Summary
As an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel, Office of Personnel Management (OPM), you will provide legal advice and representation to OPM leaders on a wide variety of issues relating to both the internal work of OPM, as well as OPM's government-wide policies, oversight, and programs that support more than 8 million Federal employees, retirees, and family members.
Duties
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) seeks an attorney to join its dynamic, high-performing team. Attorneys at OPM have a diverse and interesting portfolio of work, providing legal advice and counsel to OPM leaders responsible for governmentwide leadership and direction in the strategic management of the Federal workforce. The attorney will be called upon to perform a wide variety of duties that may include:
- Providing legal counsel on an array of Federal employee health insurance, compensation, retirement, and other issues involving programs that serve more than 8 million Federal employees, retirees, and family members across the country.
- In particular, the attorney will work on issues pertaining to the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program, and other health and insurance programs. Expertise and experience with these issues is strongly preferred.
- Represent the Agency in important and sensitive litigation, supporting the Department of Justice in Federal courts. Litigation experience is desired.
- Other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
- Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
- This position is not eligible for inclusion in a bargaining unit
- Appointments made from this announcement are exempt from the competitive service.
- Must be an active member in good standing of the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
At the GS-11 level: Applicants with less than one year of post-J.D. legal work experience as a practicing attorney, such as a judicial clerkship or in general law practice, must have:
- A J.D. from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association;
- Academic standing in the upper third of the attorney's law school graduating class (to the extent an applicant's law school has class rank); and
- Advanced educational attainment that indicates the ability to independently perform legal work, such as work or achievement of significance on a law school's official law review or journals; special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school (e.g., membership in the Order of the Coif or winning a moot court competition); full-time or continuous participation in a legal clinic program as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation; significant summer clerk experience; or other evidence of clearly superior accomplishment or achievement.
At the GS-12 level and above: Applicants with one or more years of post-J.D. legal work experience as a practicing attorney, such as a judicial clerkship or in general law practice, must have:
- A J.D. from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; and
- At least one year of experience to qualify at the GS-12 level; at least two years of progressively responsible experience to qualify at the GS-13 level; and at least three years of progressively responsible experience to qualify at the GS-14 level.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with the Federal Employee Health Benefits program, or other similar health and insurance related programs is strongly preferred.
- The following are also strongly desired:
- The ability to provide excellent customer service and to exercise sound judgment and decision-making in challenging situations;
- Strong oral and written communication skills;
- High competence in legal research and analysis, including the ability to effectively integrate and synthesize facts and law to make legally sound decisions, including in compressed timeframes;
- The ability to work both independently and as a team member in a demanding environment;
- Willingness to consider diverse perspectives and ability to navigate changing circumstances;
- Ability to effectively manage multiple work assignments and competing priorities concurrently; and
- Ability to develop and maintain collaborative working relationships, both within and outside OGC.
You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
If you are applying at the GS-11 level, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated, official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable. All materials must be submitted before your application will be considered complete.
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 to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST)on 11/29/2024 to receive consideration.
To apply for this position, you must submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above to the following email address: OGCJOBS@opm.gov. Please include in the subject line your last name, the job announcement number, and the GS level(s) for which you are applying. For example: Smith, 24-RGJ-12586547-ATT, GS12 and 13.
You will receive an email acknowledgment when your application has been received. This is not an indication as to the completeness of your application; you are responsible for ensuring that you submit a complete application.
Next steps
References and Writing Sample: If you advance in the selection process, you may be required to submit: (1) three professional references, including references from your most recent supervisors; and (2) a writing sample not more than 20 pages in length.
Deliberate attempts to falsify information in your application may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency.
After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
Generally, an agency may not request, orally, in writing, or electronically through the USA Jobs website or other electronic means, that an applicant for appointment for a position in the civil service disclose criminal history record information before the appointing agency extends a conditional offer of employment. However, there are exceptions to this rule for positions, such as the one covered by this vacancy announcement, for which the hiring agency is required to make a criminal history inquiry before extending an offer. Accordingly, we may ask about your criminal history for this position before making a conditional job offer. We may ask you to provide or authorize us to collect your criminal history information. We will give you more details on these inquiries, including providing any required release of information form(s).