Attorney Advisor (Public Notice Flyer) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. OS-OGC-PNF-24-12563190 Department Office of the Secretary
Salary $82,764.00 to $191,900.00 Grade 11 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/4/2024 Close Date 2/4/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This vacancy is for an Attorney Advisor in the Office of the Secretary, Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel for the Minority Business Development Agency (OCC-MBDA) within the Department of Commerce.

OCC-MBDA is seeking dedicated, equity-focused attorneys to join its dynamic and growing team. OCC-MBDA provides legal and policy guidance that enables the MBDA to carry out its mission of advancing the growth and global competitiveness of minority business enterprises.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens.

Duties

OCC-MBDA attorneys work hand-in-hand with MBDA and DOC policy experts to translate MBDA's policy goals into actionable programs and initiatives that serve underserved populations.

MBDA is in an exciting period of growth and transformation after receiving statutory authority via the Minority Business Development Act of 2021 and swearing in its first Under Secretary. MBDA will continue to implement and improve its existing programs - including its flagship national Business Center program and its new Capital Readiness Program - and will continue to design new and innovative initiatives, including those that focus on access to capital and other critical issues facing MBEs and underserved entrepreneurs.

As an Attorney Advisor in OCC-MBDA, you will perform the following duties:

  • Work on matters that can have an important impact on equity and the U.S. economy.
  • Ensure that MBDA complies with applicable legal requirements imposed on its programs by statute, regulation, case law, Executive Order, OMB guidance, or controlling policy.
  • Ensure the legal sufficiency of MBDA grant or cooperative agreements, including advising on legal matters regarding program design, competition and application review procedures, and post-award engagement and performance monitoring.
  • Support MBDA in working with other U.S. Government agencies on coordinating federal programs and dismantling systemic barriers for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
  • Coordinate with legal offices in other parts of DOC and in other U.S. Government agencies.
  • Perform duties on a range of legal issues that will vary in legal and factual complexity, often of a novel nature, and with limited if any applicable procedures.
  • Conduct research, develop legal strategies, and develop and present recommendations to policy officials.
  • Thoroughly and thoughtfully research and develop legal options in a fast-paced environment with short deadlines.
This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Attorney Advisor, GS-0905-11/12/13/14/15, Full Performance Level (FPL) GS-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 be suitable for Federal employment.
  • You must successfully 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: No
  • License required: Bar Membership in one of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Pre-employment physical required: No
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No
  • Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes. Selectees will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure, OGE Form 450.
  • Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: will not be paid
  • Recruitment Incentive may be authorized.
  • Student Loan Repayment may be authorized. The Office of the Secretary, Office of the General Counsel offers Student Loan Repayment through the Student Loan Repayment Program in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 5379. The approval is determined by the supervisor and funding must be available to support the request. There is not any guarantee of this incentive to any requesting employee. For more information, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/student-loan-repayment.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel Attorney and Law Clerk Hiring Process and Advancement Guidelines. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has no Group Coverage Qualification Standard for this series.

Basic Requirements for All Grade Levels:

  1. EDUCATION: You must be a graduate with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school and
  2. BAR MEMBERSHIP: You must have a bar membership in one of the 50 United States, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

AND

In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must also meet the additional experience requirement.

Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in federal financial assistance (grants) law; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); contracts law; administrative law; constitutional law; entrepreneurship or business development; or mergers, acquisitions, raising venture capital, tax, or other related issues facing small businesses.

We are seeking candidates with the following additional skills:

  • Customer-service-oriented approach to legal problems and solutions;
  • Strong research, editing, and writing skills;
  • Effective analytical and reasoning skills with respect to identification and recommended minimization of legal risk;
  • Professional communication skills needed to successfully engage with peers, colleagues, supervisors, and clients;
  • Ability to handle and be responsible for a variety of assignments with short, time-critical deadlines; and
  • Interpersonal communication skills suitable for successfully working on a team on projects that require legal analysis.

Familiarity or experience in federal financial assistance (grants) law is a plus, as is a demonstrated interest in public service and a demonstrated ability to meaningfully contribute to OCC-MBDA's workplace culture.

Salary and level of supervision will be determined based on the applicant's level of experience and expertise, in accordance with the following guidelines. For purposes of this position, professional legal experience may consist of paid or unpaid experience post bar-admission, including Federal or State Government experience, law firm or legal practice, judicial clerkship, and/or unpaid volunteer legal work.

  • GS-11: Applicants at the GS-11 level should have a J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in one of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, or U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • GS-12: Applicants at the GS-12 level should have one year of professional legal experience or additional relevant experience.This may include: relevant non-legal professional experience, a superior academic record, specific course work or an internship in relevant legal areas, or another graduate or doctoral degree.
  • GS-13: Applicants at the GS-13 level should have at least two years of professional legal experience in a government agency, private sector entity, or non-profit organization.
  • GS-14: Applicants at the GS-14 level should have at least three years of professional legal experience in one of the fields listed above in this section. Experience in federal financial assistance law or experience advising companies on accessing capital or other commercial matters will be viewed most competitively. Applicants at the GS-14 level should also demonstrate the ability to work independently with lower levels of supervision.
  • GS-15: Applicants at the GS-15 level must have at least five years of professional legal experience and a demonstrated expertise in federal financial assistance law or access to capital or other substantive issues facing businesses. Applicants at the GS-15 level must also have a demonstrated ability to work independently with minimum levels of supervision.

Applicants may be hired at any of the grades shown in this announcement, commensurate with the candidate's experience and qualifications. You are encouraged to identify the grade level(s) or salary for which you wish to be considered.

Education

See Qualifications Above.

Additional information

This position does not confer non-competitive conversion to the competitive service. Acceptance of an excepted service appointment from applicants in the competitive service will require a written statement of understanding when voluntarily leaving the competitive service.

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.

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 and minimum qualifications for the position and numeric scores will not be assigned. 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

This is a Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration. After the closing date, applicants can still submit their applications.

Please send the following documents to OGCResumes@doc.gov with subject line: Attorney Advisor - OCC-MBDA - [Last Name].

  1. Cover letter
  2. Resume
  3. Copy of law school transcript
  4. Certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing.

Note: Please ensure that you put your last name in the subject line of the transmittal email. You are encouraged to identify the grade level(s) or salary for which you wish to be considered.

Agency contact information

Sandra Soderstrom
Address
Office of the Secretary
1401 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20230
US
Learn more about this agency

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., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.).


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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