Summary
This position is an Attorney Advisor in the General Law Division of the Office of Chief Counsel, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The Attorney Advisor is responsible for rendering legal services and furnishing legal advice on difficult and complex aspects of all areas of responsibility of the division. Such legal services and advice can influence changes in agency policy.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen.
This position is in the Excepted Service. For information on the Excepted Service, please visit: Excepted Service Appointing Authorities@ http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/excepted-service/
This is a Bargaining unit position represented by AFGE (5901).
Duties
As an Attorney Advisor (Grants/Procurement), you will:
- Provide PHMSA officials and personnel legal advice and support either orally or in writing, as appropriate in the areas of financial assistance, procurement, and appropriations.
- Provide legal counsel and advice to federal grant and other financial assistance programs during the full lifecycle of a financial assistance award.
- Provide advice on contract formation matters, to include acquisition planning, solicitation language, evaluation of offers, source selection, preparation of contract award decisions, debriefings, and award documents.
- Advise on contract administration matters, including advising on contract modifications, disputes, requests for equitable adjustment, claims, and termination actions.
- Research each statute, legal opinions, policies, regulations, guidance, case law, and historical PHMSA and Department practice, on matters for which the division is responsible, including those involving complex or high-profile issues of law or policy.
- Recommend revisions of policy and procedural guidance on an ongoing basis thereby ultimately influencing policy and program decisions.
- Liaise with stakeholders within PHMSA, the Department, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and other pertinent stakeholders, on matters for which the Division is responsible.
- Represent PHMSA in meetings and conferences with representatives of other Federal Government executive departments and agencies, on matters for which the Division is responsible.
The ideal candidate will have experience providing legal counsel and advice to federal grant and other financial assistance programs during the full lifecycle of a financial assistance award. The ideal candidate will also have experience researching and applying financial assistance statutes and regulations, including 2 CFR 200. The ideal candidate will have experience providing legal advice on acquisitions and procurements, including reviewing solicitation packages, statements of work, contract specifications, and other contract documents for clarity and legal sufficiency. The ideal candidate will have experience participating as counsel on source selections; providing oral and written advice on pre-award procurement issues such as the adequacy of solicitations, sole source awards, mistake in bids, agency protests, and bid protests filed before the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- This is an Excepted Service position.
- Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
- Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
- You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
- TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.
- GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
- PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
- FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.
- ETHICS/CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties. Some employees, like those involved in contracting or regulating non-Federal entities, are subject to Executive Branch Financial Disclosure requirements set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 263.
- TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework. The number of telework days approved will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.
Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.
GRADE 14 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and at least 1 year of professional attorney experience to include:
- Experience providing legal advice on acquisitions and procurement, including reviewing solicitation packages, statement of work, contract specifications, and other documents for legal sufficiency.
- Experience performing extensive legal research into the statutes, legal opinions, policies, regulations, guidance, case law, and historical PHMSA and Departmental practice, on matters for which the division is responsible, including those involving complex or high-profile issues of law or policy.
- Experience providing legal advice to federal grants and financial assistance programs, counsel on source selections, provides oral and written advice on pre-award procurement issues such as adequacy of solicitations, sole source awards, mistake in bids, agency protests, and bid protests filed before Government Accountability Office (GAO).
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- Administrative Law - Knowledge of state and Federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements.
- Contracting/Procurement - Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques, or requirements (for example, Federal Acquisitions Regulations) for contracting or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration.
- Financial Assistance Mechanisms - Knowledge of the differences between acquisition and financial assistance purposes and requirements; knowledge of Federal assistance instruments, techniques, and procedures for grants (for example, block, mandatory, discretionary) and agreements (for example, cooperative, interagency).
- Grants Management Laws, Regulations, and Guidelines - Knowledge of principles, laws, regulations, policies, practices, and guidelines (for example, Executive Orders, Code of Federal Regulations, OMB circulars) of grant or agreement programs, including their order of precedence.
- Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.
For all types of consideration, 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.
For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
In order to qualify for this position, candidates must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree and must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.
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.
DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level
For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements.
Applicants will not be rated or ranked.
All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.
The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package. If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
ALL Applicants must provide a resume that fully supports the required specialized experience and respond to the vacancy questions by the closing date of the vacancy. Formatted resumes can be uploaded when you arrive at the DOT application system. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/resume/build/
The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position. Please review each of the following sections to determine which documents you need to provide with your application.
RESUME - Needs to be created within USA Jobs Resume Builder. It must show relevant experience, education and fully support the required specialized experience.
COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE.
PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP.
TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here.
FOREIGN EDUCATION must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.
WRITING SAMPLE: If selected for an interview, a writing sample may be requested.
VETERANS: Your last DD214 (member 4 copy), Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility. It need not be official.
- If you are applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214 (member-4 copy).
- If you are claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. An SF-15 is desired, but not required.
- If you are applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214 (member-4 copy), which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, OR certification of separation that shows a discharge date within 120 days of the closing of this announcement, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
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
How to Apply:
To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and proof of bar membership via email to:
PHMSA.Attorney.Jobs@dot.gov no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
Please indicate that you are applying to the Attorney Advisor (Grants/Procurement) job vacancy. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov
Next steps
Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com. (Select "My USAJOBS" and click "Applications").
Ratings will be determined based on the documents and information received by the closing date.
If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.
|