Chief of Legal Programs Job in Washington DC, DC

Vacancy No. 24-EOUSA-12501165-SES Department Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys
Salary $147,649.00 to $221,900.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/12/2024 Close Date 9/12/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington DC, DC


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary


For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Federal employees - Competitive service, Federal employees - Excepted service, Senior executives, The public; All groups of qualified individuals; current Federal employees and reinstatement eligibles.

Duties

The Chief of Legal Programs (LP) serves as a senior advisor to the Director of EOUSA on assigned legal programs and oversees the provision of timely and accurate legal advice and litigation support to United States Attorneys' offices (USAOs) and EOUSA.

The Chief leads a staff of approximately 150 employees; provides component-wide legal advice, technical guidance, and program management; and serves as the key advisor to the Director of EOUSA on a myriad of legal subject matters such as national security, cybercrime, criminal discovery, affirmative civil enforcement, appellate, asset forfeiture, bankruptcy, border and immigration, civil defensive litigation, civil rights, cyber-crime, COVID-19 fraud, elder justice, financial litigation, health care fraud, human trafficking, narcotics, Native American issues, Project Safe Childhood, victim-witness, violent crime, and white-collar crime. LP supports various aspects of these programs and initiatives, including training, funding, legislation, administration, outreach, and assessment. LP also provides guidance to improve the effectiveness of these programs and serves as a resource for the USAOs on legal and administrative issues affecting these programs.

The Chief manages, through subordinate supervisors (Assistant Directors), all major aspects of these programs and initiatives, planning the work to be accomplished by the Assistant Directors, setting broad goals and milestones, and approving short- and long-range schedules for completion of work. The Chief provides professional legal advice and assistance to the Director of EOUSA concerning legal program issues of consequence to USAOs; provides technical guidance to attorneys and other personnel in legal program matters; works with the Director of EOUSA, Department leadership, and United States Attorneys in establishing initiatives based on stated goals, priorities, and budgets; identifies and facilitates the resolution of interagency law enforcement challenges; and designs and implements approaches to facilitate communication and problem resolution with a wide variety of law enforcement partners, Departmental components, client agencies, and the federal courts.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen or National.
  • Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
  • You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
  • You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
  • One-year SES probationary period, unless excepted by regulations.
  • Applicant must possess a JD or LLB degree, and active bar membership is required.

Qualifications

The recruitment process for this position is the Traditional Method.

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES), applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience indicative of senior executive-level management capability. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, applicants must possess a JD or LLB degree and demonstrate in their resume and narrative statements the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) listed below. The narratives should be clear and concise, and emphasize your level of responsibility, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy initiatives undertaken, and the results of your actions.

ECQs are designed to assess executive experience and potential, not technical expertise. They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions. All applicants must submit a written narrative to address the ECQs. Your narrative must address each ECQ separately and should contain one or two examples per ECQ describing your experiences and accomplishments/results. The narrative should be clear and concise, and emphasize your level of responsibility, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy initiatives undertaken, and the results of your actions. Applicants should not enter "Refer to Resume" to describe your experiences. Applications directing the reviewer to search within the application or to see the resume are considered incomplete and may not receive further consideration. The ECQ narrative must not exceed 10 pages.

Failure to submit a narrative statement addressing each of the ECQs may cause your application to be deemed incomplete and not be considered. Additional information on the ECQs is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications

Applicants must submit written narratives for each of the two MTQs and five ECQs below. Please note there is a ten-page limit when addressing the ECQs and a separate one-page limit per MTQ.

Mandatory Technical Qualifications
MTQ-1. Demonstrated experience in developing, carrying out, and evaluating broad and complex legal programs and initiatives on a national scale.

MTQ-2. Demonstrated legal, managerial, and interpersonal skills to effectively (a) lead a highly skilled team of experienced lawyers and other professionals, (b) collaborate with national stakeholders throughout the country, including the law enforcement agencies, the federal judiciary, and other government agencies; and (c) assess the use of financial and human resources, based on organizational goals and budget realities.

Executive Core Qualifications
ECQ 1 - LEADING CHANGE: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.
Competencies: Creativity and Innovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, and Vision

ECQ 2 - LEADING PEOPLE: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
Competencies: Conflict Management, Leveraging Diversity, Developing Others, and Team Building.

ECQ 3 - RESULTS DRIVEN: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.
Competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, and Technical Credibility.

ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management, and Technology Management.

ECQ 5 - BUILDING COALITIONS: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.
Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy, and Influencing/Negotiating.

NOTE: ECQ narratives are required for all applicants unless any of the following conditions are met:
- You are currently serving under a career SES appointment,
- You are eligible for career reinstatement into the SES, or
- You have successfully completed an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program.

Education

This position requires a JD or LLB degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.
OR
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

A relocation incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications.

The DOJ offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

Veterans' Preference does not apply to SES positions.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement: The Department of Justice is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment for all employees and applicants. See U.S. Department of Justice Equal Employment Opportunity Policy for complete details.

Diversity Statement: As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. Please see additional information below under "Required Documents".

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.

Applicants will be evaluated on the quality and extent of total accomplishments, experience, and demonstrated executive-level qualifications. An SES Executive Resources Board (ERB) will rate and rank applications to determine the best qualified candidates. The ERB will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority where final interviews and reference checks may occur. Unless you have already been certified by an OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by a QRB prior to appointment.

Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

  • Executive-level resume - Insufficient information limits your ability for further consideration.
  • MTQ Narrative Statements - One-page limit per MTQ.
  • ECQ Narrative Statements - 10-page limit total for all ECQs (submission of ECQs is not required for current or reinstatement-eligible career SES members, or SES-CDP graduates).
  • SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, as applicable.
  • SES-CDP certificate, as applicable.
Current or Former Political Appointees: OPM must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

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

To apply for this position, you must submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)

3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online, contact Janice Ashwell at janice.ashwell@usdoj.gov or 202-746-7360 as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/12/2024 to receive consideration. Keep a copy of your proof of submission in the event verification is needed.

Agency contact information

Janice Ashwell
Address
Legal Programs
175 N St., NE
Washington, DC 20530
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit check, and drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.


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