Duties

Summary

You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package. Your application may not receive full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined.

This position is located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center , 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC., in the Office of the General Counsel, at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This is a position for an experienced attorney with a background in transactional legal support, such as credit guarantees, private equity type structures, first loss structures, and pipeline development, to join a team of Financial Transaction Attorneys at USAID. The attorney will work under the supervision of the Assistant General Counsel for the Global Development Lab and Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment, in a division consisting of 6 staff attorneys, within the Office of the General Counsel.

As an Attorney Advisor, your duties may include:

• Providing necessary legal advice, guidance, and support on a broad array of matters involving the U.S. Global Development Lab (Lab), the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3), including the E3 Office of Private Capital and Microenterprise (PCM) and other Agency offices, bureaus, and missions.
• Assisting in drafting and negotiating memorandums of understanding, gift agreements, interagency agreements, and other binding and non-binding agreements as required by the Agency.
• Interpreting and providing advice concerning the FAA, the annual foreign operations appropriations acts, complex legislation, court and administrative decisions, government regulations, and USAID directives and guidance as they pertain to the functions of Lab, E3, and other Agency activities.
• Providing legal advice for complex financial transactions to the Agency, related to private sector engagement initiatives and the Agency's use of credit guarantee tools.
• Managing all legal aspects of complex financial transactions, including drafting the legal agreement, negotiating with counterparties, and ensuring that the legal agreement complies with all legal and policy requirements.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Amount of travel will vary depending on the needs of the Office, but will not exceed 25% of the incumbent's time. Travel includes to domestic and international locations.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15 - The full performance level of this position is the GS-15 grade level.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• United States Citizenship is required.
• Relevant experience (see Qualifications below).
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Males born after 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required.
• You will be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

You must be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.

Qualifications

Required: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess ALL of the requirements below:

• A J.D. degree,
• Be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing, and
• Specific grade level requirements:
  • GS-14: At least four (4) years of post J.D. legal specialized experience directly related to the work of the position to be filled, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, including a preference for experience in complex financial transactions, including commercial lending and project finance.
  • GS-15: At least five (5) years of post J.D. legal experience, to include experience: At least five (5) years of post J.D. legal specialized experience directly related to the work of the position to be filled, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, including a preference for experience in complex financial transactions, including commercial lending and project finance.

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, relevant to the duties of the position to be filled, including volunteer experience.

A well-qualified candidate will not necessarily meet the definition of highly or best qualified when evaluated against other candidates who apply for a particular position. In the absence of selective and quality ranking factors, selecting officials will document the job-related reason(s) for qualification determinations.

Education

You must be a graduate of an accredited law school. Transcripts to support your education are required for the Agency to consider you for this position.

Additional information

USAID is an independent Federal Government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. With headquarters in Washington, we operate in more than 100 countries around the world, playing an active and critical role in the promotion of U.S. foreign policy interests. When crisis strikes; when rights are repressed, when hunger, disease and poverty rob people of opportunity; USAID acts on behalf of the American people to help expand the reach of prosperity and dignity to
people the world's most vulnerable. USAID employees in the Civil Service and Foreign Service, as well as individuals employed through Personal Service Contracts, must adhere to our Counter-Trafficking in Persons Code of Conduct. For information on the effort to counter all forms of human trafficking, including the procurement of commercial sex acts and the use of forced labor, visit http://www.state.gov/g/tip .For more information about USAID, visit http://www.usaid.gov .

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

These are Testing Designated Positions (TDP's) under the Agency's approved Drug Free Work Place Program. All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.

Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required.

Moving and relocation expenses are not authorized.

M ythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies:

https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf .

EEO Policy: EEO Policy Statement .

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement .

Veterans' Information: Veterans Information .

Telework: https://www.telework.gov/ .

Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ .

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applicants will initially be evaluated to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their resume shows possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the position:

Knowledge, skills and ability to effectively manage a caseload associated with a busy transactional practice, including significant experience drafting legal agreements and negotiating with counterparties;

Knowledge of Federal laws, regulations, and procedures relating to administrative law and practice, and the ability to apply those rules in a practical manner in complex and unique situations;

Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of Agency employees, to work collaboratively with teams consisting of non-attorneys and those who may have divergent points of view, and to project confidence and calm to the most senior levels of management.

The best qualified candidates will be evaluated in a structured interview process.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

• Resume showing relevant experience.
• Veterans' documentation, if requesting consideration under any Veterans' hiring eligibilities ( veterans' preference and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act ).
• If seeking eligibility based on any other special hiring authority (e.g. disabled veteran, Schedule A, special hiring programs ).
• If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit a copy of your transcript(unofficial transcript) or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information. Please be advised that an official transcript will be required if you are selected for the position.

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.