Attorney Adviser International Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. HRSC/L-2025-0006 Department Department of State - Agency Wide
Salary $117,962.00 to $191,900.00 Grade 13 to 15
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/20/2024 Close Date 2/4/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Office of the Legal Adviser (L) at U.S. Department of State seeks an Attorney-Adviser to provide legal advice and administration of Federal acquisition contracts; defense of bid protests at the GAO and assist the Court of Federal Claims; drafting and interpreting Federal acquisition laws, regulations and policies. This position is in the Excepted Service and appointments are made without regard to the requirements of the Competitive Service by laws, Executive order, or OPM regulations.

Duties

Work assignments may include:

• Provide legal policy guidance, counsel, and assistance to the Office of Acquisitions, Bureau of Information Resource Management, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, and other Departmental programs and offices relative to all phases of the procurement process, including solicitation packages, justifications to conduct other than full and open competitions, sealed bidding, requests for proposal, and other contract award documents; regarding contract administration matters, including modification of existing contracts, terminations, special clauses, progress payments, deviations subsequent to contract and contractor management; and with respect to various procurement and contract law-related issues, including novation agreements, indemnification, and Buy American matters.

• Review solicitation and award documents and makes final, independent determinations regarding their compliance with all laws and regulations, including statutes, Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Department of State Acquisition Regulations (DOSAR) and judicial and administrative precedent, including Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) decisions.

• Participate in the conduct of major acquisitions, including review of acquisition strategy and plans, source selection evaluation plans, the review of evaluation findings and reports, competitive range determinations and award recommendations and supporting documentation.

• Represent the Department in pre-award and post-award protests at the GAO and liaise with Department of Justice (DOJ) counsel on protests at the Court of Federal Claims (COFC).

• Render legal opinions in matters of contractual rights and obligations based upon statutes, regulations, court and administrative board decisions, common law, decisions of the Comptroller General and DOS policy directives; confer with Government and Contractor personnel regarding controversial and sensitive matters that might become the subject of future disputes and litigation; and draft necessary legal documents, and develop conclusions and recommendations. At the GS-14 level, the incumbent performs the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are increased, and the incumbent receives less supervision than the GS-13.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
  • Copy of license to practice law.

Qualifications

GS-13, 14, and 15

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants apply for this position must meet the following requirements to be eligible for further consideration:

If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your law school transcript with your application. 

Law Degree: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with a J.D. or LL.M.

Bar Membership: Applicants must be a current member of a bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

GS-13-Experience: Applicants must have at least two years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience with federal contract law.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

GS-14-Experience: Applicants must have at least three years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:  

• Experience with federal contract law.
• Experience with federal procurement and acquisition law and practice.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.

GS-15- Experience: Applicants must have at least four years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 

• Experience with federal contract law.
• Experience with federal procurement and acquisition law and practice.
• Experience with defense of bid protests at the Government Accountability Office or the Court of Federal Claims.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-15 position.

Education

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the 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 provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. 
  • BUYOUT - If you previously left federal employment and received a separation incentive (buyout) and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the buyout to the agency that paid you.
  • PRIVACY ACT - Your application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (p.L. 93-579.5 USC 552a). This information is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 of the U.S. Code, Sections 3302 and 3361.
  • FALSE STATEMENT - If you make false statements in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be subject to fine, imprisonment, or other disciplinary action.
  • To be eligible for Federal employment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify at the time of appointment that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under Selective Service law.
  • EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY- The Department of State is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, age, political affiliation, union or non-union affiliation, sexual orientation, disability, or any other non-merit factors.
  • DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY - We strive to create a workforce that reflects America's diversity. We nurture a community where differences are valued, honored, and celebrated.

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.

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of State considers veterans’ preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring process. For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the qualification for this position, specifically, the education and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the required qualification will be referred to the selecting official.


Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position as defined below:

• Knowledge of federal contract law and federal procurement and acquisition law and practice, as referenced above.
• Ability to analyze legal issues.
• Skill in successfully building relations with clients, peers, and colleagues.
• Ability to provide written and verbal opinions to clients
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely about legal topics.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determination and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education [if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience from [month/year to month year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to legaljobs@state.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time [ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume – your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.

2. Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your college transcript(s) from an accredited law school with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

3. Proof of bar membership – you must submit proof of bar membership from any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with your application.

4. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you MUST submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application.

5. References – you must submit three professional references with your application.

6. Veterans Preference – There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of State considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring process. If claiming 5-point veteran's preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4 is preferred), which must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty.

If you are currently on active duty, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm your current or expected discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not receive credit for the claimed active duty military service.

If claiming 10-point veteran's preference (i.e., preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more), you must submit the documentation required by the  SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference status, you will receive 5-point preference if veterans' preference requirements have been met. For further information regarding Veterans, click here.

For applicants claiming 10-point derived veterans’ preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), a completed SF-15 must be submitted with the application with all required supporting documents listed on the form.

For Sole Survivorship preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4 is preferred) or another form of official documentation which shows your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.

To gain access to your DD214 online, click here.

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

The apply button is deactivated and applications packages are being accepted directly by the Office of the Legal Adviser (L).

Application packages are being accepted directly by emailing an application with all required documents, preferably in one PDF, to legaljobs@state.gov. Please have the subject line of the email read L/BA Specialist Attorney Position AND the Vacancy Announcement Number.

Please note, this vacancy exists with instructions on how to apply. Applicant notifications, however, will NOT be sent. If a hiring official determines you have the needed skillset for this vacancy, a member of the hiring team will contact you.

Although this notice will remain posted for 30 days, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and before the closing date of this announcement. Those applicants who may be contacted for an interview may be asked to provide further application materials at a later time, including a writing sample.

Agency contact information

Sherry McCants-Davis
Phone
(771) 205-1524
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
legaljobs@state.gov
Address
U.S. Department of State
1600 19th Street, NW
Suite 5.600
Washington, District of Columbia 20521
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After all application packages have been received, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. After we review and evaluate all applications, the most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration for possible interviews in approximately two weeks after the announcement closes. After a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability review and/or security background investigation, which generally takes an average of at least two to six months. You will be notified up to four times during the hiring process:

1. Upon receipt of your application.

2. Upon minimum qualification determinations.

3. After the certificate is issued.

4. After final selection is made.

For instructions on how to view the status of your application, please click here .


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