Duties

Summary

About the Position: This position serves as a Attorney-Adviser (Contract) - with duty as Chief, Bid Protests - with the US Army Legal Services Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Although there is no limitation on the number of pages that your resume may contain, it is highly recommended that you limit your resume to 5 pages or less. Exceeding 5 pages will not affect your qualifications or eligibility for this position.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Recognized expert in the field of Army procurement and is authorized to represent and take final action in the name of the Chief Trial Attorney.
• Represent that office in matters relating to protests of Government contracts and any related regulations and policies.
• Engage in the most difficult procurement protest problems, those without precedent or having wide economic, political or national defense implications or involving very large sums of money.
• Provide continuity for protests throughout the Division, as well as training and updates to Contract and Fiscal Law Division (KFLD), USASA.
• Draft, review, and provide input regarding proposed legislation and regulations which affect procurements and protests.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain Top Secret Security Clearance.
• Position may require temporary duty (TDY) business travel approximately 25% of the time.
• Incumbent must be able to pass a drug test.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

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

(1) Skill in technical direction over one employee.
(2) Skill in preparing and presenting the government's case in bid protests before the GAO, and bid protests with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
(3) Skill in preparing persuasive legal arguments, written and oral.
(4) Ability to serve as a trial attorney for the Government before GAO during hearings.
(5) Knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations, the Contract Disputes Act, the Competition in Contracting Act, the Rules of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Bid Protest Rules, and the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
(6) (6) Skill in preparing and presenting the government's case in contract disputes before the Armed Services Board of Contract(ASBCA), and in directing other attorneys in litigation before the ASBCA, to the degree necessary to be able to serve as the acting Chief Trial Attorney in the absence of the incumbent.
(7) Skill in leading litigation teams of attorneys and paralegals in high visibility, first chair protest litigation before the GAO and second chair litigation in support of the U.S. Department of Justice before the United States Court of Federal Claims.
(8) Skill in engaging government officials (including those of SES and general/flag officer rank) of federal agencies throughout the federal government on matters important to bid protest matters.
(9) Skill in organizing, authoring, and conducting contract litigation training for attorneys and paralegals from small (i.e., 1) to large (i.e., 100).
(10) Skill in mentoring junior attorneys in their practice before the GAO, the United States Court of Claims, and the ASBCA.
(11) Skill in identifying and analyzing trends in bid protest issues and causes of corrective action, as well as the ability to generate detailed and analytical reports on such matters as required.

Notice of Veteran's Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to Attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for Attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to their submissions.
Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point preference, and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at http://www.opm.gov/).

Time in Grade Requirements: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government, you must have completed 52 weeks at the next lower grade level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled. Time-in-grade may be waived for current federal employees at management's discretion.

The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:

Education: Applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).

Bar membership: Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Document should be dated within three months of the date the application is submitted.

Experience: Applicant must have three (3) or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is a Career Program (CP) 56 - Legal position.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
• You may claim military spouse preference.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement as described in this vacancy announcement and identified by the Selecting Official.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Merit Checklist and Proof of Eligibility .

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume may be submitted in any format and must address and support the specialized experience described in this announcement, including the aforementioned knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with this position.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.

• 2. Official Law school transcripts. Photo copies are acceptable when applying but certified documents must be furnished before entering on duty. Official statement of relative standing in class is required.
  
  3. Bar Membership certificate. The official certificate must show that you are a member in good standing of the bar, dated within three months of the date the application is submitted. The certificate is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active duty Army Judge Advocates).
  
  4. Fitness to practice law. A sworn (notarized) statement from you that your fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction to the best of your knowledge, or if either has been challenged, a sworn (notarized) statement concerning the facts and circumstances, together with any explanation that you deem appropriate may be submitted. As an alternative to a sworn (notarized) statement, a statement which includes a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct...executed on (date)... (your signature)." (28 U.S.C. 1746). The statement must be dated within three months of the date the application is submitted. The statement is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active duty Army Judge Advocates).
5. Other supporting documents:
• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• Veterans documents, if applicable
• Permanent change of station (PCS) orders and marriage license, if claiming military spouse preference.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

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.