Requirements
Conditions of employment
- This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance or access for the duration of employment.
- Incumbent is required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, (5CFR Part 2634, Subpart I Confidential Financial Disclosure Reports) upon entering the position and annually.
- Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
- You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
- Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in the DoD Instruction 1315.19 at http://tp://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/131519p.pdf.
- Must be able to satisfy the requirements of the 26JUL12 DODI 1400.25 V1230, DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Employment in Foreign Areas and Employee Return Rights. Visit https://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/.
- This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 10% of the time.
- A one year probation to assess your ability to perform supervisory duties is required unless previously completed.
- Excepted service positions are subject to a two year trial period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements.
- In accordance with AR 690-11, this position has been designated as "Emergency-Essential". Emergency-Essential designation takes precedence over any transportation agreement or military recall status.
- This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter.
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens
The minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:
Bar membership: Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Professional Legal Experience: Applicant must have three or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. One year of the required professional legal experience is equivalent to the GS-14 under the General Schedule or other pay systems which includes providing senior-level legal advice on federal contracting matters; conducting legal analysis and recommendations on contract claims, disputes, and bid protests; preparing litigation reports and supporting federal litigation through research, factual development, and coordination with Department of Justice or U.S. Attorneys; delivering authoritative ethics guidance, including reviewing financial disclosures and applying the Joint Ethics Regulation; and supervising attorneys and legal staff by assigning work, reviewing legal products, and offering technical oversight across a geographically dispersed organization.
NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS SHOULD ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
1. Technical Knowledge:
- Experience and/or knowledge in the specialized body of law applicable to civil works authorities, military programs, fiscal law, environmental law, ethics, information law, and general law. This includes extensive experience with and knowledge of Federal, DoD and Department of the Army regulations, guidelines, and policies.
- Experience and mature judgment in handling legal problems including statutory interpretations, preparing legal documents, and reviewing document for legal soundness and accuracy sufficient for accomplishment of difficult, complex and varied legal work relating to complex procurements, litigation, civil works, military construction, regulatory, ethics, fiscal law, and interagency agreements, administrative and international law
2. Management skills and leadership abilities:
- Workload and/or staff direction and management experience. Experience in establishing goals, executing processes, and leading staff to implement and adjust objectives to meet regional mission requirements.
3. Other knowledge, skills, and abilities:
- Ability to advise and communicate effectively with senior leadership at all levels.
- Experience in recruiting, managing, and evaluating attorneys; ability to lead and manage complex legal issues, including reviewing work of legal subject matter experts.
- Credentials as indicated in the résumé and other application materials (e.g., awards, performance ratings, educational achievements).
TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENTS: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed 1 year at the next lower level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.
Education
An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).Only a degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education acceptable to meet positive education requirements, or to substitute education for experience.
Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at - http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov//admins/finaid/accred/index.html.Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency in order to be considered for this position. Please include this information in your resume.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Additional information
- Direct deposit of pay is required.
- U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement.
- Locality pay does not apply in the overseas area.
- If an employee brings a child to an overseas location and that child is entitled to attend a DoD school on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, the DoDEA and the Military Department responsible for providing related services will ensure that the child, if eligible for special education, receives a free appropriate public education, including related services pursuant to DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
- If an employee brings an infant or toddler (up to 3 years of age) to an overseas location, and that infant or toddler, but for the child's age, is entitled to attend the DoDEA on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, then the Military Department responsible for EIS will provide the infant or toddler with the required EIS in accordance with the eligibility criteria consistent with DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
- Employees (and family members) who require medical or dental care in the overseas location will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only.
- Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants for positions at overseas locations. Pay retention will not be offered as an incentive for employees moving between overseas positions.
- Selectees may receive certain foreign area benefits such as: Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) or government quarters, home leave, etc. Selectees will have their eligibility for foreign area benefits determined at the time of hire in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR) and DoDI 1400.25 volume 1250.
- For positions in a foreign country, that country's laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of an employee's same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information and direct questions concerning a specific country (Foreign Duty Location) to the appropriate Army Human Resources point of contact prior to the acceptance of employment and your entrance on duty.
- This is a Career Program (CP) 56 - Civilian Attorneys & Paraprofessionals
- Defense National Relocation Program may be authorized.
- Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
- When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
- Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.
- Relocation or recruitment incentive may be authorized for eligible candidates based on funding availability.
- Student Loan Repayment/Advanced in Hire/Advanced Leave Accrual/may be authorized.
- You may claim military spouse preference (MSP). Attorney spouses of active duty military may apply for available positions in accordance with the military spouse program, as identified in DODI 1400.25 Volume 315.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
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.
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
You may claim Military Spouse preference.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.
As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
1. Your resume:
- Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
- For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
- Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
- If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
- For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
- Cover Letter, optional
- Official certificate showing you are a member in good standing with the bar, together with a statement that neither your fitness to practice law nor conduct as an attorney has ever been challenged, OR if either has been challenged, a statement concerning the facts & circumstance together with any explanation you may deem appropriate.
- Examples of writing skills should be demonstrated by legal briefs, articles, memoranda, and/or letters. These examples should total no more than ten (10) pages. Extracts of selected sections or larger documents are acceptable.
- Three letters of recommendation from other attorneys dated within one year of this vacancy announcement.
- Official or certified Law School Transcripts will be required before entering on duty. Copies may be submitted initially.
Current Corps of Engineers (USACE) Attorneys DO NOT need to provide the following supporting documents:
- Official or certified Law School Transcripts.
- Official certificate showing you are a member in good standing with the bar, together with a statement that neither your fitness to practice law nor conduct as an attorney has ever been challenged, OR if either has been challenged, a statement concerning the facts & circumstance together with any explanation you may deem appropriate.
- Three letters of recommendation from other attorneys.
- Proof of U.S. Citizenship.
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
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.