General Attorney (Civil Rights) GS-12/13/14 FPL GS-14

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all U.S. citizens.

APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200 application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

This is an Excepted Service position. The job will be filled by alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position are subject to a one-year trial period. Join our Team! The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is looking for the best and brightest to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation.

As a General Attorney (Civil Right), GS-0905-12, you will be responsible for:

• Serving as a legal and policy advisor the the Assistant Secretary (AS), Deputy Assistant Secretaries (DASs), Enforcement Directors (EDs), PLG Director and Deputy Director, and serves as an expert resource for other managers within OCR.
• Developing or review policy issuances, legal standards, legal memoranda, guidelines, and proposed regulations pertaining to civil rights compliance, the conduct of investigations and compliance reviews and the provision of technical assistance.
• Developing policy issuances, guidelines, and legal standards for OCR regional enforcement offices, the Department, recipients of Federal financial assistance, and the general public. Assignments may involve legal and policy matters of significant complexity.
• Developing training materials and manuals and presents training to stakeholders and other OCR staff on significant policy and legal issues, complex statutory and regulatory standards, changes in case law, new policy developments, and other related matters.
• Coordinating and assisting in administrative proceedings and Federal Court litigation in coordination with other components of OCR and the Department.

• Reviewing and assessing case resolution documents, investigative reports, and compliance findings to ensure they meet established legal and policy standards for civil rights enforcement.
• Formulating and presenting recommendations regarding program management and legal policy matters, including alternative approaches, amendatory language, or new provisions to resolve conflicts between state and federal law or to improve civil rights compliance.
• Performing comprehensive legal research and analysis on moderately to significantly complex civil rights issues, including statutory and regulatory interpretation, case law review, and policy development to resolve novel or precedent-setting problems.

• Serving as a legal and policy advisor to senior leadership and other managers, offering expert guidance and interpretation of federal civil rights statutes and implementing regulations, including Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, the Age Discrimination Act, Title II of the ADA, and the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act.
• Performing advanced legal research and analysis to address complex civil rights compliance issues, formulates recommendations, and negotiates resolutions to significantly complex matters affecting program operations and enforcement activities.
• Translateing organizational goals into operational objectives, develops strategies for improving program effectiveness and efficiency, and contributes to the development and implementation of major civil rights policy initiatives.

Conditions of employment

Condition of Employment:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Key Requirement - Relocation will not be paid.

Key Requirement - Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.

Key Requirement - You may be subject to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period.

Key Requirement - Must be a US Citizen

Key Requirement -You may be subject to serve a one-year trial period.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications Requirements for GS-12:

A. Is an active member in good standing in the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

AND

B. Has obtained the first professional law degree or training which is permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at the law school.

AND

Two years of professional legal experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility at the next lower grade level or equivalent.

AND

Specialized Experience for the GS-12

One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-11 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience evaluating the legal adequacy of case resolution documents and reports on civil rights compliance.
2. Experience drafting training materials and planning conferences.
3. Experience developing recommendations on program management and legal policy issues.

Minimum Qualifications Requirements for GS-13:

A. Has obtained the first professional law degree or training which is permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at the law school AND

B. Is an active member in good standing in the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

AND

Specialized Experience for the GS-13

One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-12 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience evaluating the legal adequacy of case resolution documents and reports on civil rights compliance.
2. Experience developing recommendations on program management and legal policy issues.
3. Experience conducting extensive research to solve complex problems.

Minimum Qualifications Requirements for GS-14:

Four years professional legal experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled.

AND

Specialized Experience for the GS-14

One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-13 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, and their implementing regulations..
2. Experience with researching analytical techniques, problem-solving, formulating recommendations, negotiating resolutions to significantly complex issues.
3. Experience providing operational task objectives and develop strategies for improving program effectiveness and efficiency.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

GS-12
1. Ability to apply the civil rights laws and regulations.
2. Knowledge of investigative, analytical, negotiation, mediation, and resolution techniques.
3. Skills in oral and written communications and ability to analyze and resolve legal problem using civil rights legal research.

GS-13

1. Knowledge of federal civil rights statutes, regulations, and enforcement principles necessary to evaluate the legal adequacy of investigative findings, resolution documents, and compliance reports.
2. Skill in conducting extensive legal research; analyzing complex statutory, regulatory, and policy issues; and preparing clear, well-reasoned recommendations to support program management and legal policy decisions.
3. Ability to synthesize large volumes of legal information, identify issues, apply legal standards, and formulate solutions and recommendations for complex or novel civil rights compliance challenges

GS-14
1. Knowledge of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, and their implementing regulations, as well as the principles and practices of civil rights compliance.
2. Skill in conducting advanced legal research, applying analytical techniques, solving complex legal and policy problems, and formulating recommendations and negotiating resolutions for significantly complex issues.
3. Ability to translate organizational goals into operational task objectives, develop strategies for improving program effectiveness and efficiency, and contribute to the implementation of major civil rights policy initiatives.

How you will be evaluated

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

-A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire. Please limit your resume to 2 pages with the font size no smaller than 10 points. If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination..

Cover letter if applicable. You are not required to submit bar card or transcripts to apply to the vacancy announcement, but you will be required to submit them upon request from hiring panel or the HR Specialist. Writing sample and/or list of references may be required of selected applicants at later stages in the selection process.

If you are claiming Veterans' Preference you must submit: -A copy of your DD-214 that shows active service and character of discharge, member copy 4 (Separated Members only); OR -A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application (Current Active Duty Members only); AND/OR -The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference; AND/OR -Proof of Sole Survivorship Preference (e.g., certificate of death or 100% disability as a result of serving in the armed forces). Veteran's Preference: Department of the Education attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Education considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor consideration in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with the supporting documentation, e.g., SF-15, DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.

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