Attorney Adviser International

• Identifies potential ethics issues; researches and applies federal ethics statutes, Department regulations, Executive Orders, and OGE guidance to matters involving employee conduct and conflicts of interest.
• Provides legal advice on ethics laws including the Ethics in Government Act, Standards of Conduct, conflict of interest statutes, and financial disclosure requirements (5 C.F.R. Part 2635).
• Reviews and adjudicates public and confidential financial disclosure reports (OGE 278/450) to identify conflicts of interest and recommend remedial actions.
• Advises on gift acceptance, outside employment, and post-government employment restrictions.
• Conducts negotiations on ethics compliance matters, plans the approach, and develops written opinions, guidance, and recommendations.
• Participates in intradepartmental, interagency, and inter-jurisdictional meetings, justifying ethics-related legal recommendations and policy positions.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top 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

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:

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.

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 providing legal advice on federal ethics laws and regulations, including the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 C.F.R. Part 2635), conflict of interest statutes (18 U.S.C. 201-209), and financial disclosure requirements under the Ethics in Government Act.
• Experience coordinating with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and other federal agencies to ensure consistent application of ethics laws, respond to inquiries, and represent the agency in interagency ethics working groups or policy discussions.
• Experience reviewing, analyzing, and adjudicating public and confidential financial disclosure reports (OGE Form 278 and OGE Form 450) to identify potential conflicts of interest and recommending appropriate remedial actions, such as recusal, divestiture, or waiver.
• Experience drafting memoranda, briefs, written ethics opinions, guidance documents, and training materials on compliance with applicable ethics statutes, regulations, and post-employment restrictions.

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

How you will be evaluated

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 qualifications for this position, specifically, the education and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that are verified to meet the required qualifications 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 ethics laws and regulations, including conflict of interest statutes, financial disclosure requirements, and post-employment restrictions.
• Ability to provide sound legal advice on complex matters, balancing bureau interests with Department-wide objectives.
• Skill in representing Department interests in interagency meetings and negotiations.
• Ability to draft clear legal opinions, agreements, and other written work products supporting Department objectives.
• Ability to work independently on sensitive matters, including those involving classified information, with sound judgment.

Your resume limited to two pages serves as the basis for qualification determinations 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. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.  Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement. Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying.

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to legaljobs2@state.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume – your two-page 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. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.

2. SF-50, to qualify for a "Permanent" appointment, showing three years of Government service as an attorney or in a federal clerkship.

3. Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your law school 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

7. Veterans Preference, if applicable – Veterans’ preference does not apply to this vacancy. Any supporting documentation received from veterans will be retained to document veteran’s status for appointment purposes, if selected.

• To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
• To claim 10-point preference, submit all required documentation outlined on 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, etc.).  If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.
• To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 and all required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.
• To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
• For all preference claims:
  • DD-214 Member 4 copies are preferred and must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.
• For more veterans’ preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.

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