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Deputy Chief Counsel for Field Operations

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Arlington, Virginia
Closing date
Sep 17, 2019
Duties

Summary

Securing Travel, Protecting People - At the Transportation Security Administration, we serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life. In cities across the country, we secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and public transit systems, thus protecting our transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce. For additional information about our agency please: Click Here .

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Office of the General Counsel provides legal services throughout the Department of Homeland Security in all areas of homeland security, including transportation security. The Chief Counsel (CC) for TSA provides and oversees legal advice and services for TSA.

The Deputy Chief Counsel for Field Operations is the executive managing attorney for TSA CC on all matters concerning the delivery of legal services to TSA clients located in the field and the management of the attorneys who directly provide those legal services.

In coordination with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of General Counsel, major duties include:
  • Serving as first or second line supervisor for approximately 56 attorney advisors based at airports across the country and managing the delivery of legal services through them to approximately 82 Federal Security Directors (FSD) and 20 Federal Air Marshal Services (FAMS) Field Offices. Engaging in communications with internal and external clients, including client management, law enforcement liaison, and Congressional inquiries with regard to field counsel.
  • Providing expertise for developing, coordinating, and communicating legal and policy issues, procedures and guidelines relative to field operations. Representing TSA CC in a variety of internal and external settings to meet this responsibility.
  • Advising TSA CC senior leadership and others on status of and emerging legal and policy issues relative to field operations.
  • Actively involved in rulemaking procedures and priorities, including the definition and implementation of security regulations, policies, standards and requirements.
  • Facilitating and developing a network of methods for purposes of ensuring regular, recurring, and current information is shared with all field counsel. This information network is critical in effectively addressing both day-to-day activities and responding to crises.
  • Establishing organizational performance metrics in accordance with TSA's mission, vision, goals, and strategic objectives. Overseeing the day-to-day operations of areas within his/her responsibility, assuring conformance with TSA's strategic plan.


Travel Required

25% or less - Travel may be required up to 25 percent of the time with little advance notice.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
02

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must possess U.S. Citizenship.
  • You must complete a favorable Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI).
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.
  • You must pass Drug Screening, subject to random drug tests.


You must meet the qualification requirements of this position no later than the closing date of the job opportunity announcement.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement, applicants must demonstrate progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the equivalent of the GS-15 grade level in the Federal service or its equivalent with state and local government, the private sector, or non-governmental organizations.

When describing your PTQs and ECQs, provide narrative statements that furnish examples and describe the context in which you applied your knowledge, discuss how you used skills relevant to the position, indicate the complexity, scope and impact of your work, note the level of people with whom you interacted, and explain the sensitivity and criticality of the issues you addressed. How you format your narrative responses can impact consideration. Please see the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section of this Job Opportunity Announcement for specific instructions for presenting the PTQs and ECQs listed below.

If you are a current or reinstatement eligible Career SES/TSES member or a graduate of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and your ECQs have been previously certified by OPM's Qualifications Review Board, you are not required to address the ECQs. However, you MUST address all PTQs. Current and reinstatement eligible SES/TSES members please include with your application a copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) documenting your career appointment to the SES/TSES. SES CDP graduates, please include a copy of your OPM certificate.

Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) :

1. Demonstrated skill in interpreting law in the areas of civil and criminal enforcement, regulations, and operational law issues and policies as applied to national or homeland security contexts, as well as demonstrated skill in interpreting employment law, civil rights, ethics, and related laws, regulations, and policies in general.

2. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in advising senior management officials on the legal aspects of transportation security matters and issues particular to the management necessary to ensure the successful delivery of legal services nationwide.

3. Knowledge of the statutory and regulatory authority of the Department of Homeland Security in general.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) :

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.

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.

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.

ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN. This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

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.

FAILURE TO MEET OR FULLY ADDRESS EACH EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATION AND PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION IN A NARRATIVE RESPONSE WILL ELIMINATE A CANDIDATE FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL APPOINTEES: 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.

DRUG TESTING: You must pass a pre-employment drug test. In addition, you may be subject to random drug testing during employment.

SECURITY CLEARANCE: This position requires a TS/SCI (Top Secret/Secured Compartmentalized Information) clearance that must be completed prior to appointment. You will be subject to a 5-year periodic investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.

MOBILITY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in the wake of 9/11 to strengthen the security of the nation's transportation systems while ensuring the freedom of movement for people and commerce. TSA employs a risk-based strategy to secure U.S. transportation systems, with nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Officers, each day at more than 450 airports nationwide. The agency continuously sets the standard for excellence in transportation security through its people, processes, technologies and use of intelligence to drive operations.

As a member of the TSES, you may be subject to frequent changes in posts of duty and positions. Mobility is a condition of employment, so you must be prepared to accept, without objection, the judgment of your superiors concerning reassignments for operational and/or career development purposes, or for other reasons determined to be in the best interest of the Transportation Security Administration.

Education

SPECIALIZED EDUCATION: You must possess a professional law degree (e.g., J.D., LL.B.) acquired through graduation from a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association, and be a member in good standing of the Bar of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. You must submit documentation supporting that you meet this qualification when applying to this job opportunity announcement.

Additional information

  • The TSA, an excepted service agency, was established by Public Law 107-71, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), on November 19, 2001. ATSA provides TSA with the authority to modify and develop its own human capital program, provided such modifications are consistent with 49 USC 40122.
  • This is an excepted service position. However, there is an interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and TSA that enables Career TSES members who have been approved by the Qualifications Review Board at OPM to qualify for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions without additional competition.
  • You will be required to serve a probationary period of one year unless you previously completed the probationary period in a SES/TSES position.
  • When you enter on duty, you will be required to complete a Public Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 278. You will need to provide this information annually.
  • Veteran's Preference does NOT apply to SES/TSES positions.
  • View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.


How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be evaluated on the quality and extent to which you possess the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) outlined in the "Qualifications" section of the Job Opportunity Announcement. The evaluation will consider the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education. Your application will be rated by a ranking panel, and highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and reference checks. The DHS Executive Resources Board (ERB) will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority. Unless you have already been certified by an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by a QRB after selection and before appointment can occur.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

1. Your Resume.

2. Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs): Each of the PTQs listed in the Qualifications section of the Job Opportunity Announcement MUST be addressed. Failure to address all PTQs precisely as worded in a separate narrative statement will eliminate you from consideration. Number each of your responses with the PTQ number you are addressing and provide specific examples of your experience, education and accomplishments that are applicable. Please limit your responses to no more than two pages for each PTQ. Please DO NOT incorporate your PTQ responses into your resume; instead submit your answers separately from your resume. Please DO NOT put any part of your Social Security Number (SSN) on your PTQ responses

3. Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), if applicable: Unless you are exempt from submitting ECQs, you MUST address each of the ECQs listed in the Qualifications section of the Job Opportunity Announcement. Failure to address all ECQs in a separate narrative statement will eliminate you from consideration. Number each of your responses with the ECQ number you are addressing. Please limit your responses to no more than two pages for each PTQ. Please DO NOT incorporate your ECQ responses into your resume; instead submit your answers separately from your resume. Please DO NOT put any part of your Social Security Number (SSN) on your ECQ responses. Please refer to the Office of Personnel Management's website, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/reference-materials/guidetosesquals_2012.pdf for additional information about ECQs.

4. If you are a current or reinstatement eligible Career SES/TSES member or a graduate of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and your ECQs have been previously certified by OPM's Qualifications Review Board, you are not required to address the ECQs.

5. Graduates of an OPM approved Candidate Development Program (CDP) which resulted in certification by the OPM QRB: You must provide a copy of a QRB endorsed program graduation certificate.

6. Associated Questionnaire.

7. Transcripts: You must provide proof of a professional law degree (e.g., J.D., LL.B.) acquired through graduation from a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association.

8. Bar Membership: You must provide proof of membership in good standing of the Bar of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.

9. Current SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of the specific SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which documents conversion or appointment, without time limitation, to the SES/TSES (except current TSA employees).

10. Reinstatement Eligible SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of the specific SF-50 which documents conversion or appointment, without time limitation, to your formal SES/TSES position as well as any Federal agency document which confirms your successful completion of an SES/TSES probationary period. (Note: a second SF-50 dated more than a year after SES/TSES conversion or appointment, which documents continued unlimited assignment to the same SES/TSES position, will suffice to document completion of the SES/TSES probationary period).

11. Non-SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (except current TSA employees).

NOTE: An award SF-50 (i.e. cash or time off award) does not indicate grade, pay band or level and will not be accepted.

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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