Attorney Advisory (General)

Summary

This position is being filled under Schedule A Excepted Service (5 CFR 213.3102(d)) The Attorney-Advisor (general) is the statutory advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) and provides a broad range of legal and policy advice and counsel to the CJCS, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director and Vice Director of the Joint Staff, the Directors and senior supervisory officials.

Duties

As a ATTORNEY ADVISORY (GENERAL) you will be responsible for the following duties: Providing full range of legal services, but focuses primarily on Civilian Personnel and Labor Law, Standards of Conduct and Government Ethics, and Administrative Law, including legal issues associated with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act. Providing legal services, advice, counsel, and representation in the fields of civilian personnel and labor law; equal employment opportunity; and standards of conduct and government ethics. Acting independently on the assigned range of legal issues, conducting required legal research independently and preparing legal analyses and opinions regarding assigned legal matters. Maintaining close liaison with legal counterparts within Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel; Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Office of the Legal Counsel; the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which provides human resources services and support to the JS; the combatant commands; subordinate joint organizations, including Chairman's Controlled Activities; the Military Departments; and other federal agencies. Providing timely and effective legal advice and counsel on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) issues and requests, as well as protection Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Information Assurance (IA), and Information Technology (IT) systems use. Providing timely and effective legal advice and counsel concerning substantive and procedural Administrative Law, including command investigations, grievances, adverse actions, Inspector General Complaints, Memorandums of Agreement/Understanding, legislation and Congressional hearing support, and Foreign Liaison Officer Agreements. Providing timely and effective legal advice and counsel concerning litigation support including tracking and summarizing ongoing litigation, discovery support, review of pleadings, and drafting of witness declarations. Providing timely and effective legal advice and counsel on the full range of ethics and standards of conduct issues referencing the Department of War Joint Ethics Regulation (JER) and applicable guidance from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to include acceptance of gifts; activities with non-federal entities; travel benefits; use of government vehicles and U.S. military aircraft (MILAIR); procurement integrity; political activities; Public Financial Disclosure Reports, post government employment, and conflicts of interest. Providing timely and effective legal analysis and advice concerning fiscal law to include acquisition and contract law issues, federal appropriations law, source and type of funding, limitations on fiscal authority, proper use of funds, performance of work statements, inter-service and intra-governmental support agreements, conference issues, contract administration, military operations, to include contingency operations, exercises and other activities.

Qualifications

Qualification standards for attorney positions may be found in DoD Directive 1442.2, "Personnel Actions Involving Civilian Attorneys" at DoD Instruction 1442.02, September 30, 2010 (whs.mil). The experience described in your resume will be evaluated and screened for competencies needed to perform the duties of the position as described in the MAJOR DUTIES section of this announcement. The QUALITY of experience relates to how closely or to what extent your experience, education, and training are relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the announced position. Your resume must show you have the competencies necessary to successfully perform the work of the position at the appropriate level. Salary will be set within the range specified in this vacancy announcement based on the complexity of work to be performed, the selectee's experience, education, training, and availability of funds. You may qualify at the GS-14, if you fulfill the following qualifications: A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service: Providing timely and effective legal advice applying statutes, executive orders, directives, regulations, administrative rulings, and court decisions. Providing timely and effective legal advice and counsel on U.S. law and regulations governing standards of conduct and government ethics, including the Department of War Joint Ethics Regulation (JER) and applicable guidance from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) . Providing timely and effective legal advice to senior officials (General and Flag Officers and Senior Executive Service personnel) and supervisors on filing and review of Public Financial Disclosure Reports (OGE 278s) and Confidential Financial Disclosure Reports (OGE 450s), as well as potential disqualification of employees for conflicts of interest, divestiture of personal financial interests, and other corrective actions. Providing timely and effective legal advice and counsel on substantive administrative law to include a broad range of issues, including legislative reviews; use of Official Representation Funds (ORF); administrative investigations; support to private organizations; and non-appropriated fund instrumentalities. Providing timely and effective legal and policy advice to comptrollers, budget personnel, and acquisition program managers. Providing timely and effective legal advice, counsel, and recommendations regarding fiscal matters. Providing timely and effective legal advice and counsel on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) issues and requests, as well as protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Information Assurance (IA), and Information Technology (IT) systems use. Providing timely and effective legal advice on acquisition strategy, solicitation, source selection, and contract administration. 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. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. In addition to meeting qualifications, your application package must reflect the applicable experience to meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0905 series.https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0900/general-attorney-series-0905/ *NOTE: Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position. Please review the General Application Information and Definitions at:http://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DoDGenAppInfo.pdf. You must be a graduate from an accredited law school, and be in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Bar AND possess a Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor Degree from an accredited law school at the time of applying for the position. This position is in the Excepted Service. Selection under this appointment authority does not confer civil service competitive status. Applicants must provide proof that they are licensed and a member in good standing with the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Proof is a "certificate of good standing" issued by your state of licensure within 6 months of the date of application or a screenshot of your bar status taken from your state of licensure website dated within six (6) months. The successful applicant selected for employment must provide a "certificate of good standing" issued by their respective bar showing they are in good standing and in active status prior to appointment. To qualify, applicants must possess the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.).

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.abanet.org/legaled/approvedlawschools/approved.html You must be a graduate from an accredited law school, and be in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Bar. AND Possess a Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor Degree from an accredited law school at the time of applying for the position. A copy of college transcripts must be submitted with your application. NOTE: Failure to provide college transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position. Foreign Education: For further information, click on the following link: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

How you will be evaluated

Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. We will evaluate your application for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience meets the qualifications and other basic requirements are eligible for referral and selection consideration.

Required documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc.). Your complete application includes your COMPLETE 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: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. We recommend using a font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. 2. Transcripts: This position has a degree or education requirement so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript College transcript (s), required if qualifying based on education. We accept unofficial transcripts, as long as they contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned. 3. SF50 All current and former civilian Federal employees must submit a copy of your MOST RECENT SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, salary, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. This is also a requirement to verify your Time in Grade (TIG). 4. Veteran's Documents: If applying using veteran's preference or under a Veteran's hiring authority you must submit the following documents: DD214 showing character of service, SF-15 Form and VA letter showing final percentage, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty. PLEASE REVIEW THE BELOW LINK FOR OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS needed for proof of eligibility: https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DODCustomersRequiredSupportingDocumentation.pdf?

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account. You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. NOTE: Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://www.usajobs.gov, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To preview the questionnaire, please go to https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13111993. Please review the General Application Information and Definitions at: https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DoDGenAppInfo%2012-1-2020.pdf?ver=ECNbdsHtGilTd3OENN4A0Q%3d%3d As required by 5 C.F.R. § 302.106., DLA will provide Section 508 conformant ICT to employees with disabilities. All ICT interfaces with the public related to vacancy announcements and career transition opportunities must conform to the applicable requirements in the current ICT Standards and Guidelines (36 C.F.R. § 1194).

Other information

Please review the General Application Information and Definitions at: https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DoDGenAppInfo%2012-1-2020.pdf?ver=ECNbdsHtGilTd3OENN4A0Q%3d%3d Veteran's 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 documentation (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 a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, 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.) *NOTE: If you submit a resume but no questionnaire, you cannot be considered for the position. If you submit a questionnaire but no resume, you cannot be considered for the position. Your application will be appropriately documented and you will be removed from further competition against this announcement. *NOTE: Declining to be interviewed or failure to report for a scheduled interview will be considered as a declination for further consideration for employment against this vacancy. This position is subject to an initial drug screening, and random testing thereafter. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date). The selectee's inability successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or FJO being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to meet a condition of employment. You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position. This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. SELECTIVE SERVICE REQUIREMENT: https://www.sss.gov Please review the General Application Information and Definitions at: https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DoDGenAppInfo%2012-1-2020.pdf?ver=ECNbdsHtGilTd3OENN4A0Q%3d%3d

What to expect next

If selected, additional documentation may be required prior to appointment. Once you successfully complete the application process, you will receive a notification of receipt. Your application package will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic eligibility and qualifications requirements, and you will receive a notification. A review will be made of your online questionnaire and the documentation you submitted to support your responses. A list of qualified applicants will be created and sent to the selecting official. All applicants reviewed and/or referred will receive a notification letter. The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews, and once the selection is made, you will receive a notification of the decision.