Summary
About the Position: The duty station for this position is the Office of Counsel, Rock Island District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island, IL. The position will be filled at the GS-13 grade level and is an Excepted Service position.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is an equal opportunity employer. The Corps is firmly committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce where all employees are valued for their talents as members of the team.
Duties
- Work under the general supervision of the Rock Island District Counsel and/or Deputy.
- Provide oral and written advice to Commander, Deputy Commander, and senior management officials.
- Work effectively with senior management officials and/or teams of diverse personnel in government and private industry, balancing customer program with legal goals and priorities, and to develop legal approaches to solving problems and issues.
- Furnish legal guidance, support, and services to operating officials regarding the following:
- Contract and procurement, environmental, federal regulatory, personnel administration, labor relations (union), real estate matters, and tort, admiralty, and administrative law.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
- This position requires the incumbent to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450 (5 CFR 2634, sub-part 1 USOGE, 6/08) upon entering the position and annually, thereafter.
- Must possess a valid State motor vehicle operator's license for the class of vehicle being operated based on site specific, job related requirements, and must maintain this license.
- Must maintain active status, in good standing, with at least one attorney licensing authority. Must provide certification of this status upon appointment and every two years thereafter.
Qualifications
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.)
- 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, or the District of Columbia.
- Experience: An applicant must have two or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position OR you may substitute one year of the required professional experience with graduation from an ABA-accredited law school in the top 25% of the class or an advanced law degree, such as an LL.M.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
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.
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.
Basis for Rating: Your application package will be evaluated as to your level of competency in the following areas:1) Knowledge and/or experience of laws, regulations, and procedures relating to:
- Contracting and procurement matters
- Environmental and federal regulatory matters sufficient to advise operating officials on the impact of such statutes and regulations on studies, civil works projects, and associated litigation
- Personnel administration, Equal Employment Opportunity, and labor relations (union) matters
- Real estate matters, including acquisition, management, and disposal
- Tort and admiralty law, litigation, and administrative law, including fiscal law, ethics, and Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act
2) Ability to work effectively with senior management officials and/or teams of diverse personnel in both government and private industry, to balance customer program with legal goals and priorities, and to develop legal approaches to solving problems and issues.
3) Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with diverse clients and constituencies on varied and complex topics.
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 (External). 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
- Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
- This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
- 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
3. ***ALL APPLICANTS 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 state 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.
- Three recent letters of recommendation, dated within 6 months of the opening date of this announcement, from attorneys-at-law. One of these letters should be from a current supervisor, if possible. Legible copies of dated and signed letters of recommendations are acceptable.
- A writing sample. Writing samples shall not exceed 10 pages including cover sheets, table of contents, etc. Any pages after page 10 will be discarded and not considered.
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 07/29/2024 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/12446523).
- 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/.
NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE
--There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (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 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 www.opm.gov.)
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.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is an equal opportunity employer. The Corps is firmly committed to recruiting, retaining and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce where all employees are valued for their talents as members of the team. The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent.
Please read the following guidance.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy:
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy And gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office at OPM
- Office of Equal Opportunity
Reasonable Accommodation Policy:
Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a Case-by-Case basis. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the workplace or the way things are customarily done that provides an equal employment opportunity to an individual with a disability. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) must provide reasonable accommodations:
- When an applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to compete for a job;
- When an employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job or to gain access to the workplace; And
- When an employee with a disability needs an accommodation to enjoy equal access to benefits and privileges of employment (e.g., details, trainings, office-sponsored events).
- Disability Employment - Reasonable Accommodations
- How to contact an agency
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