General Attorney Job in Portland, OR

Vacancy No. CERH242110049234 Department U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Salary $131,445.00 to $170,881.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/20/2024 Close Date 1/3/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Portland, OR


Summary

About the Position: As Portland District's Deputy District Counsel, you will work closely with the District Counsel to guide and support the Office of Counsel in fulfilling its mission to provide world-class legal services, practicing in a number of areas within the Corps of Engineers legal services portfolio including government ethics where you will oversee the team of certified ethics counselors. This is a role for a topnotch experienced attorney with a desire and ability to lead.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

Duties

  • Supervising paraprofessional staff within Office of Counsel and assisting the District Counsel in overall office management.
  • Advising on multiple missions, projects, and activities of the Portland District.
  • Designing and delivering legal products and services across the NWP Office of Counsel (NWP-OC) practice portfolio, as assigned, to include representing USACE in administrative and judicial proceedings.
  • Producing pleadings, opinions, communications, and other writings that are clear, concise, thorough, compliant with applicable requirements on form, substance, and persuasiveness, offering permissible alternatives whenever appropriate
  • Operating on own initiative to the greatest extent practicable, consistent with guidance from the Army General Counsel and the USACE Chief Counsel and direction from District Counsel.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • This position requires a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • 2 year trial period may be required.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

Qualification Requirements: The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration as prescribed in DoDI 1442.02 and AR 690-300.

Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be a member in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of a State, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Education: Assignments require the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and active membership in the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.

Experience: In addition to the requirements above, applications for the GS-14 or equivalent Attorney position must also possess professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, in excess of 3 years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position to be eligible for placement at the GS-14 level. Graduation from an ABA-approved Law School in the top 25% of the class or an advanced law degree such as an LLM may substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience.

Note: The Chief Counsel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has authority to waive the experience requirements listed above.

The Selection Panel appointed by Portland District Office of Counsel will evaluate applicants to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the position.

Ability to develop and utilize innovative approaches in solving problems, formulating effective solutions, and resolving complex issues.

Knowledge, experience, and ability to effectively advise in one or more of the following areas of federal law and practice:
(a) government procurement;
(b) fiscal law;
(c) Information law (FOIA and Privacy Act);
(d) civilian personnel and employment law and labor management relations;
(e) environmental law and regulatory permitting;
(f) non-contract claims in tort or admiralty;
(g) civil works programs;
(h) real property law; and
(i) government ethics, conflicts of interests, and standards of conduct.

Ability and experience in supervising, leading, mentoring, and motivating a diverse staff.

Ability to function credibly and tactfully as an advisor to district leaders and staff and to work effectively with other military and management officials and attorneys within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with other governmental entities, and with private parties.

Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with diverse clients and constituencies on varied and complex topics.

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-13).

Education

Applicants must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LL.B or JD). Only a law degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the American Bar Association is acceptable to meet positive education requirements.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Two year trial period may be required.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • This position requires you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a Professional Services Career Field position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.
  • Advanced-in-Hire, Enhanced Leave Accrual, or Recruitment/Relocation incentive MAY be authorized if determined to be in the best interest of the government.

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.

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are currently a member of a bar (in good standing) of a state, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia, your résumé and supporting documentation will be forwarded to management for consideration.

NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at http://www.opm.gov/.)

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume and documents which prove your eligibility for placement. If you fail to provide these documents, you may be marked as having an incomplete application package and may not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
***IN ADDITION, the following documents must be provided based on your applicant status (i.e. current USACE Attorney or NOT a current USACE Attorney)***

2. If you are a current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney and are applying through this announcement, you MUST submit the following documents online:
  • Cover Letter/Statement of Interest
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal
  • Your latest non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50);
  • Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old).
  • A writing sample NOTE: WRITING SAMPLES SHALL NOT EXCEED 10 PAGES
3. If you are NOT a current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney, you MUST submit the following documents online:
  • Cover Letter/Statement of Interest
  • Copy of law school transcripts (official copies required if selected and before placement);
  • Certificate showing that you are a member in good standing with the bar, dated no more than 3 months before the opening date of this announcement (a copy is sufficient for the application, but a certified copy may be necessary upon selection)
  • A sworn statement, certifying that your fitness to practice law or your conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction. This statement should be notarized, and dated no more than 3 months before the opening date of this announcement.
  • IF YOUR FITNESS TO PRACTICE LAW OR YOUR CONDUCT AS AN ATTORNEY HAS BEEN CHALLENGED IN ANY JURISDICTION, you must provide a notarized statement concerning the facts and circumstances, and any other explanation that you deem appropriate;
  • Three letters of reference from members of the bar dated within 12 months of the opening date of this announcement;
  • A writing sample NOTE: WRITING SAMPLES SHALL NOT EXCEED 10 PAGES
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

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 complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/03/2025 to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12569234).
  • 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 it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
RH-W2SJ01 USARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-PORTLAND
DO NOT MAIL
Portland, OR 97208
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


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


© 2006-2024, exclusive of U. S. government job opportunity announcements