Duties

Summary

The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) is a great place to work, and we aren't the only ones who think so. We were 2nd overall in the 2017 and 2018 Partnership for Public Service's Best Places to Work Index, and our 91% response rate means we know our results are truly representative of our employee's views.

This position is located in the Office of Commissioner Amy Karpel.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As an Attorney Advisor (Title VII), you will assist the Commissioner to:

• Provide legal support in investigations under Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, concerning antidumping, countervailing duty, and safeguard investigations. You will assess often complex factual records and legal arguments, advise and assist the Commissioner in preparation for hearings, votes and decisions, prepare memoranda, and reply to oral and written inquiries from the Commissioner.
• Provide assistance and advice to the Commissioner in administrative and procedural matters relating to Title VII. You will also assist in the Commissioner Office's role of facilitating and coordinating the work of the Commission.
• Provide advice regarding litigation of Commission decisions.

You will be performing day-to-day functions assisting the Commissioner in the accomplishment of the agency's mission. As directed by the needs of the Commissioner, you will perform legal research and draft memoranda or other documents and perform other related work as needed. Due to the level of the organization that this position operates in, you will be required to keep confidences, and you must be able to adjust to changes in direction and perform effectively under pressure.

The ideal candidate for this position would possess experience in substantive areas of international trade and Title VII and have a record of superior achievement in legal education. The candidate would possess superior writing, organizational and oral communication skills, and have the ability to handle large volumes of information with careful attention to accuracy and detail.

NOTE: This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer rights to permanent Civil Service status.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You will be required to successfully complete a background investigation.
• You may be required to serve a two-year trial period.
• You must provide proof of your Bar membership.
• You will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all of the qualification requirements, including education and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. Education may only be substituted in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be credited towards qualifications. Applicants must have the general and specialized experience outlined below which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

To be hired as an Attorney Advisor with us, you must:

• Possess at least a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree or a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
• Currently be a member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

You will be required to submit proof of your Bar membership as part of your application package to show that you meet this requirement. Any offer is contingent on receipt of a letter or certificate of good standing for each bar of which the applicant is an active member dated within 30 days of any offer.

IN ADDITION to meeting the requirements above, you must meet the specific and/or specialized experience below:

To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have at least four years of experience which provided the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience must consist of the following: four years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the United States International Trade Commission; OR one year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND three years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC.

To qualify at the GS-15 level, you must have at least five years of experience which provided the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience must consist of the following: five years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the United States International Trade Commission; OR one year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND four years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC.

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.

Education

Education Requirement:
All applicants must possess a first professional law degree: J.D. or LL.B from an American Bar Association Law School, or equivalent training. Equivalent training is training permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at a law school. To be acceptable, this training must be of the kind and nature required by the state in which the bar exam is taken. A copy of your transcript(s) is required to show proof that you meet this requirement. Please see the Required Documents section of the announcement for more specific information.

Submit a copy of your transcript(s) or list of courses with credit hours, major(s) and grade-point average or class ranking. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials: http://www.naces.org/members.htm.

Additional information

1. If you are a male applicant who was born after December 31, 1959, you are required to certify that you are registered with the Selective Service or are exempt under Selective Service regulations. For additional information concerning Selective Service requirements, please visit www.sss.gov.

2. Time period to meet qualifications: All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

3. Verification of information: Any information claimed on your resume and in application materials, such as education, credentials and employment history will be verified as part of the security clearance process.

4. Excepted service appointments: This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer rights to permanent Civil Service status.
NOTE: THIS POSITION WILL BE FILLED USING THE SCHEDULE C HIRING AUTHORITY.

AGENCIES MAY SEPARATE SCHEDULE C APPOINTEES AT ANY TIME IF THE CONFIDENTIAL OR POLICY-DETERMINING RELATIONSHIP ENDS BETWEEN THE INCUMBENT AND THEIR SUPERVISOR.

SCHEDULE C APPOINTEES ARE NOT COVERED BY STATUTORY REMOVAL PROCEDURES AND GENERALLY HAVE NO RIGHTS TO APPEAL REMOVAL ACTIONS TO THE MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD.

THIS IS A TIME-LIMITED APPOINTMENT.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

Legal Analysis

Investigation and Legal Review

Oral and Written Communication

We will evaluate your relevant education and/or work experience as they relate to the competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) mentioned above. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Based on the results of this evaluation, you will be placed in one of the following categories:

Best: Placement in this category indicates you have the type and quality of experience and/or education that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, including any selective placement factors and/or appropriate quality ranking factor(s).

Better: Placement in this category indicates you have the type and quality of experience and/or education that exceed the minimum qualifications of the position.

Good: Placement in this category indicates you meet the minimum qualifications and/or education of the position and are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the position. You may require extensive training and/or orientation in order to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position.

Candidates in the Best category will be the first ones sent to the hiring manager for interview consideration.

Your resume, and supporting documentation for education, should contain sufficient information for us to make a valid determination that you fully meet the qualification requirements for this vacancy. We do not make inferences and can only consider the information you provide to us. Insufficient resumes and application packages will result in loss of consideration.

Your experience and education is also evaluated using an assessment questionnaire, which is available at the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10553243

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

1. Resume: Your resume may be in any written format you choose, and to be sufficient, should contain the required information as specified in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. Insufficient resumes, or resumes that contain inappropriate information, such as privacy information or photographs, will result in an ineligible rating.

2. Occupational questionnaire: A completed job-specific occupational questionnaire should be submitted through your Application Manager account.

3. Proof of Bar Membership: Documentation must show that you are a member of the Bar of a state, territory or commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. If you are made an offer, you must submit a Certificate of Good Standing dated within 30 days of the offer.

4. Transcripts: You MUST submit a copy of your transcript(s), as specified under the Education section of this announcement. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for application purposes, provided they show your classes, grades, dates of attendance and award of any degree. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

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.