Summary
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent office whose mission is to promote excellence, integrity, and accountability throughout the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In our dynamic environment, the OIG conducts investigations, audits, evaluations, and inspections to enhance program effectiveness and efficiency and to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and mismanagement in DHS programs and operations.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
All U.S. Citizens
Duties
Attorney Advisors (General) in the Office of Counsel (OC) provide legal advice, services, and policy recommendations to the Inspector General and a nationwide staff of auditors, information technology experts, investigators, and program analysts. Typical work assignments include representing the OIG before administrative bodies, conducting investigations into suspected violations of laws of the United States and rules and regulations relating to programs and operations of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), providing legal advice and policy recommendations to the Inspector General and OIG program offices on civil, criminal, and administrative law matters, including program fraud, ethics, contracting, and procurement. The range of legal duties include:
- Preparing legal analysis and advice to the OIG on legal and policy implications of DHS and DHS OIG activities and plans.
- Interpreting legislation, executive orders, regulations, and policy directives.
- Conducting legal research addressing complicated and novel issues of law by examining Federal and state statutes, regulations, Executive Orders, court decisions, and legislative hearings and committee reports, and by analyzing factual, technical, and legal issues.
- Coordinating with and providing support as Agency Counsel to the DOJ and USAOs on federal court litigation involving DHS OIG and its employees.
- Responding to Congressional inquiries through our Office Executive Operations and Communication (EOC) on a wide variety of issues
THERE MAY BE OPENINGS IN THE FOLLOWING DIVSIONS. IN YOUR COVER LETTER, PLEASE IDENTIFY YOUR AREA (DIVISION) OF INTEREST.
GENERAL LAW DIVISION
- Advising OIG leaders and Program Offices on matters associated with civil and criminal procedure, Investigative techniques, law enforcement, immigration, counterterrorism, Intelligence, federal contracting, ethics, and administrative law.
- Conducting legal sufficiency reviews of DHS OIG audits, inspections, investigations, subpoenas, law enforcement/ investigative policy, Giglio determinations, consistent with the Inspector General Act of 1978.
- Handling claims filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
- Providing advice concerning the conduct of criminal investigations, inspections, and evaluations.
- Serving as Agency Counsel to the DOJ and USAOs for federal litigation involving DHS OIG matters.
INFORMATION LAW AND DISCLOSURE DIVISION
- Providing legal advice to internal and external stakeholders on issues impacting the entire breadth of the DHS OIG's portfolio, including Touhy regulations, information disclosure, Privacy Act (PA), and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
- Serving as an attorney advisor researching, interpreting, and opining on novel and complex information law issues, including laws, statutes, and regulations pertaining to the FOIA and PA.
- Serving as agency counsel in FOIA/PA litigation.
PERSONNEL LAW DIVISION
- Providing advice to managers on various personnel issues to include, but not limited to, discipline, performance, time and attendance, and Equal Employment Opportunity matters.
- Providing advice to the Human Resource Division on personnel related issues and providing legal sufficiency reviews for personnel related directives, policies, and guidance.
- Providing training to managers and employees on various personnel related topics.
- Representing DHS OIG before various administrative bodies including the Office of Special Counsel, Merit Systems Protection Board, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Serving as Agency Counsel to the DOJ and USAOs for federal litigation involving personnel matters.
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION UNIT (DIVISION) - INVESTIGATIVE COUNSEL
- Conducting investigations, drafting and preparing the investigative case, which includes: identifying the primary nature of the allegations, specifying the potential violations of law, rule or regulation, specifying the focus of the investigations, considering coordination of investigative efforts with other authorities, projecting the type of evidence that will be required and the investigative steps and strategies that should be employed, and conducting interviews and reviewing and analyzing of documentary evidence during the course of the investigation.
- Analyzing the record, evaluating facts, determining questions of law, and either recommend adoption of a decision prepared by another attorney/investigator or draft a thorough decision with well-reasoned analysis and recommendation for consideration and adoption by agency officials who exercise final authority in such matters.
- Conducting complaint intake to determine whether complaints, supplemented when necessary by complainant interviews, constitute complaints of reprisal warranting investigation.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position
- You must successfully pass a background investigation.
- You must be able to obtain and maintain Top Secret security clearance.
- Financial disclosure is required.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
- Completion of probationary period may be required.
- Submission of performance appraisal is mandatory for current Federal employees.
Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must have a first professional law degree (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctor (J.D.)) obtained from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time the degree was obtained. Licensure: Applicants must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. Supporting documentation must be included with the application package. In addition to applicants meeting the minimum education and licensure requirement, you must meet the below grade-level requirement of the Attorney position:
To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, applicants must have at least four (4) years post J.D. legal experience, one of which was specialized experience at OR equivalent to, the GS-13 grade level. Specialized experience at this level includes:
- Experience in conducting legal research and reaching conclusions and recommendations;
- Analyzing facts presented on both sides of a dispute and recommend and implement a decision or other action;
- Writing complex legal documents; significant experience developing research strategies for legal issue;
- Making oral presentations and communicating research results
To qualify at the GS-15 grade level: applicants must have at least five (5) years of post J.D. legal experience, one of which was specialized experience in the specific practice area at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level. For Whistleblower Protection Division, prior experience in whistleblower reprisal investigations and legal issues is highly desired. For all positions. Specialized experience at this level includes:
- Experience in conducting legal research and reaching conclusions and recommendations;
- Analyzing facts presented on both sides of a dispute and recommend and implement a decision or other action;
- Writing complex legal documents; significant experience developing research strategies for legal issue;
- Making oral presentations and communicating research results.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements, including the following, by closing date of this announcement: 1.) Be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of graduation, and 2.) Be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state or territory of the United States, District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
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). 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. The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Education
This is an Excepted Service Appointment. Education requirements include:
Unofficial Transcripts must be submitted with your application packages. A professional law degree, J.D., LL.B., and /or LL.M. You must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be a current active member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar. for an attorney position.
All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.
Special Instructions For Foreign Education: 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 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.
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.
Applicants will be rated based on their education, experience, demonstrated legal research and writing abilities, and performance during the interview process. Basis for evaluation: If eligible and meeting basic qualifications, your application package will be evaluated in conjunction with your résumé and supporting documents for the required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of this position:
Knowledge of research strategies and techniques sufficient to research the most complex legal issues. The issues researched are almost always factually complex and are in areas of the law which are often in a continual state of evolution, thus requiring atypical and innovative research strategies.
Ability to communicate effectively with diverse clients and constituencies on varied and complex topics in writing clearly, concisely and persuasively, with particular emphasis on the ability to analyze and explain complex legal issues.
Ability to communicate effectively orally with diverse clients and constituencies on varied and complex topics and independently present legal conclusions to adjudicatory authorities.
Ability to maintain effective working and reporting relationships with professional peers, support staff and management officials. Ability to organize work effectively to meet established deadlines and priorities related to legal cases and matters.
Please be advised that DHS-OIG Attorney positions are in the Excepted Service. As such, these positions are not covered by the usual civil service hiring procedures. You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications stated herein. We will perform an initial review of applications to determine basic eligibility and minimum qualifications for the position and numeric scores will not be assigned. There are no numerical rating systems through which to apply veterans' preference; however, the Office of the Counsel favorably considers veterans preference eligibility in hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume. If selected, additional information may be required.
Required Documents
A complete application consists of the following:
Cover letter - Please include the Grade, Division, and location(s) you are interested, along with a brief description of your experience.
Resume showing relevant experience. Your resume should list your educational and work experience, including the dates (mm/dd/yyyy) and provide the hours per week, if less than 40. For work in the Federal Service, please include the pay plan and grade level for the position(s).
Copy of law school transcript (Unofficial copy is sufficient, but official copy must be submitted before appointment).
Certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing.
Writing Sample is required - Must not exceed 10 pages. Current or former federal employees, please submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.
Failure to provide documents may result in loss of further consideration. Your complete application package must be sent to Applicant.OC@oig.dhs.gov for consideration.
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 send the following documents to Applicant.OC@oig.dhs.gov. with subject line:
Attorney Adviser
1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Proof of active bar membership.
4. Certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing
5. Writing Sample - Must not exceed 10 pages.
6. If applicable most recent SF50 Notification of Personnel Action
If applicable Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable (SF-15, DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.)
Next steps
Once your application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your eligibility. You will only be contacted if you are found eligible and if you are selected for an interview. Applicants selected for interviews may be requested to provide a legal writing sample.
Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS OIG OC to share your application with others in OGC for similar positions.
By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed.
After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.). View more information on applying for federal employment.
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