General Attorney Job in Cincinnati, OH

Vacancy No. CERA256647060996D Department U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Salary $152,575.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 2/18/2025 Close Date 3/18/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Cincinnati, OH


Summary

About the Position: This is a permanent, supervisory position with the Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of Chief Counsel, National Model A- LRD. This is an excepted service position without time limitation.

Duties

  • Provide legal guidance on a wide range of issues such as contract management, regulatory compliance, litigation, environmental law, personnel disputes, legislative matters, real estate, and conflict resolution.
  • Draft and review contracts to ensure legal sufficiency before submission to USACE or approval by the Division Commander, particularly focusing on modifications exceeding set financial thresholds.
  • Oversee the legal operations of Districts, ensuring efficiency and compliance with policies, reviewing district performance, and providing guidance on legal matters such as contracting and policy implementation.
  • Supervise and provide legal guidance on litigation matters, including serving as trial attorney in various legal proceedings, managing disputes, and advising on the use of alternative dispute resolution procedures.
  • Guide the Division on legal matters related to environmental laws, ensuring compliance with acts such as NEPA and the Clean Water Act, while overseeing the interpretation, enforcement, and litigation related to regulatory programs.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • A one year probation to assess your ability to perform supervisory duties is required unless previously completed.
  • This position requires pre-employment financial disclosure and annually thereafter in accordance with DoD Directive 5500-7-R.
  • This position requires the incumbent to maintain active bar membership, in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

The minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:

Bar membership: Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Professional Legal Experience: Applicant must have three or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. One year of the required professional legal experience is equivalent to the GS-14 under the General Schedule or other pay systems which includes providing legal advice and services on all matters related to the Division, ensuring the Commander and staff receive effective recommendations and preventive law strategies; ensuring proper legal processes are followed in contract appeals and claims; providing guidance on environmental law compliance, ensuring legal sufficiency under acts like NEPA, the Clean Water Act, and the Rivers and Harbors Act; and exercising technical and administrative supervision over subordinate personnel, including assigning work, evaluating performance, recommending disciplinary actions, and ensuring the proper selection and management of legal staff.

NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS SHOULD ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES, IN NARRATIVE FORM:

a. Legal Knowledge and Expertise.
  • A comprehensive understanding of legal principles, including contracts, torts, environmental law, labor law (e.g., Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act), and Federal Acquisition Regulations is crucial. The ability to interpret and apply these laws to both civil works and military functions within the Division is fundamental.
  • Expertise in areas like the Federal Tort Claims Act, the Clean Water Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and others relevant to Corps operations is necessary. Legal advice on issues such as real estate acquisitions, labor relations, environmental regulations, and dispute resolutions must be based on this knowledge.
b. Leadership and Supervision Skills
  • Ability to oversee legal staff and ensure the timely, accurate, and efficient handling of legal matters within the Division is essential. This includes evaluating performance, guiding legal teams, assigning tasks, and managing personnel matters such as hiring, promotion, and discipline.
  • Ability to provide training to legal staff and ensure that they are up-to-date on changes in laws, regulations, and case law is important for maintaining uniformity in legal practices and ensuring high standards.
c. Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills
  • Ability to foresee potential legal issues and propose preventive actions is vital. This includes identifying risks and providing alternative solutions that align with legal and regulatory standards while also supporting the Division's goals.
  • Experience reviewing, drafting, and advising on contracts is critical, especially in ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. The ability to manage complex contract disputes, claims, and appeals, and advise on resolution strategies is key.
d. Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills
  • Ability to provide legal advice and recommendations in a clear, concise manner to senior leadership, legal teams, and other stakeholders. This includes preparing legal documents, briefings, and reports for internal and external parties, including Congress, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Labor.
  • Ability to work closely with other offices, agencies, and legal experts, both within and outside of the government, is essential for ensuring legal compliance across a wide range of activities. This includes liaising with the Department of Justice, Department of Labor, and other external bodies in litigation and legal matters.
TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed 1 year at the next lower level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.

Education

An applicant 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 (LLB or JD).Only a degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education acceptable to meet positive education requirements, or to substitute education for experience.

Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at - http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov//admins/finaid/accred/index.html.Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency in order to be considered for this position. Please include this information in your resume.

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.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • 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 Legal Career Field position
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • This is a permanent position in the excepted service without time limitation and will not be filled by a competitive appointment. Service in this position may be fully creditable toward civil service retirement. Any selected applicant who is in the competitive service will be taken out of the competitive service when he or she occupies this position and will compete only with other excepted status employees in the event of a reduction-in-force.

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.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the qualification requirements for further consideration. If you are qualified for further consideration, your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed and evaluated as to whether and how your experience, knowledge, skills, training and/or education clearly reflect that you possess the required knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position. It is in an applicant's best interest to thoroughly address all KSAs in their application. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is an equal opportunity employer. The Corps is firmly committed to recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce where all employees are valued for their talents as members of the team.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume and supporting documents) will be reviewed to verify that you meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements. If qualified, your application package will be evaluated as to whether and how your experience, knowledge, skills, training and/or education clearly reflect that you possess the required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of this position.

NOTICE OF VETERAN'S PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (for example, 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. The SF 15 will identify the supporting documentation required along with a list of the types of 10-point preference. The SF 15 is available from the OPM at https://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/sf/.

Attorney spouses of active duty military may apply for available positions in accordance with the military spouse program, as identified in DODI 1500.25 Volume 315.us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Required Documents

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1) Cover Letter: A cover letter is optional, but highly recommended.

2) 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.
3) Official transcript of the applicant's law school record: Photo static copies of documents are acceptable when applying but certified documents must be furnished before entering on duty.

4) Good Standing Certificate: Copy of official certificate showing that the applicant is a member in good standing of the bar. The official certificate must be dated within three months of the date the application is submitted.

The following documents are preferred at the time of application, but not required:

PLEASE NOTE: If you do not have your official law school transcripts, certificate of good standing, or fitness to practice statement, you should not be deterred from applying for this position. While not required at the time of application, these documents will be required for the attorney to enter on duty.

5) Official statement of the applicant's standing in law school class: If the applicant's law school does not rank students, and the transcript does not explain that the school does not rank students, the applicant needs to submit an official statement from the school confirming the practice.

6) Fitness to Practice Statement: Either a sworn and notarized statement by the candidate that his or her fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction or if either has been challenged, a sworn and notarized statement giving the facts and circumstances, and any other explanation that the applicant considers appropriate. As an alternative to a sworn and notarized statement, a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct .. executed on (date)(signature of applicant)." (28 U.S.C.1746). The statement must be dated within three months of the date the application is submitted. The certificate and statement are required to be submitted by all applicants including attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of the Chief of Engineers.

7) References: List of three professional references. References from current and former supervisors are preferred. Please provide name, title, mailing address, telephone number, and relationship for each reference. Applicants selected for interviews will be asked to provide three letters of recommendation.

8) Writing Sample: A writing sample shall not exceed 10 pages including cover sheets, tables of content, etc. Any pages after page 10 will be discarded and not considered.

9) Current federal employees or reinstatement eligible applicants: Submit a copy of their latest SF 50 and most recent performance evaluation. Applicants currently serving in the military must also submit a copy of their most recent OER and/or DD 214. (Items 2, 3, and 4 above do not apply to Current Corps of Engineers Attorneys).

10) Judge Advocate Candidates: Submit a copy of your orders, or other suitable documentation with a separation/retirement date from your respective Armed Forces branch. This document must be provided within 14 days of a request, unless you receive a waiver from the Command Counsel.

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 03/18/2025 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/12690996).
  • 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
RA-W1B7AA HQ US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
DO NOT MAIL
Washington, DC 20314
US

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.