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Associate General Counsel for Litigation

Employer
USAJobs
Location
District of Columbia, D.C
Closing date
Sep 17, 2019
Duties

Summary

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is the nation's housing agency committed to strengthening the Nation's housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; and build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination.

THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS VACANCY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 10, 2019.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This position is located in the Office of Litigation, Office of General Counsel (OGC), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). OGC provides legal opinions, advice, and services with respect to all departmental programs and activities. OGC has primary responsibility for the development of HUD program regulations and assists in the development of HUD programs and policies. The incumbent of this position serves as one of eight Associate General Counsel and, as such, is given considerable latitude and independent authority to administer certain functional and/or programmatic responsibilities of the Office of General Counsel. Each Associate General Counsel directs and supervises the activities of a substantial portion of the professional and clerical staff of the Office of General Counsel.

The Office of Litigation, which the Associate General Counsel manages and supervises, consists of two Divisions, the Assisted Housing and Civil Rights Litigation Division and the Insured Housing Community Development Litigation Division. Each Division is headed by an Assistant General Counsel, respectively, the Assistant General Counsel for Assisted Housing and Civil Rights Litigation and the Assistant General Counsel for Insured Housing and Community Development Litigation. The activities assigned to each Division are identical, except as to the substantive content of the cases assigned to it. Each of the two Assistants is responsible for directly supervising trial attorneys and senior trial attorneys in handling the assigned cases.

The Associate General Counsel for Litigation has overall responsibility for overseeing the provision of legal services in connection with the management of major litigation in which HUD and its officials are involved or interested. For all such litigation, the Associate is charged with primary responsibility for interacting with the Department of Justice on behalf of the General Counsel in connection with litigation. Duties include, but are not limited to:
  • Monitors and directs complex civil defensive litigation on a diverse range of legal issues.
  • Develops appropriate litigation strategies addressing the legal risks and exposure to the Department.
  • Identifies precedent-setting matters involving new policy that may affect Department programs.
  • Recommends, selects, and manages outside counsel to ensure proper litigation strategies and direction of the cases.
  • Provides counsel to internal program clients on applicable laws to maximize the Department's legal position and to reduce and avoid litigation risks.
  • Reviews pending or potential litigation actions and recommend any necessary changes in HUD policy to minimize liability risk.
  • Provides advice and guidance to Regional and Field attorneys involved in a variety of HUD litigation matters.


Travel Required

Occasional travel - Work related travel may be required.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
00

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance.
  • A one-year probationary period is required, if not previously completed.
  • Must meet Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs)
  • Will be required to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report, SF-278.


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Qualifications

As a basic requirement, you must have progressively responsible executive leadership and supervisory experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability. This experience should be sufficiently broad in scope and at a major management level in a large or complex organization. Experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional, technical, and executive core qualifications set forth below. Your experience should demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully fulfill responsibilities inherent in most SES positions. If your experience does not include these basic qualifications, you will not be determined to be qualified for this position.

YOU MUST FULLY ADDRESS EACH MTQ AND ECQ TO BE RATED FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

Current or former career SES employees, or OPM/QRB Candidate Development Program (CDP) candidates are not required to address the ECQs, but MUST address the MTQs.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (MTQs): In addition to the qualifying experience, applicants must possess the following technical qualifications that represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Your MTQ narratives should be no more than 1 page per MTQ.
You must fully address each MTQ to be rated for further consideration.
  • Knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Administrative Procedure Act, Tucker Act, Federal Tort Claims Act, Fair Housing Act, and the various Federal Housing and Community Development statutes and the National Housing Act.
  • Demonstrated experience providing legal representation in the development, implementation and management of major precedent setting litigation, including the resolution of constitutional, statutory, regulatory, and policy issues affecting federal housing programs and activities nationwide.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead others, and interact and negotiate with a wide range of individuals on major litigation issues in which HUD is involved.
  • Extensive experience managing and leading high-level litigation teams and the ability to develop litigation strategy, prepare pleadings, argue motions in court, prepare responses to discovery requests and assess litigation risks.


  • EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs):

    Introduction: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has identified five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential - not technical expertise. They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions - not whether they are the most superior candidates for a particular position. Successful competence in the SES requires competence in each ECQ. Candidates must demonstrate executive experience in all five (5) ECQs. Your application should reflect an overall record of the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to succeed in the SES.

    Your ECQ narratives should be no more than 10 pages. Examples of good qualifications statements and the use of the C-C-A-R model (Challenge/Context/Action/Results), the preferred method of writing your ECQs, is provided in OPM's Guide to SES Qualifications . You must fully address each ECQ to be rated for further consideration.

    Format: For each of the five ECQs, provide at least one example of your qualifications using the four C-C-A-R elements.

    1. Challenge - Describe a specific problem or goal.

    2. Context - Talk about the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked to tackle a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).

    3. Action - Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.

    4. Results - Give specific examples of the results of your actions.

    These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.

    NOTE: Your responses to the five ECQs must describe the context and the results of your achievements in lay terminology, free of jargon and excessive reliance on acronyms.

    ECQ 1 - LEADING CHANGE - This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment . (Leadership Competencies: creativity and innovation, external awareness, flexibility, strategic thinking and vision).

    ECQ 2 - LEADING PEOPLE - This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. (Leadership Competencies: conflict management, leveraging diversity, developing others and team building).

    ECQ 3 - RESULTS DRIVEN - This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. (Leadership Competencies: accountability, customer service, decisiveness, entrepreneurship, problem solving and technical credibility).

    ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN - This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. (Leadership competencies: financial management, human capital management and technology management).

    ECQ 5 - BUILDING COALITIONS - This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and Local governments, nonprofit and private-sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. (Leadership Competencies: partnering, political savvy and influencing/negotiating).

    To be considered for this position, you MUST submit a written statement addressing each MTQ and ECQ. Failure to address both of the MTQs and ECQs, will adversely affect your chances for referral or selection.

    Current, former career SES employees, or OPM/QRB Candidate Development Program (CDP) candidates are not required to address the ECQs, but MUST address the MTQs.

    Education

    This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must be (1) a graduate of an accredited law school with an L.L.B. or J.D.; and (2) current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

    Additional information

    CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development strives to ensure that the public perceives HUD as a fair and equitable agency that administers its programs in an objective and impartial manner. As such, HUD is committed to its government ethics program, which advises employees on applicable ethics laws and regulations designed to protect the agency against real and apparent conflicts of interest. As a federal employee, you will be subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct and the U.S. criminal conflict of interest statutes. As a HUD employee, you will also be subject to the HUD Supplemental Ethics Regulations which restrict the extent to which a HUD employee can engage in certain activities and hold certain investments. Depending on your position, you may also be required to file a public or confidential financial disclosure report. Upon your new appointment, you will receive guidance regarding your ethics obligations. You will also be required to attend a mandatory ethics training within 3 months of appointment.

    HUD employees are prohibited under Section 7501.104, 5 Code of Federal Regulations from directly or indirectly owning, acquiring, or receiving:
    • Federal Housing Authority debentures or certificate of claim;
    • Financial interest in a project, including any single-family dwelling or unit subsidized by HUD, or which is subject to a note or mortgage insured by HUD;
    • Section 8 subsidies to or on behalf of a tenant of property you, your spouse, or a dependent child owns.
    The following are exceptions to the Section 8 prohibition:
    • The employee, or the employee's spouse or minor child acquires, without specific intent as through inheritance, a property in which a tenant receiving such a subsidy already resides;
    • The tenant receiving such a subsidy lived in the rental property before the employee worked for the Department;
    • The tenant receiving such a subsidy is a parent, child, grandchild, or sibling of the employee;
    • The employee's, or the employee's spouse or minor child's, rental property has an incumbent tenant who has not previously received such a subsidy and becomes the beneficiary thereof; or
    • The location of the rental property is in a Presidentially declared emergency or natural disaster area and the employee receives prior written approval from an agency designee.


    How You Will Be Evaluated

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

    Applicants will be evaluated against the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). As a supplement to your application, please provide examples of relevant experience, training, and personal achievements, which address each of the ECQs and MTQs. The examples should be clear and concise and show levels of accomplishment and degree of responsibility. FAILURE TO ADDRESS THE REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS WILL RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING DISQUALIFIED.

    To preview questions please click here .

    Background checks and security clearance

    Security clearance
    Other

    Drug test required
    No

    Required Documents

    Your application package must include your:

    1. Resume: In addition to your written statements addressing the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs), Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), and other qualifications as applicable, submit a resume to describe your qualifications. It should include: full name, mailing address, and day and evening telephone numbers and email addresses. Educational information, including the name, city and state of the colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type and year of any degrees received. Information about your paid and non-paid work experience related to the position including:
    • Job title (including series and grade, if Federal job)
    • Duties and accomplishments
    • Employer's name and address
    • Supervisor's name and telephone number (indicate if we may contact your current supervisor)
    • Starting and ending dates of employment (month/year)
    • Hours per week
    • Annual salary
    • Information about honors, awards, and special accomplishments
    • Country of citizenship

    2. Reinstatement Eligibles: Include a copy of the Standard Form 50 (Notification of Personnel Action) documenting career appointment to the SES.

    3. OPM-Certified SES Candidate Development Program graduates: Provide proof of OPM Qualifications Review Board certification.

    4. Written statements addressing each of the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs).

    5. Written statements addressing each of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Current or former Career SES employees, or OPM/QRB Candidate Development Program (CDP) candidates are not required to address the ECQs, but MUST address the MTQs.

    6. TRANSCRIPTS: Education Documentation: This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an L.L.B. or J.D. Please submit a copy of your transcripts. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page . If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions .

    7. ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP: You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement.


    Veterans Preference does not apply to the SES.

    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.

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