Clarification from the agency

Open to all U.S. citizens. This is an Excepted Service position.

This position is located under the Office of the Chief Counsel in Washington DC.

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a staff attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Department of the Justice. The legal advisor assigned to Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (Management) will handle the most complex legal work within that division.

As an Attorney Advisor (General) GS-905-15 your typical work assignments may include:

• Provides legal advice to Bureau officials relating to employment law.
• Functions as an expert legal advisor assigned to Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (Management) and handles the most complex legal work within that division.
• Serves as the Bureau's representative on or before administrative boards and alternate dispute resolution forums.
• Represents the Office of Chief Counsel at meetings at the Department of Justice relating to employment law, appropriations law, and other issues assigned to the Associate Chief Counsel.

Conditions of employment

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements described in this announcement by the closing date.

MOBILITY PLAN: New employees hired pursuant to this vacancy announcement must sign a mobility agreement. The purpose of ATF's mobility policy is to enhance career development and progression, and achieve mission and business effectiveness. To accomplish these objectives, the mobility plan will facilitate the movement of employees through special short-term assignments or permanent reassignments throughout the Bureau. Applicants who decline to sign a mobility agreement, as required, will be removed from the hiring process.

Key Requirements:

1. Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
2. Pass drug screening and subject to random drug test
3. Must successfully complete a background security investigation
4. A Financial Disclosure Form may be required
5. Must provide a legal writing sample (no more than 15 pages)
6. May be required to serve a one year probationary period

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-15 level, applicants must have at least six years of specialized experience as a practicing attorney.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Specialized Experience is experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position.

• Providing legal advice related to employment law and employee relations; AND
• Providing counseling to federal agency supervisors on managing performance, developing proposed disciplinary and adverse action; AND
• Applying knowledge and complying with equal employment opportunity laws; AND
• Providing superior legal research, analytical writing, and oral communication skills.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Silver (minimum score of 85) or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Silver (minimum score of 85) or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at :https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Veterans' Preference: If you are entitled to veteran preference, you should indicate the type of veteran preference you are claiming on your résumé. http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp - In order to verify your veteran preference entitlement, please submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty; or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.

In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the natural mother of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and the other required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim. If the SF-15 is not submitted, the documentation required by the form verifying the service connected disability (e.g. letter from the VA confirming the disability) must be submitted in order to receive 10-point preference consideration.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review ONLY two pages of your resume, starting at your work experience. SMEs will not review any additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter). Applicants who pass the structured resume review will move on to the next stage of the assessment process. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Employee Relations
• Interpersonal Skills
• Oral Communication
• Research

• ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

1. Official position title;
2. Employer name and contact information;
3. Start and end dates (including month and year);
4. Your Pay Plan/series/grade and step and a detailed list of duties & accomplishments

• Veterans' preference documentation (Member Copy 4 of DD-214, Revised October 2013 SF-15 https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf and VA letter, if applicable. NOTE: The revised October 2013 SF-15 is the latest copy and all others are not usable.
• Must provide a legal writing sample (no more than 15 pages)
• CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable.
• Submit Law school transcript official or unofficial showing degree conferred by closing date of the announcement (Note: If you're selected for this position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.)

It is your responsibility to ensure all documents are received on time and the materials are legible. If applying on-line poses a hardship to any applicant, please contact us at the telephone number listed on this announcement. Applicants MUST CONTACT US PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE to speak to someone who can provide assistance for on-line submission. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Paper applications submitted without prior approval from the agency point of contact may be handled as incomplete. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If your contact information changes after the closing date of this vacancy announcement, update your profile information in MYUSAJOBS as well as contact the Human Resources Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement to ensure you can be contacted throughout the selection process.

Prior to selection, the candidate may be required to provide an original copy of any supporting/ validating documentation as well as other documentation to verify eligibility. The candidate may also be required to provide official college and law school transcripts. All required materials must be uploaded using the supporting documentation instructions described in the announcement.

Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration for this position.

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