Summary
This position is located in the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Office of General Counsel. The incumbent will provide legal advice and assistance on legal matters arising at USAGM to senior attorneys and staff; performs legal research on a variety of complex legal problems in all areas of responsibility. The areas include but are not limited to procurement law, litigation, and legislation, including agency authorities, and administrative law as assigned.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), the public, Veterans; All U.S. Citizens.
Duties
Incumbent performs legal research in final form, on a variety of the most complex and difficult legal problems in all areas of responsibility of the Office of General Counsel. These areas include but are not limited to procurement law, litigation, and legislation, including agency authorities, and administrative law as outlined below:
Legal Research and Problem Resolution
Independently researches the legal questions which arise under regulations, lawsuits, executive orders and other administrative actions involving major Federal statutes affecting the Agency's programs.
Legal Advice
Provides legal advice regarding Federal matters common to most Federal agencies. Independently provides answers to clear-cut issues and to questions for which there are several options from which to choose the most appropriate response.
General Legal Advice
Advice is provided to USAGM senior staff regarding general issues common to most Federal agencies, such as federal government contracting, intellectual property, administrative Law, Freedom of Information and Privacy law.
Litigation Matters
Supports litigation in connection with contracting, intellectual property, administrative law, Freedom of Information and Privacy Law. May be asked periodically to support the Office of General Counsel on cases for administrative forums such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals as well as trials to be conducted by U.S. Attorneys or the U.S. Department of Justice. Such duties may include conducting discovery (including research of precedent, interviewing potential witnesses, determining what further facts are needed, obtaining technical interpretation of factual issues) and prepares memoranda or reports outlining the facts and issues of the case requiring action to be taken. Prepares litigation strategy for discussion with a senior attorney and/or supervisor within the Office of General Counsel.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S Citizen or U.S. National.
- This is a non-critical sensitive (Moderate Risk) position. If selected, this position requires the completion of the SF-86.
- Suitability Determination: If selected, you will be subject to a background investigation to establish your suitability for federal employment. The background investigation may include, among other aspects, a review of your credit and legal history.
- This position is not covered by a Union Agreement
- The full performance grade level for this position is GS-13.
- If you are a male applicant who is born after 12/31/59, you are required to be registered for the Selective Service.
- Unofficial transcripts are required at the time of application. If selected, selectee will be required to submit official transcript before entering on duty.
- Proof of current active member in good standing in the bar of a State, District of Columbia, territory of the United States, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Employee must maintain active bar membership while employed as an attorney.
- Applicants must complete a 2-year trial period.
- The Office of General Counsel is at present operating on a 100% Telework Pilot Program and therefore; location may be negotiable after selection anywhere in United States.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements: Applicants MUST: Meet the minimum education requirements of successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) with a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.); AND must be a current, active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia.
GS-11 REQUIREMENTS:
- Professional law degree (LL.B. or J. D.); AND
- Membership in a State or District of Columbia bar; AND
- Advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform legal work.
GS-12 REQUIREMENTS:
- Professional law degree (LL.B. or J. D.); AND
- Membership in a State or District of Columbia bar; AND
- Attorneys performing duties at the GS-12 or equivalent-level positions are expected to perform independently when working on the complex or difficult matters. Thus, the applicant must have one year of professional (attorney) legal experience and advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform complex legal work.
GS-13 REQUIREMENTS:
- Professional law degree (LL.B. or J. D.); AND
- Membership in a State or District of Columbia bar; AND
- Graduation from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class or an advanced law degree such as an LL.M. may substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience.
- Attorneys performing duties at the GS-13 or equivalent-level positions are expected to perform with substantial independence, even when working on the most complex or difficult matters. Thus, the applicant must have 2 year of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position
The ideal candidate will possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities as outlined below:
- Knowledge of laws, regulations, policies, and procedures relating to employment law; Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act and Ethics;
- Knowledge, skill, and ability to serve as a general attorney, provide advice and litigation representation to senior management officials in a variety of forums, and on a variety of legal issues;
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, and to provide clear and convincing legal advice and opinions on a wide variety of matters to senior staff, other government members, and contractors and Ability to deal with individuals and groups of varied technical and professional backgrounds.
- Advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform legal work.
Education
Attorney positions do have an education requirement. Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.
In addition you must provide proof of active bar membership.
A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
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.
All information and documents submitted as set forth in the Required Documents Tab will be reviewed to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements and further evaluated as part of the application process.
Qualified candidates will be rated by comparing each candidate's qualifications to the skills and experience pertinent to the position to be filled. Experience, education, training, awards, and performance will be considered. An applicant need not have specific knowledge and experience with regard to each item listed in the Duties section in order to qualify for the position.
All the information you provide may be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application forms, by checking references and through other means, such as the interview process. This verification may occur at any stage of the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for rating you ineligible, not hiring you, or firing you after you begin work.
Competencies:
Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
Possession of competencies may be addressed in a cover letter and/or resume. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. Please follow all instructions carefully.
Your application includes your résumé and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position, failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.
1. Minimum Requirements: Your application must show that you meet all requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. If your application is incomplete, we will rate you as ineligible.
2. Referral: Since this is an Excepted Service position, a non-rated method of evaluation will be used. We will evaluate your application by comparing your description of your work experience, level of responsibility, and accomplishments with the requirements of the position to determine whether you meet all the qualification requirements. Although competitive examining rules for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply, veteran's preference will be considered as a positive factor. Candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration and possible interview.
Fair Chance Act: Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to HROperations@usagm.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.
Required Documents
The following documents are required by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date for your application package to be complete. Encrypted or ineligible documents may result in loss of consideration.
- Resume: Include contact information, education, and detailed work experience (including work schedules, employment dates, and position titles).
- Transcripts: This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education, you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application. If selected for the position, you will also be required to submit official transcripts before your start date. *For foreign education, you must submit an equivalency evaluation from a member organization of Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) or National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The evaluation must include all criteria found on the OPM website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4.
- Veteran Preference: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility, you must submit the member copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility stating character of service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit a VA letter and an Application of 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF-15). Applicants seeking widow or other special veterans' preference must submit a SF-15 form and all documents indicated for their specific form of preference. If you are still on active duty, you may submit a statement of service from your Personnel Command which states the date you entered active duty, the date you are separating, and the campaign medals you have received.
- ICTAP: If you are an eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant, you may apply for selection priority. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 80 or above on the rating criteria for this position. ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.
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
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you cannot complete the Application Package online, please contact the Human Resource Specialist listed in this vacancy announcement.
- To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents and any appropriate Accepted Documents.
- To begin, click Apply in the announcement; then, choose to create a new USAJOBS account or Sign-in into your existing account.
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.
- You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before submitting it. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- Click the following link to pre-view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12514040.
- After completing the questionnaire and uploading appropriate documents, click the Submit Application to submit your application package.
- It is applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered in the profile is accurate and all required documents are uploaded and submitted before 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2024 of the announcement to receive consideration.
- Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. If a document is not in legible format, applicant will not be able to view it in Application Manager which means applicant must again upload the documentation to the system by the closing date of this announcement.
- To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account. The page will display the positions for which you've applied as well as the status of each application.
- To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click on the plus sign (+) next to the job title to expand information about the job. Next click on Update Application to complete the application process.
- Note: Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application. This position requires the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described previously. Please carefully review the complete job announcement, including the Required Documents, Other Information, and How to Apply sections of the announcement.
- Application packages will NOT be accepted via mail or e-mail. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will be destroyed and will not be considered for this vacancy announcement.
- This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact HROperations@usagm.gov or 202-920-2400 to request this.
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire and application package is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.
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