Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to All U.S. Citizens. All qualified applicants are considered and Veterans' preference does not apply.

As Deputy General Counsel for Commercial Law, the incumbent reports to the Principal Deputy General Counsel and assists in discharging the responsibility of DeCA OGC to provide legal advice, counsel on a broad range of issues to the DeCA Director, the DeCA General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel, and DeCA staff. Additional responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: Supervising staff, coordinating and allocating resources, and ensuring long and short term goals of the office are met; approving requests for travel, leave, and work schedules; Performing in-depth legal research involving analysis of statutes, case law, and government and other reports, as well as proposed legislation, and writing briefs, legal memoranda, and other documents on matters pertinent to the work and administrative functioning of DeCA; Providing legal advice and counsel to the DeCA Agency Director, the DeCA General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel, and the DeCA staff on issues including commercial law, administrative and civil law, Standards of Conduct (Ethics), federal agency practice, the law of military installations, fiscal law, federal contract law, environmental law, construction law, the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, drafting and reviewing legislation, intellectual property and data rights, international law and litigation; Representing and overseeing the representation of DeCA in litigation before the Government Accountability Office, and the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, as well as providing support to the Department of Justice in matters litigated in federal courts; Participating in the selection and recruitment of permanent and temporary staff for the legal office; Performing the duties of the General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel in their absence and other duties as assigned.

This position is in the Excepted Service

The Defense Commissary Agency is an Equal Employment Opportunity Agency.

Who May Apply: U.S. citizens.

Notice of Veterans 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 documents (e.g., 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 an SF 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov.) If two of more applicants for an attorney position are determined to be equally "best qualified" for the position, but one of the applicants is a preference eligible veteran, the preference eligible veteran has preference over the non-preference eligible applicant.

TRAVEL REQUIRED

- Occasional Travel
- Business travel is required less than 20% of the time

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED

- PCS may be authorized.

- Recruiting Incentive may be offered.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

- U.S. Citizenship is Required
- Direct Deposit of Pay is Required
- Tour of Duty: Full Time Monday through Friday, AWS2 (gliding)
- FLSA: Exempt
- Bargaining Unit: No
- License/Certification: Bar Certificate of Good Standing in Active Status

Conditions of employment

• Be a U.S. citizen or national. Applicants with a Permanent Resident Card are authorized to live and work in the U.S. but are not eligible for employment in positions requiring U.S. citizenship. If selected, proof of citizenship is required.
• Meet minimum age requirement. See the Additional Information.
• Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered with or exempt from Selective Service.
• Appointment is subject to successful verification of identity and employment eligibility through E-Verify. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Appointment is subject to a favorable suitability or fitness outcome, as determined by a completed background investigation. New federal employees will be fingerprinted.
• Be able to obtain and maintain clearance eligibility based on the appropriate background investigation.
• May be subject to a probationary/trial period.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements for Attorney positions can be found in DoD Instruction 1442.02, "Personnel Actions Involving Civilian Attorneys."

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

Applicant must have graduated from a school that is accredited by the American Bar Association (LLB or JD).

Bar Membership: An applicant must currently be an active member, in good standing, of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.

Applicant must have professional legal experience in excess of 3 years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Basis for Rating: Applicants will be evaluated to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the position.

SELECTIVE FACTORS: Selection will be based on the judgment of the selecting official as to which applicant is best qualified to perform the duties of the position. The breadth and depth of relevant experience and knowledge, and the quality of past performance, will be the primary considerations used for selection. Attorneys performing the duties at the GS-15, or equivalent level, are expected to perform with substantial independence even when working on the most complex or difficult matters. Important selection factors are: demonstrated legal analytical ability, excellence in oral or written communication skills across audiences, strong client relations/customer support and interpersonal skills, and ability to interpret law and provide authoritative legal advice; recognized proficiency as an advocate, including the ability to balance competing interests and provide alternative courses of action to advance agency interests; skill in resolving extremely complex and difficult legal questions which will be precedent-setting in nature and demonstrate supervisory skills. Highly desirable selection factors are: substantial knowledge and experience pertaining to government contracting and fiscal law, environmental law, construction law, intellectual property and data rights, administrative and civil law, government ethics, drafting and reviewing legislation, and statutory interpretation; litigation experience, particularly before the Government Accountability Office, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, and Federal Courts; dispute resolution; and experience regarding the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Other Requirements:

The experience described in your resume will be evaluated and screened for basic qualification requirements, and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties of this position as described in this vacancy announcement.

·You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
·Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.

·One or two year trial/probationary period may be required.

May be subject to one year supervisory probation period.

·You must include the announcement number on your application.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and narrative) will be used to evaluate you against the qualification requirements and the following competencies: Technical Competence; Supervision; and Communication. We review your application package to confirm your appointment eligibility, determine your qualifications, and verify you meet requirements.

Documents to be submitted later:

1) An example of writing skills demonstrated by a legal brief, memorandum, letter, etc. (five pages or less).

2) If the applicant is a current Federal employee, a copy of the applicant's most recent performance appraisal (or an explanation of why a performance appraisal cannot be provided), plus the applicant's most recent non-award SF-50 or DD3434.

3) Applicants who are not currently serving in a DoD civilian attorney position must also submit:

a) a transcript of the applicant's law school records with an official statement of his/her relative standing in his/her class, if obtainable. A copy of the transcript is acceptable for the application but the official transcript must be submitted prior to entrance on duty;

b) a certificate showing active membership of a qualifying state bar (see Bar Membership above). A copy is acceptable for the application but the official certificate or on-line link to verify the information, presented prior to entrance on duty.

c) a statement that his/her fitness to practice law or their conduct as an attorney has never been challenged. If fitness or conduct has been challenged, a statement explaining the circumstances must be provided.

The successful applicant will be required to submit an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, within 30 days of assuming the position.

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