Attorney Adviser (Environmental) Job in Galveston, TX

Vacancy No. CERK256481838877 Department U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Salary $143,616.00 to $186,700.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 2/11/2025 Close Date 3/4/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Galveston, TX


Summary

About the Position: This is an Attorney Adviser (Environmental), GS-0905-14 position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division (SWD), Galveston District, Office of Counsel. This is a permanent and full-time position and will be located in Galveston, TX.

**Permanent Change of Station (PCS) OR a recruitment/relocation incentive may be authorized for this position. **

Duties

  • Works under the general supervision of the managing counsel to whom assigned.
  • Responsible for the preparation or review of legal issues, instruments, assemblies, or the preparation of legal opinions on questions relating to Federal environmental laws and regulations.
  • Identify, research, and address extremely complex and difficult legal questions affecting USACE missions.
  • Prepare legal opinions, or other legal instruments, and renders advice to clients on matters which require for their solution a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in order to obtain a reasonable balance of conflicting interests.
  • Represent the office to which assigned in meetings, negotiations, conferences, presentations, hearings, administrative litigation, or other forums, with municipal, state, other federal agencies, and private stakeholders.
  • Provide advice, guidance and direction to all staff elements, higher headquarters, Commanders and others regarding complex and controversial environmental issues from the initial study phase through post-construction monitoring.
  • Provide litigation legal support to the regulatory permit program. Review, analyze, and provide legal advice on permit decisions and matters of policy and procedure involving program application that may be subject to a lawsuit or impending lawsuit.
  • Render legal advice and assistance (either oral or in writing as required) to all elements of the district in response to inquiries on numerous types of miscellaneous problems arising from day-to-day operations.
  • Perform legal research necessary to furnish correct solutions and to explain probable results of various alternatives that may be developed.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Juris Doctor Degree with Active bar license and good standing.
  • You will be required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Statement.

Qualifications

RECRUITMENT/RELOCATION INCENTIVE OF UP TO 25% OF THE BASE SALARY MAY BE OFFERED, DEPENDING ON FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND MANAGEMENT DISCRETION. AN INCENTIVE MUST BE REQUESTED BY SELECTED APPLICANT AT THE TIME OF THE TENTATIVE JOB OFFER AND APPROVED PRIOR TO HIRE. AND INCENTIVE REQUIRES A SIGNED SERVICE AGREEMENT.

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:

Education: An applicant 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 (LL.B. or J.D.). Law school transcripts must be submitted at the time of application.

Bar Membership: An applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, or commonwealth of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Experience for the GS-14 level: An applicant must have more than three years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Time in Grade Requirement: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government must have completed 1 year at the next lower level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Your application package will be evaluated to ensure your experience, knowledge, skills, training and/or education meet the qualification requirements stated in this vacancy announcement. Quality of experience relates to how closely or to what extent an applicant's background and recency of experience and education clearly reflect that you possess the following required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of this position. The following KSA's must be addressed in your resume. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating or effect your overall rating. Knowledge, Skills, Abilities (KSAs) Qualification Requirements:

1. Knowledge, skills and ability with respect to a broad and diverse range of USACE legal practice areas, which will include federal environmental and regulatory law, and may include USACE civil works laws and policies, federal real estate practice, federal procurement law, torts, FOIA, ethics, federal fiscal law, and federal labor and employment law.

2. Knowledge of statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures concerning federal civil law, focusing on the Corps-related areas listed above.

3. Advocacy and trial experience before a variety of federal courts and boards, including a Federal District Court, the Court of Federal Claims, or a Federal Appeals Court, especially as lead attorney.

4. Practical experience and mature judgement in solving legal problems, providing interpretations of statutes and regulations, and reviewing client documents for legal soundness and accuracy sufficient for the accomplishment of difficult, complex, and varied work relating to complex labor, procurements, and general Corps-related legal issues.

5. Experience working with counsel from other (especially Federal) government agencies or other offices, such as the U.S. Department of Justice, a United States Attorney's Office, or opposing counsel, especially on high profile or significant dollar value cases.

6. Individuals being evaluated for a GS-14 position should demonstrate a strong ability to work well with others; significant leadership and/or teambuilding skills are desired.

7. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been 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/.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Two-year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a Career Program (CP) 56 - Legal position.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.
  • This position requires a Confidential Financial Disclosure report (OGE 450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.

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 job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

NOTICE OF VETERAN'S PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (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 http://www.opm.gov/ ).You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old).
  • This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
  • A professional writing sample of no more than 10 pages in length to demonstrate your legal writing and written communication skills.
3. ***ALL APPLICANTS (EXCEPT FOR CURRENT USACE ATTORNEYS) MUST SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS***
  • Official law school transcripts. Photo copies are acceptable when applying.
  • Official statement of relative class standing or a statement that applicant's law school doesn't provide rankings. Photo copies are acceptable when applying.
  • Official certificate showing that the applicant is a member in good standing of the bar dated within three months of date the application is submitted.
  • A sworn and notarized statement by the candidate that his or her fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction; or, if either has been challenged, a sworn and notarized statement giving the facts and circumstances, and any other explanation that the applicant considers appropriate. As an alternative to a sworn and notarized statement, a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct...executed on (date) (signature of applicant)." (28 U.S.C. 1746) The official certificate and statement of fitness must be dated within three months of the date the application is submitted. The certificate and statement are required to be submitted by all applicants, including attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of the Judge Advocate General of the Army.
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

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 questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/04/2025 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 (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12688877).
  • 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. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

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

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
RK-W2SU03 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT GALVESTON
DO NOT MAIL
Galveston, TX 77553
US

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


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


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