinions, and documents regarding novel and complex legal issues related to civil rights, labor, employment law, and other general law matters.
  • Prepares legal interpretations of statutes, federal regulations and agency directives. Reviews proposed legislation, executive orders, regulations, and Congressional testimony.
  • Prepares and advises management on legal interpretations of statutes, federal regulations and agency directives. Advises on proposed legislation, executive orders, regulations, and Congressional testimony.
  • Serves as a legal advisor for Agency personnel on novel general law matters. Experience in other general law areas is desirable, such as fiscal, ethics, environmental, information disclosure, tort claims, safety and security, and civil rights.
  • Represents NASA in formal administrative and federal civil litigation proceedings, including Federal Courts, the Merit Systems Protection Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Federal Labor Relations Authority.
  • Serves as a liaison between NASA and the Department of Justice in litigation concerning NASA programs. Assists in other litigation responsibilities as requested by management.
  • Advises on the management negotiating teams before and during union contract negotiations.
  • Provides leadership and guidance in OGC Communities of Practice for various legal disciplines, acts as an expert resource for the OGC Enterprise, and serves as an advisor to NASA leadership.
  • Fosters a culture of engagement, diversity, inclusiveness, excellence and innovation. Champions NASA's commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility to create an environment that promotes a commitment to safety, integrity and teamwork.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
  • Position subject to pre-employment background investigation.
  • You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
  • If selected, you will be required to complete a financial disclosure statement.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements for all grade levels:
You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from a full course of study at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and have been admitted to practice law before a state or federal court.

To qualify at the GS-14 level: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above).
In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied:

One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level:
  • Offering oral and written legal guidance on federal personnel law, employment discrimination law, labor relations, and other legal issues to clients;
  • Providing guidance to managers, supervisors, and/or EEO officers on federal employment law, including addressing grievances and discrimination complaints informally;
  • Completing tasks and handling litigation in areas like federal employment law, labor law, EEO law, and general law areas with minimal oversight;
  • Representing clients in formal administrative and federal civil litigation.
OR

A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above.

To qualify at the GS-15 level: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above).
In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied:

One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level:
  • Delivering expert oral and written legal counsel on complex federal personnel law, employment discrimination, labor relations, and other specialized legal matters to senior leadership;
  • Providing legal guidance to management, supervisors, and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) officers on issues relating to federal personnel law, including the proactive informal resolution of employee grievances, disputes, and discrimination complaints;
  • Managing and executing tasks and litigation independently in areas such as federal personnel law, labor relations, EEO law, and other General Law practice areas;
  • Representing clients in formal administrative and federal civil litigation.
OR

A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above.

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

Education

U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA.

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.

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies:

  • General Law
  • Legal Application Practice
  • Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication
NASA considers paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (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. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

NASA will not ask you to disclose criminal history record information during the application process or before we make a conditional/tentative offer of employment. If you apply for this position and are selected, NASA will conduct a suitability/security background investigation after you accept a tentative job offer. If you feel you are asked to disclose your criminal history before you accept a tentative offer and wish to file a complaint within 30 days, please contact: Agency-FCCJ@NASA.gov.

Required Documents

A complete application package includes a resume, required documents and completion of the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please see this guidance: What to include in your resume. If you are using a Curriculum Vitae (CV) as a resume, it must meet all requirements listed above for a complete resume package. Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire.

Please note: if any of the following types of information are included on your resume, your application package will be disqualified:

  • Classified or government sensitive information.
  • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
  • Encrypted and digitally signed documents.
  • Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Photos of yourself
If your resume contains any of the above information, you must redact that information prior to the submission of your application.

The following documents are required:
  • Resume
  • Transcript


As listed in the Education section above, this position has a basic education requirement.

To be found qualified, you must provide a copy of your college transcript that fully demonstrates you meet the requirements listed in the Education section. You may provide either an unofficial transcript or a copy of an official transcript. Failure to provide a complete copy of your college transcript that shows you have completed a required degree program or coursework will result in you being found not qualified.

There may be other supporting documents (licenses, certification, veterans preference, etc.), depending on your answers to the questionnaire and job announcement description, that you may have to submit, please verify your application. Do not submit an OF-306 with your application.

Official documents are required at the time of appointment for verification of eligibility and qualifications.

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

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration.

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. To begin the application process, you will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application process. Once logged in to your account, click on the "Apply" link.
2. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. We strongly encourage you to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder when creating your resume. Using the resume builder will help you ensure your resume includes important information related to your qualifications and eligibility for this position. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. During the application process you can review, edit, delete and update your information. We'll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won't lose any changes. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
3. 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 vacancy questionnaire which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify all required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
4. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.

NASA's online application process provides step by step guidance to ensure you provide all needed information. If you are unable to apply online, please contact NSSC-CONTACTCENTER@MAIL.NASA.GOV for assistance.

If you have questions about this announcement, you may contact the agency toll free at the phone number located below. Be advised - application materials faxed, emailed, and/or mailed to NASA Headquarterswill not be accepted for this announcement.

NASA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you are an applicant with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency contact center listed on the job vacancy announcement. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be on a case-by-case basis.

Agency contact information

NASA Shared Services Contact Center
Phone
1-877-677-2123
Fax
1-866-779-6772
Email
nssc-contactcenter@mail.nasa.gov
Address
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Washington, DC 20546
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once you submit your application package, you will receive an acknowledgement email. Throughout the process you will receive regular status updates through USAJOBS. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (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: Application Status.

Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the hiring manager.

If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer. If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing a scheduled appointment, we may rescind a tentative job offer.

An official, written job offer will be issued once all requirements have been verified.


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


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