General Attorney GS-905-13/14 Job

Vacancy No. OIG-HQ-2025-0001 Department Office of Inspector General
Salary $103,409.00 to $158,860.00 Grade 13 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/31/2024 Close Date 11/14/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DCAtlanta, GAChicago, ILNew York, NY


Summary

The position is located in the Legal Services component of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on audits, investigations, inspections, or other legal matters of a moderate to complex nature where the factual situation is often complicated and clear precedents are not readily available or apparent.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all U.S. Citizens. This position may be filled at any duty locations listed above.

Duties

The Inspector General of the Department of Education (Department) heads an independent and objective organization responsible for audit, investigation, and other inspection services related to programs and operations of the Department. The Inspector General provides leadership and coordination and recommends policies for activities designed, to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of programs and operations as well as to prevent and detect fraud and abuse in such programs and operations.

The Office of the Inspector General consists of the following components:

  • Immediate Office of the Inspector General
  • Audit Services
  • Enterprise and External Affairs
  • Investigation Services
  • Legal Services
  • Management Services
  • Technology Services

As a General Attorney, the incumbent will provide advisory services on audits, investigations and Office of Inspector General operations and matters including independence issues. In addition, the incumbent will advise on Education law and programs, federal grant and procurement law, ethics matters, whistleblower laws, FOIA/Privacy Act requests and appeals, information disclosure and privacy matters.

The incumbent is responsible for the analysis of the legal issue in question, the development of the strategy to deal with the legal issue, and the content and means of delivery of the completed analysis of the legal issues.

The incumbent is expected to be able to independently present legal conclusions to high-level organizational officials, outside counsel, and other interested individuals or groups. Performs other duties as assigned.

The incumbent independently decide a broad array of procedural or substantive issues for presentation to an administrative board, court, member of Congress or senior congressional staff, senior Administration officer, or senior Department officials, where the incumbent is an expert in the procedural and substantive aspects of the case, audit, investigation, inspection, or other matter, and drafts critical guidance, advice, or presentations that are central to the disposition of the substantive aspects of the matter.

The incumbent communicates orally or in writing with managers and executives of the OIG as well as managers or attorney of the Department or other private and public organizations.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen
  • Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service
  • May be subject to serve a one-year trial period
  • Drug testing is required
  • This position is in the Excepted Service
  • Attorneys must be in good standing and maintain active bar membership

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.

Conditions of Employment 

TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY:

  • You may be eligible for occasional telework in which you are required to report to the office on a regular basis. Participation must be requested and approved by the supervisor and there must be a signed telework agreement. The number of telework days approved is determined by the agency policy, emergency situations, the approval of your immediate supervisor. You must have access to high-speed internet and cell phone service meeting current Agency policy from the approved work location.  

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements.

1. You must have earned a professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association AND

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

In addition to the Minimum Qualification Requirements above, the incumbent must meet the following;

Specialized Experience for the GS-13:

Three 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

One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least the GS-12 performing the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience advising and processing FOIA/Privacy Act requests and appeals, federal information law matters, and privacy law matters.

2. Experience advising on federal criminal investigations and procedure, federal audit matters, or Office of Inspector General matters.

3.Experience advising on ONE of the following legal areas - Education law, federal grants or procurements, federal ethics matters, or federal whistleblower matters.

Specialized Experience for the 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

One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least the GS-13 performing the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience advising and processing FOIA/Privacy Act requests and appeals, federal information law matters, and privacy law matters.

2. Experience advising on federal criminal investigations and procedure, federal audit matters, or Office of Inspector General matters.

3. Experience advising on TWO of the following legal areas - Education law, federal grants or procurements, federal ethics matters, or federal whistleblower matters.

Education

See Qualification Section.

Additional information

Veterans’ Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email sro_recruiting@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor (“Veterans Counseling Session” should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

Applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.

Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.

Attorneys must be in good standing and maintain active bar membership while employed in an Attorney position.

Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.

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.

As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a productive balance between work and home, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you include telework and alternative work schedules.

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.

We will review your application and documentation submitted to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire.  The selecting official may choose to designate a subject matter expert (SME) panel after the initial review of the applications by the Human Resources Specialist.  You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Non-Supervisory: Oral Communications, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-Management

We will refer the best qualified candidates to the Selecting Official of the job for further review and consideration. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this position as defined below. Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handled.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

You must submit (REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS):

•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. 

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. 

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

Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov.

Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.

Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)).

Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click “Finish” to submit your application.

NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts.

In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement OR at midnight on the day we received the 100th applications, whichever comes first. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Agency contact information

Teresa Dargan
Address
EDUCATION-OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
550 12th Street, S.W.
Attn: OIG Human Resources
Washington, District of Columbia 20202
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time.  We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process.
1.    Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received.
2.    After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official.
3.    Finally, we will inform you of your final disposition for this announcement (e.g., if/when a selection is made, if/when the announcement is cancelled).

Additional Locations


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


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