Counsel to the Inspector General

Clarification from the agency

Internal to an Agency = Open to current permanent ODNI employees Federal Employees = This detail opportunity is for current competitive and excepted service employees only. If you are not a current federal civilian employee you will not be eligible for this position. ODNI Joint Duty Assignments do not apply to members of the Military service or contractors. Applicants from federal agencies may be considered for this position as a reimbursable detailee, if endorsed by the employing agency.

As the IC OIG's chief legal advisor, the Counsel to the Intelligence Community Inspector General (IC IG) leads the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), which provides expert legal counsel across four critical areas: Legal Counsel, Audits & Inspections, Investigations & Intake, and Strategy & Support.

This position offers a unique opportunity to shape IC oversight while addressing some of the nation's most complex legal and policy challenges. Duties include but are not limited to:

Provide independent, expert legal and policy counsel to the IC IG and senior leadership on complex, novel, and high-priority matters affecting IC oversight responsibilities, and render definitive legal opinions and guidance on issues involving statutes, Presidential directives, Executive Orders, and IC policies.

Manage OLC's strategic approach to supporting the IC IG's statutory mission of promoting economy, effectiveness, and efficiency while preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement.

Lead and manage OLC staff, establishing clear policies, practices, and strategic performance objectives, and conducting performance evaluations and provide regular feedback to ensure staff growth and excellence.

Provide comprehensive legal guidance supporting the IC IG's authority to audit, investigate, inspect, and review programs within the DNI's responsibility, including matters involving criminal and administrative procedures, fraud, appropriations, procurement, ethics, and employee conduct.

Review and ensure legal sufficiency of all documents requiring IC IG approval or concurrence.

Chair the IC IG Council of Counsels Forum to establish effective relationships among IC Inspector General legal counsels and promote collaborative oversight efforts.

Coordinate with congressional intelligence committees on legal matters and develop strategic partnerships across Intelligence Community elements to enhance oversight effectiveness.

Create and sustain partnerships with other IC elements.

Conditions of employment

Must be a current permanent ODNI employee OR must be a current permanent Federal employee with supervisory approval to apply to the Joint Duty Assignment (JDA). JDA applicants must be currently at the grade level specified in the advertisement. No temporary promotion opportunities will be granted for this position. The program does not apply to members of the Military service or contractors.

Joint Duty applicants may be considered for this position as a reimbursable detailee, if endorsed by the employing agency. Joint Duty applicants must have a current TS/SCI clearance with polygraph or have the ability to obtain one. The ODNI does not conduct polygraphs or provide security clearances for detailees.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS

All applicants will be assessed for executive competency against the five mandatory Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). If your two-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs you will not receive further consideration for the position. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review current information regarding ECQs. For information regarding ECQs, please visit the Executive Core Qualifications page on the OPM website.

FREE RESPONSE ESSAY QUESTIONS

All applicants must answer the following four short, free response essay questions. The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question. By submitting your responses to the following questions, you certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]).

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

Qualifications

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs)

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Intelligence Community Senior Officer Core Qualification (ICSOCQ) listed below in your resume. RESUMES MUST NOT EXCEED TWO (2) PAGES. Resumes over the two (2)-page limit will not be reviewed and will be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, educations, and accomplishments applicable to the qualifications. If your resume does not demonstrate evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

All applicants will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. For more information regarding ECQs, please visit the Executive Core Qualifications page on the OPM website.

ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and Principles of the American Founding
This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.

ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency
This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

ECQ 3: Merit and Competence
This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

ECQ 4: Leading People
This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.

ECQ 5: Achieving Results
This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

ISCOCQ: Leading the Intelligence Enterprise
This core qualification involves the ability to integrate resources, information, interests, and activities effectively in support of the Intelligence Community's mission and to lead and leverage cross-organizational collaborative networks to achieve significant mission results. Inherent to this senior officer qualification is a deep understanding of the intelligence enterprise and a shared commitment to the IC's core values.

Displayed expertise in at least two of the following practice areas:
1. Inspector General Operations
2. Intelligence Oversight
3. Litigation
4. Investigations
5. Civil Liberties and Privacy
6. Personnel and Ethics
7. Acquisition and Fiscal Oversight

Superior communication skills including the ability to routinely communicate, orally and in writing, complex concepts and issues in a manner appropriate to the audience, and to consistently make sound, timely decisions in complex, ambiguous or ill-defined situations.

Exceptional interpersonal, leadership and managerial capabilities, including the ability to effectively direct taskings, supervise and lead a diverse team of legal professionals, assess and manage performance measurements, support personal and professional development of all levels of personnel, effectively collaborate with staff at all levels, maintain confidentiality, promote and uphold integrity standards, and adhere to the highest discretionary standards.

Expert ability to lead by example and exemplify IC OIG core values of Integrity, Fortitude, and Excellence.

Education: Completion of a Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree from an American Bar Association-accredited law school, and active membership of the Bar of the highest court of a U.S. State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you are among the best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

A complete application package must include:

a. RESUME: Resumes must be no longer than two (2) pages in length. Resumes longer than two (2) pages will be removed from consideration. To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, your resume must show that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Intelligence Community Senior Officer Core Qualification (ICSOCQ) listed in the Qualifications section. Your resume should include examples of experience, educations, and accomplishments applicable to the qualifications. If your resume does not demonstrate evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

b. ESSAY QUESTION RESPONSES: The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question (please see questions in the Requirements section above). By submitting your responses to these questions, you certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]).

c. COVER LETTER: Applicants must submit a professional narrative as a supplement to the resume to elaborate on their qualifications and previous work performed.

d. POSITION NUMBER: Reference the announcement number in the subject line on each document submitted.

e. CURRENT SF-50: Federal Government employees must provide your official most recent SF-50 (i.e., dated within the last 52 weeks from the closing date of this vacancy announcement.) SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" is used to verify to verify current federal status, position, title, grade, and organization of record. If your SF-50(s) does not provide the information needed to make a final determination for qualification, you will be found ineligible for the position.

f. WRITTEN ENDORSEMENT: Applicants from federal agencies must provide written endorsement from the employing agency concurring with the detail.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

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