Summary
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), Office of the General Counsel is seeking one or more full-time Senior Transaction Counsels for the Office of the Chief Counsel for Semiconductor Incentives. The Office of the Chief Counsel for Semiconductor Incentives provides advice and assistance to the CHIPS Program Office (CPO) within DOC.
The position will report to the Chief Counsel for Semiconductor Incentives. This position is located in the DOC's headquarters in Washington, DC.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens.
Duties
As an General Attorney (Senior Transaction Counsel) (Public Notice Flyer), you will perform the following duties:
- The Senior Transaction Counsel is a core member of the team providing legal advice to the CPO on all semiconductor manufacturing financing transactional matters. CPO financings may take the form of grants, loans, loan guarantees, other transactions, or a mixture thereof. These transactions will include complex project finance and corporate finance transactions.
Counterparties may range from multinational corporations to small- and medium- sized enterprises. Transactions will often involve very large dollar values and complex negotiation and documentation. The Senior Transaction Counsel will be responsible for:
- working with other members of CPO staff to evaluate proposed transactions and other matters of programmatic significance, including sources of legal and commercial risk, and advising members of CPO staff, management, and senior leadership on such matters;
- conducting (or supervising) due diligence in connection with the origination of complex debt financings;
- origination stage drafting and negotiation (or supervising the drafting and negotiation) of all finance and security documents (including, without limitation; grant agreements, credit agreements, common terms agreements, intercreditor agreements; and liens, collateral security agreements, share and asset pledges, and other security arrangements);
- portfolio management of closed transactions, including disbursements, waivers and amendments, restructurings, enforcement of rights, and/or dispute resolution;
- management of external counsel teams with respect to active transactions and portfolio management matters; and
- periodic assignments to special projects relating to issues of programmatic significance.
The duties of this position are suitable for some telework with supervisor approval. Full-time remote work may be available subject to DOC approval.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs.
- A probationary period may be required.
- Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/)
- If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
- All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
- Drug Test Required: No
- License required: Active BAR Certificate
- Pre-employment physical required: No
- Bargaining Unit Position: No
- Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes
- Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: will not be paid
Qualifications
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/
Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work completed 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. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Basic requirement for all grade levels:
- You must be a graduate with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school; AND
- You must have bar membership in one of the 50 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands.
Minimum Requirements:
-Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (MUST include law school transcripts in your application);
- Must be an active member of the Bar (any U.S. jurisdiction - MUST include proof of bar membership in your application); and
- Must have at least five (5) years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience to qualify for a GS-15 grade level.
Applicants must meet the general professional experience requirements set forth above and the below specialized experience by the closing date of the announcement. Specialized experience equips applicants with particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled.
Note: The General Counsel or designee retains the discretion to waive minimum qualifications as described above.
Specialized Experience Requirements:
For this position, Applicants should meet the following specialized experience requirements: at least six (6) years of experience practicing law, including at least six (6) years of significant experience with complex corporate transactions involving sophisticated parties.
Relevant experience includes, without limitation:
- Representation of lenders, sponsors, or borrowers in the negotiation and documentation of project finance, syndicated lending, or corporate debt finance transactions;
- Representation of companies and investors in the negotiation and documentation of equity finance transactions; and
- Demonstrated relevant experience as in-house counsel, including management of external transaction counsel on the complex corporate transactions mentioned above.
GS-15 - You must have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), plus five (5) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-14 level in the Federal service:
Applicants may be hired at the grade shown in this announcement, commensurate with the candidate's experience and qualifications. You are encouraged to identify the grade level(s) or salary for which you wish to be considered. The promotion potential for this position is GS-15 level.
Education
See Qualifications Above.
Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school. Official or unofficial transcripts must be submitted with your application package.
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.
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.
Applicants will be rated based on their education, experience, demonstrated legal research and writing abilities, and performance during the interview process. Basis for evaluation: If eligible and meeting basic qualifications, your application package will be evaluated in conjunction with your resume and supporting documents for the required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of this position:
- ability to independently handle complex corporate and commercial transactions in corporate or project finance;
- familiarity with early state project development/sponsor side work and project documents;
- demonstrated ability to assume multiple roles and tasks to meet changing business needs with an ability to foresee, troubleshoot, escalate, and effectively resolve conflicting issues and challenges;
- demonstrated ability to assess risk in a practical and responsible manner and make well- reasoned decisions, as well as to think creatively within such decisions;
- demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relations with clients and colleagues and to work effectively in teams;
- ability to work in a fast-paced environment with quick turnaround expectations;
- professional integrity and sound judgement in handling confidential information;
- excellent communication skills and the capacity to present both written and oral ideas clearly, concisely, and persuasively at senior levels; and
- superior legal research and writing skills.
There are no numerical rating systems through which to apply veterans preference; however, the Office of the General Counsel favorably considers veterans preference eligibility in hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume. If selected, additional information may be required.
Required Documents
A complete application consists of the following:
- Cover letter. Address demonstrated interests and qualifications as it relates to the position.
- Resume showing relevant experience. Your resume should list your educational and work experience, including the dates (mm/dd/yyyy) and provide the hours per week, if less than 40. For work in the Federal Service, please include the pay plan and grade level for the position(s).
- Copy of law school transcript. (Unofficial copy is sufficient, but official copy must be submitted before appointment). You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.
- Certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing. Prior to receiving an offer, you will be asked to provide a certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing.
Failure to provide documents, if selected, may result in lost consideration.
Please DO NOT put your SSN on pages within your application package. Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.
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
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING RESUMES AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Please send all documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section to OCCjobs@chips.gov with the subject line "CHIPS Senior Transaction Counsel - [Full Name]."
All other required documents (e.g., copy of transcript and proof of bar membership and good standing) will be required if hired.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
And include at least the following information in the email's body:
- Your name
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
Next steps
Once your application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your eligibility. You will only be contacted if you are found eligible and if you are selected for an interview. Applicants selected for interviews may be requested to provide a legal writing sample.
Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for OGC to share your application with others in OGC for similar positions.
By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed.
After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.).
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