Clarification from the agency

This is a public notice flyer. Applications will not be accepted through USA Jobs. If you are interested in applying, please see the How to Apply section below.

About the Office:

The Justice Management Division (JMD) is the administrative arm of the Department of Justice, headed by the Assistant Attorney General for Administration (AAG/A). The JMD Office of the General Counsel (OGC) functions as "in-house" counsel to the AAG/A, JMD managers, and senior Department leadership on a wide variety of matters relating to the organization, management, and administration of the Department. See 28 C.F.R. §§ 0.75-0.77. OGC attorneys advise JMD and Department management in areas such as appropriations, budget and financial management, agency organizational management, personnel, procurement, access to government records (FOIA and Privacy Act), security, and delegations of authority. OGC attorneys also litigate in administrative forums and assist litigating divisions and U.S. Attorney's Offices (USAOs) when JMD matters are in the federal courts.

Job Description:

This position reports to a JMD Deputy General Counsel. However, the incumbent also has significant collaborative interaction with the General Counsel, attorney colleagues in the office, and managers throughout JMD and the Department. The work of the attorney selected for this position involves research, review, and analysis of relevant statutes, regulations, administrative and judicial decisions, and other applicable authorities to defend the agency in administrative litigation and to provide legal advice or opinions to Department of Justice managers and offices to assist them to formulate administrative policy or to make difficult management decisions; providing written advice on the legal ramifications of new or proposed regulations; and reviewing agency policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance, recommending changes, as necessary.

The attorney chosen for this position may have opportunities to conduct or be involved in administrative litigation, including representing the Department of Justice in bid protests at the Government Accountability Office, contract disputes at the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, employment discrimination matters at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, personnel and whistleblower matters at the Merit Systems Protection Board, and, as appropriate, to assist litigating divisions and USAOs when JMD matters are in the federal courts. The selectee may have opportunities to advise contracting personnel on an ongoing basis about Department procurements, and JMD managers on an ongoing basis regarding employment
issues. The selectee may have opportunities to advise the agency's Office of the Chief Information Officer regarding the Privacy Act compliance of information technology systems it manages. The selectee may have opportunities to review and respond to FOIA requests and to assist the USAOs in the defense of FOIA litigation involving JMD in the federal courts. The selectee may also have opportunities for involvement in cooperative work with attorneys and executives of other components and agencies regarding matters, initiatives, or projects of mutual concern or interagency responsibility, including working closely with the Office of Inspector General with regard to debarments and suspensions.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and a drug screening.
• Selective Service registration is required, see the "Additional Information" section for full details.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• You may be required to complete a trial period.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
• This position requires the incumbent to obtain and maintain a Secret Security clearance.

Qualifications

OGC is looking for candidates with: (1) experience in federal appropriations law; or (2) experience in as many of OGC's federal agency practice areas as possible (as described above). The Office is interested in candidates with demonstrated ability to efficiently and thoroughly research and incisively analyze a wide variety of complex issues; to express themselves clearly and persuasively in oral and written presentations; to exercise sound judgment; to manage a workload consisting of a number of varied projects, without specific guidelines and often with short deadlines; and to contribute to and work in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Applicants must be United States citizens, have a J.D. degree from an accredited law school, be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state (or the District of Columbia), and have no less than three years of post-J.D. legal experience to qualify for the position at the
GS-14 level and no less than four years post-J.D. legal experience to qualify for the position at the GS-15 level.

How you will be evaluated

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

Optional Narrative Statements:

The following four narrative questions provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate your commitment to public service to hiring managers and agency leadership. Although responses are optional and will not be scored, applicants are encouraged to address each question thoughtfully. Please limit each response to 200 words or fewer. At the beginning of your submission, please certify that the responses are your own work and that you did not use a consultant or any artificial intelligence (AI) tool, including large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT or Copilot.

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.

Evaluation Process:

OGC management will review applications to assess each candidate's qualifications. The most qualified candidates will be contacted by email or telephone to schedule an interview. Following the interviews, the top-ranked candidates will receive tentative offers of employment.

This vacancy announcement is open to ALL U.S. CITIZENS. To apply, interested candidates must submit ONE (1) PDF document containing the following.

- A cover letter that highlights the applicant's interest in the position and addresses in detail how all qualifications are met.
- A current resume that details months and years of education and employment and states the month and year of earliest bar admission.
- A short writing sample, or part of a longer writing sample (not to exceed ten pages), which should be exclusively or primarily the applicant's work and should include legal analysis.
- DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member 4 copy) (if applicable);
- CTAP/ICTAP documentation (if applicable); and
- Schedule (A) documentation, (if applicable).

To apply for this position, you must submit the documentation listed above to the attention of Michelle M. Allen, Administrative Specialist, Office of the General Counsel, Justice Management Division, U.S. Department of Justice by e-mail to: Michelle.M.Allen@usdoj.gov.

Next steps