Duties

Summary

This position is located in the DoD OIG, Office of the General Counsel (OGC). OGC provides independent and objective legal counsel and advice to the Inspector General (IG) and OIG components.

As a Attorney-Advisor (General) and the applicant selected must be an active member of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S.territory, or the District of Columbia.
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Responsibilities

• Supports OIG audit and evaluations operations, which deals frequently with oversight of DoD acquisitions, operations, and financial management.
• Prepares legal advice to the OIG on legal and policy implications of DoD activities and plans.
• Interprets and prepares legislation, executive orders, regulations, and policy directives.
• Provides legal advice and counsel to the Inspector General.
• Performs legal research in connection with legal issues referred by the Inspector General (such as questions concerning the interpretation and application of statutes, rules and regulations).
• Analyzes the factual and/or legal issues presented and determine what the relevant legal issues are; prepare litigation of cases and implementation of court decisions.
• Provides policy advice concerning the conduct of audits and evaluations.
• Provides legal advice and counsel in the initiation, conduct, and oversight of audits and investigations by the DoD OIG personnel.
• Responds to congressional inquiries on a wide variety of issues.
• Supports the OIG Audit, Evaluations, and Overseas Contingency Operations components.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service
• This is an Excepted Service position.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance
• Incumbent is required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and is subject to random drug testing for the duration of service with DoD OIG.
• Current DoD civilian employees are not required to submit to drug testing if moving from one Testing Designated Position (TDP) to another with no break in service, unless deemed appropriate on a case-by-case basis.
• Must adhere to the DoD Standards of Conduct.
• If you have not previously successfully completed a probationary or trial period with the federal government in a similar position, you will be required to serve a two-year trial period.
• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies within 90 calendar days of the initial issue date of the referral list.
• You will be required to complete a confidential financial disclosure form (OGE-450).
• Recruitment Incentive MAY be authorized at the discretion of the Hiring Official.

Qualifications

Applicants must be an active member, in good standing, of the bar of the highest court of a state, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. Territory, or the District of Columbia, and be permitted to engage in the practice of law.

For the GS-14 level. You must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-13 level or equivalent: Specialized experience is defined as knowledge of, and demonstrated legal experience in Federal government acquisition law and regulations, fiscal law, contract fraud, release of information to the public, and the DoD standards of conduct.

For the GS-15 level. You must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-14 level or equivalent: Specialized experience is defined as knowledge of, and demonstrated legal experience in Federal government acquisition law and regulations, fiscal law, contract fraud, release of information to the public, and the DoD standards of conduct. In addition, specialized experience includes one of the following: DoD operations, such as cyber, contingency or special operations; the Military Health System; or the Inspector General Act of 1978.

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

Basic Qualifications Requirements:

To meet the basic requirements, you must possess a J.D., LL.B., or LL.M degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. There is no substitution of education for experience at this level.

Education: Based on an Information Memo from the DoD OIG General Counsel dated 9-OCT-2012, OCG has determined that certified academic transcripts are unnecessary, as graduation from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association is a requirement in all fifty states before someone can take the examination to be licensed to practice. OCG believes that a current Letter of Good Standing from any of the State Bar Associations is sufficient to fulfill the requirement of proof that the applicant graduated from law school, in lieu of an academic transcript.

There is no substitution of education for experience at this level.

Additional information

NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (see below) to their submissions.
- You must submit a copy of your DD Form-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", showing the dates of active duty service, type of discharge and the character of service. Alternatively, If you are a current military member in active duty service and do not have a copy of your DD Form-214, you must submit a written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application for this position. The certification should also include your rank, dates of active duty service and what they condition of discharge is thought to be.
- If claiming 10-point preference and/or are a 30% or more Disabled Veteran, you must submit both a DD Form-214 or expected discharge documentation as described above AND a copy of a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or your branch of service certifying the presence of service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of disability
- If you are claiming eligibility based on 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e. a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran claiming veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it), you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15) "Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference" and any required documents indicated on the SF-15 to substantiate the claimed preference.

Submission of a resume alone is NOT a complete application. This position may require the completion of additional form/s and/or supplemental materials. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in your application not being considered for employment.

Military retirees seeking to enter civil service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they are within 180 days following their official date of retirement (5 United States Code 3326.)

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 .

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, your résumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Knowledge of federal acquisition law and regulations

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
National security

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

Resume, showing relevant experience. Resume should include the following: where you worked, job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week, and salary. If you submit a resume with inappropriate material, e.g. photos, you will not be considered for this vacancy.
• Online Application (Questionnaire).
• An example of writing skills demonstrated by a legal brief, memorandum, letter, etc. (ten pages or less).
• A current Bar Certificate indicating active membership, in good standing. If a certificate is not available by the closing date of the announcement, you may certify to your status as an active member in good standing in responding to the assessment questionnaire. You will be required to submit a current Bar Certificate prior to appointment. **Current DoD OIG employees do NOT need to submit a certificate.
• Current Federal Employees: Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable, received within the last 18 months and signed and dated by your supervisor; if you are a current Federal government employee, you must submit your performance appraisal as indicated or document why it is unavailable. **Current DoD OIG employees ONLY: you may but do not need to submit a copy of your Performance Appraisal.
• Current/Previous Federal Employees: A copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action documenting current Competitive (#1 on block 34 of SF-50) position occupied. If the position currently occupied is Excepted Service (#2 on block 34 of SF-50), you must provide an SF-50 that provides proof that you've held a permanent position with career or career-conditional status, unless your Excepted Service appointment qualifies you for appointment through an interchange agreement or miscellaneous authority. If currently occupying an excepted service VRA, provide an SF-50 documenting your current Veterans Recruitment Appointment. PLEASE NOTE: An award SF-50 (i.e., cash or time off award) that does not indicate grade or level (i.e. pay band) or tenure to determine your eligibility for this position will not be accepted. **Current DoD OIG employees ONLY: you may but do not need to submit a copy of your SF-50(s).
• To claim veterans' preference, submit a DD-214, member copy 4 indicating the most recent dates of service, character of service and type of discharge. To claim 10% or more disability, submit a VA certification letter in addition to a DD-214 (If selected, a completed and signed SF-15 will be required prior to your entrance on duty.). Future military retirees can submit a "Statement of Service" only if retirement DD-214 or proof of transitional leave is not yet available. The "Statement of Service" must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters and must indicate when your terminal leave will begin, your rank, dates of active duty service, the type of discharge and character of service (i.e., honorable).

*NOTE: You do not need to submit proof of bar membership if you have recently graduated from law school and have yet to receive confirmation of bar exam passing and subsequent admittance to the bar of a State, the District of Columbia, a U.S. Territory, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Applicants must have taken a bar exam by the closing date of this announcement.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of this announcement will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents.

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.