Summary
The Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (OCC/NIST) is seeking one or more full time experienced, knowledgeable, and innovative Attorney Advisors to provide programmatic legal counsel and services to NIST and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
This is a Public Notice Flyer. Please read this is its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens.
Duties
The Attorney Advisor will be responsible for providing legal advice principally to one of the above CHIPS R&D programs on all aspects of that program, including, for example, interpreting the CHIPS Act of 2021, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, and other relevant statutes and authorities; drafting CHIPS R&D program operating procedures and advising on their implementation; assisting in the preparation of CHIPS R&D program materials developed for external, legislative, and governmental affairs purposes; and helping draft and negotiate agreements funded by each of those programs, including grants, cooperative agreements, or other transaction agreements.
Attorney Advisors are core members of the team providing legal advice to CHIPS R&D programs on authority, policies, procedures, and materials.
The Attorney Advisors will be responsible for:
- Advising and drafting CHIPS R&D program operating procedures and advising on their implementation;
- Advising the CHIPS R&D program on intellectual property law and technology transfer law (including but not limited to programs under the Bayh-Dole and Stevenson-Wydler Acts); and drafting and negotiating relevant agreement types, including cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) and other transaction authority (OTA) agreements;
- Providing research and analysis on legal questions affecting key matters of policy or procedure, including in the areas of administrative law, constitutional law, legislation, regulation, and statutory interpretation;
- Assisting in the development and review of letters, presentations, and other materials developed for external, legislative, and governmental affairs purposes; and
- Helping ensure CHIPS R&D program compliance with government accountability obligations.
This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Attorney-Advisor (Public Notice Flyer) GS-0905-15 positions within the Office of the Secretary in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- You must successfully be able to obtain and maintain a SECRET security clearance and pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs.
- You must complete a 2-year trial period.
- Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/)
- If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
- All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
- Drug Test Required: YES
- License required: Yes. J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction). BAR Certificate
- Pre-employment physical required: NO
- Bargaining Unit Position: NO
- Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): YES
- Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: WILL NOT be paid
Qualifications
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/
Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.
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 Attorney Advisor is a full-time (GS-14 or GS-15) position. The full performance level for this position is GS-15. The position will report to the Chief Counsel for NIST. The positions are located at the NIST Gaithersburg, Maryland campus. The duties of these positions are suitable for some telework with supervisor approval.
Basic qualifications for all grade levels:
- Must be a graduate with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school; and
- You must have Active bar membership in one of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands.
- At 5 years of experience practicing law and/or clerking, or
- At least 5 years of significant experience in a litigation, transactional, counseling, and/or regulatory practice that involved the development of strong research and writing skills, and exposure to exercising strategic judgment.
OCC/NIST desires a mix of government, firm, and in-house experience among its Attorney-Advisors.
The ideal candidate would have:
- Private sector (e.g., firm, in-house) intellectual property experience;
- Other Transaction Authority experience;
- Sophisticated commercial contract experience;
- Export control, national security, research security experience; or
- Semiconductor industry expertise.
Specialized Experience Requirements: To be qualified for this position, the applicant's résumé must reflect experience in a managerial capacity. Typically, experience of this nature is gained at the GS-15 grade level in the Federal service, or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or nongovernmental organizations. As such, your resume must demonstrate that you have the knowledge:
GS-15 - You must have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), plus five (5) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-14 level in the Federal service:
Education
Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school. Official or unofficial transcripts must be submitted with your application package.
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.
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 resume and supporting documents for the required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of this position:
- Assume multiple roles and tasks to meet changing office needs with an ability to foresee, troubleshoot, escalate and effectively resolve conflicting issues and challenges;
- Analyze, research, and present on legal questions in the areas of administrative law, constitutional law, legislation, litigation, regulation, and/or statutory interpretation, including the ability to research and analyze legal issues where no clearly applicable precedents are available or it is arguable which precedents apply;
- Assess risk in a practical and responsible manner and make well-reasoned decisions as well as to think creatively;
- Build and maintain effective working relations with clients and colleagues and to work effectively in teams;
- Maintain professional integrity and use sound judgment in handling confidential information;
- Exhibit excellent communication skills and the capacity to present both written and oral ideas clearly, concisely, and persuasively;
- Carry out assignments independently with minimal supervision; and
- Apply superior legal research and writing skills.
Please be advised that Department of Commerce 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. There are no numerical rating systems through which to apply veterans preference; however, the Office of the General 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. Address demonstrated interests and qualifications as it relates to the position.
- 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). You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.
- Certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing. Prior to receiving an offer, you will be asked to provide a certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing.
Failure to provide documents, if selected, may result in lost consideration.
Please DO NOT put your SSN on pages within your application package. Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.
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
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING RESUMES AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Qualified candidates should send required documents to:
nistcounsel@nist.gov with the subject line "CHIPS R&D Attorney Advisor."
All other required documents (e.g., copy of transcript and proof of bar) will be required if hired. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Please include, GS grade level, and include at least the following information in the email's body:
PERSON'S NAME
PERSONS' ADDRESS
PERSON'S PHONE NUMBER
PERSON'S EMAIL ADDRESS
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 OGC 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., resume, law school degree transcript, writing sample, bar membership, etc.).
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