Duties

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Chief Counsel, located in Washington, DC.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This position starts at a salary of $68,036.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $148,967.00 (GS-14, Step 10) with promotion potential to $148,967(GS-14, Step 10).

Chief Counsel is a fast-paced work environment, where attorneys often find themselves working on high-profile matters and navigating very short deadlines. Accordingly, it is expected that the successful candidate will display a strong work ethic, the adaptability to work on multiple different matters simultaneously, proficiency in written and oral communication, and a commitment to the highest degree of professionalism.

In this position, you will become a key member of the legal team for The Office of The Chief Counsel. Typical work assignments include:

• Providing advice to CBP personnel on customs and trade laws, policy, and programs, including broker licensing and surety issues, customs duties and collection matters;
• Advising the agency client on matters arising under fiscal and appropriation laws, such as the permissible use of appropriated funds and the preparation of CBP's annual budget request;
• Providing procurement law support and advice to CBP, including acquisition planning, contract formation, and contract administration under the Federal Acquisition Regulations, and representing CBP in contract appeals/bid protests before adjudicative bodies such as the Board of Contract Appeals, Government Accountability Office and Court of Federal Claims;
• Providing legal advice on real property and environmental issues, consulting on land acquisition matters, and supporting the Department of Justice in civil actions involving CBP (to include the preparation of litigation reports, pleadings, and discovery), such as cases involving customs/trade matters, federal condemnation proceedings, patent and other intellectual property disputes, FOIA, and tort claims; and
• Aiding in the disposition of other miscellaneous issues, such as reviewing and drafting legislation affecting CBP's interests, assisting with the negotiation and interpretation of international agreements, advising on agency and third party intellectual property rights, and issuing advice on the application of FOIA and the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service
• Primary U.S. residency for the last three years (additional details below)
• You may be required to pass a background investigation and/or polygraph
• You may be required to pass initial and random drug testing

Qualifications

Applicant must be a graduate from a full course of study in a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association and be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Specialized Education: Recent law school graduates may be appointed to attorney positions at the GS-11 level with the following additional qualifications: rank in the top 1/3 of graduating class; participation on the school's official Law Review; membership in the Order of the Coif; or winning of a moot court competition. An interim appointment of 14 months may be made pending the selectee's admission to the bar. Selectee will be required to provide admittance and standing to the Bar and possibly a copy of their official law school transcript.

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.

You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 06/06/2019.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For more information visit this link. https://www.cbp.gov/careers/join-cbp/which-career/apply/background-investigation

Residency: If you are not currently a CBP employee, you must meet one or more of the following primary residency criteria for at least three years prior to applying to this announcement:

Resided in the United States or its protectorate or territories (excluding short trips abroad, such as vacations);

Worked for the United States government as an employee overseas in a federal or military capacity; or

Been a dependent of a United States federal or military employee serving overseas.

Exceptions may be granted if you provide complete state-side coverage information regarding participation in "Study Abroad" programs, overseas church missions, or state-side addresses of anyone who worked or studied with you overseas. You must provide information and related documentation at the time of application.

Education

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.

Additional information

Relocation: Should relocation funding be available, expenses may be offered to the selectee as a lump-sum payment under CBP's Voluntary Relocation Plan test program (VRP) in lieu of any relocation benefits available under the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), 41 C.F.R., Subtitle F, Chapter 302. New appointees to the Government non-CBP employees are not eligible to participate in the VRP. The amount of the lump-sum payment will vary depending upon whether you rent or own your current residence and whether your residence is a single or multiple-person household. Any relocation expenses incurred that are greater than the VRP lump-sum payment amount will be your responsibility, and no subsequent claims for relocation expenses will be granted by CBP. The lump-sum payment, which will be made through direct deposit, will be treated as wages and, thus, will be subject to all applicable employment tax withholdings. To be eligible for the VRP, you must sign an employment agreement by completing CBP Form 334C-1 at the time of selection. Additional information can be found in CBP Directive 5330-026a, which is available on the CBPNet Policy Page.

Trial Period: You will be required to serve a trial period of 2 years.

Travel: You will be required to travel as needed for any mandatory training, and to provide legal support to or on behalf of CBP clients or to deliver training, in various field operating locations.

Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

This job is being filled by an alternative hiring process (Excepted Service) and is not in the competitive civil service.

Veterans Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however the Office of Chief Counsel considers veteran's preference eligibility as a positive factor in the hiring process.

Positions with known promotion potential do not guarantee promotion, nor is the promise of promotion implied.

CBP uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.

Every individual receives a fair opportunity throughout the federal recruitment and hiring process. Learn more here .

Follow U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Twitter @CustomsBorder

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, which may include personal interview(s) and a writing exercise.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

You must include the following information (in addition to specific information requested elsewhere in the vacancy announcement) to receive consideration for this position:

Cover letter: Your application package must include a cover letter expressing your interest in this position. Please do not exceed two pages. Application packages received without a cover letter will not be given consideration.
Resume: A resume that includes announcement number, veteran's preference, your full name, address, phone number and the last four digits of your Social Security Number and a detailed description of your experience, education, training and self-development and the dates your performed them (MM/DD/YY), as well as your work schedule and salary.
Writing Sample: A writing sample is required as part of the application package and may not exceed five pages.
Transcripts: From an ABA approved law school or equivalent is required. Education must be from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education obtained from a foreign university or college is not creditable unless it has been evaluated by an organization that specializes in interpretation of education credentials. For a listing of accrediting agencies, please see http://www.naces.org/members.htm .

It is your responsibility to verify that information submitted (i.e., resume, veterans documentation, and SF-50's) is received and accurate and must be in English. Applications and supporting documentation will only be accepted by mail at the address listed under the "How to Apply" section. The section also outlines the contact information for inquires.

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.