Duties

Summary

Announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 60 days of the closing date.

About this agency

This position reports to the Administrative Law and Board Support Unit, Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Export-Import Bank of the United States (Bank). As an
Attorney-Adviser, incumbent reports directly to the Assistant General Counsel for Administration and is responsible for providing legal counsel to employees throughout the Bank.

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Responsibilities

The incumbent will be expected to provide advice and assistance to the Assistant General Counsel and other officials at the Bank, with considerable supervision, on complex and important legal questions and must have well-developed technical skills in legal research, reasoning, oral and written communications, drafting and review of documents, negotiation, and the ability to effectively work with personnel both inside and outside the Bank.
The Attorney-Advisor may be called upon to appear with Department of Justice attorneys in appeals before Federal trial or appellate courts, or to represent the Bank in administrative litigation, and provide legal opinions and advice to officials in OGC and throughout the Bank. The Attorney-Advisor also represents the Bank in its capacity as employer in appeals before administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and arbitrators.

At the full performance level, duties include, but are not limited to:

EEO, Labor Relations and Personnel: P rovide legal guidance and litigation support in all aspects of personnel matters involving Bank employees. Provides legal advice and manages litigation in formal proceedings instituted under various statutes, executive orders, Office of Personnel Management regulations and similar authorities relating to equal employment opportunity, labor-management relations, grievances and adverse actions. Handles union contract and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) issues. Prepares and presents the Bank's case in formal hearings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board and other agencies and through the various appellate levels including federal courts, to conclusion. Provides legal assistance in connection with development of personnel policies and application of statutes, regulations and guidelines, classification matters, merit staffing matters, employee wrongdoing, transfer of functions, and reductions in force. Advises Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Human Resources and senior agency officials concerning the above and related matters.

FOIA, Trade Secrets Act and Privacy Act . Provides legal oversight and technical guidance in connection with the FOIA, Trade Secrets Act, Privacy Act and related statutes and regulations. Advises with respect to the making of initial decisions on request for information or documents under the provisions of FOIA. Handles or oversees the handling of appeals, complaints or litigation under FOIA. Directs, advises and assists the persons or units tasked with the collection, review and processing of information under FOIA requests to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. Prepares, or provides guidance on, the preparation of reports required by law concerning the Bank's FOIA activities. Coordinates with the Department of Justice and other agencies, as needed.

Procurement Contracting, Leasing and Property Management. Provides legal services in connection with procurement and contracting, leasing and property management. Responsible for researching, reviewing, advising and documenting acquisitions in accordance with federal government procurement statutes and regulations and handling any related litigation to include bid protests filed at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Provides legal guidance or review of Bank acquisition contracts, consultant agreements, property leases and documents to ensure compliance with applicable statutes and regulations.

Appropriations and Fiscal Law : Provides legal counsel to Bank officials concerning appropriations and fiscal law matters to include use of reception and representation funds, anti-augmentation issues, and debt collection matters. Researches GAO Redbook, Comptroller General opinions and other sources to provide sound advice.

Investigations: Provides support for investigations involving potential fraud, employee misconduct or other Bank matters. Drafts memoranda to the Office of the Inspector General on fraud referral matters.

National Security: Provides advice and assistance to Security Services with respect to security issues. Advises with respect to the protection and handling of classified information.

Miscellaneous Administrative Law Matters: Reviews written Bank policies (such as security and travel policies) to ensure compliance with current statutes and regulations, such as the Good Guidance Practices Policy; provides advice to the various laws and regulations to which the Bank is subject, such as the Anti-lobbying Act; advises Bank employees on issues related to records management and records retention, the Federal Records

Act and Federal Records Disposal Act: provides legal advice on revision of "EXIM Bank regulations" and drafting and revision of Bank policies; advises on copyright and trademark issues, such as use of the Bank seal.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background and Security/Suitability Investigation
• You may be required to serve a one year probationary period
• Specialized experience MUST be documented on your resume
• Current or Former Political Appointees: If you are, or have been employed in the last 5 years, you must disclose this information. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
• Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of graduation.
• Must be a 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.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• A graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of graduation.
• Be a 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.

In addition to the Basic Requirements noted above, applicants must also meet and demonstrate the specialized experience listed below:

Specialized Experience (Credit for Specialized Experience on resume must reflect 40 hours/Full-time per week for each period of work):

GS-12: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Government. Specialized experience includes:

• Experience providing legal advice and guidance in connection with administrative law matters.
• Experience in providing legal oversight and technical guidance in connection with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Trade Secrets Act (TSA), Privacy Act and related statutes and regulations

GS-13: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Government. Specialized experience includes:

• Experience providing legal advice and guidance in connection with administrative law matters.
• Experience in providing legal advice in connection with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Trade Secrets Act (TSA), Privacy Act and related statutes and regulations.
• Experience in providing legal advice and litigation support in all aspects of personnel matters, including under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act; for example, the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB).
• Experience in procurement, contracting and fiscal law. researching, reviewing, advising and documenting acquisitions in accordance with federal government procurement statutes and regulations and handling any related litigation to include bid protests filed at the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Education cannot be substituted for experience at the GS-12/13 grade levels.

For qualification determinations, your resume must contain the following for each work experience listed:

• Organization/Agency's Name
• Title
• Salary (series and grade, if applicable)
• Start and end dates (including the month and year)
• Number of hours you worked per week
• Relevant experience that supports your response to the specialized experience that is stated in the job announcement

If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined here .

All requirements must be met by 09/16/2020, the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Additional information

Current or Former Political Appointees: Pursuant to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) oversight authority under section 1104(b)(2) of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.) and section 5.2 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, OPM requires agencies to seek their approval prior to appointing any current or former political appointee to a permanent position (without time limits) in the civil service. A former or recent political appointee is someone who held a political appointment covered by OPM's policy within the previous 5-year period. OPM's oversight in this area safeguards merit system principles as well as fair and open competition free from political influence. If you are currently employed, or have been employed within the last 5 years, you must disclose this information. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Please visit the following link for the types of political appointments.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. Information about ICTAP or CTAP eligibility can be found by clicking here to access OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Veterans: All veterans must meet the qualification requirements of the position for further consideration. For more information on veterans' preference, please click here .

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Ethical Standards/Financial Disclosure:

EXIM is committed to the highest ethical standards. As an employee, you will be covered by the criminal conflict of interest statutes and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. You will be required to complete new employee ethics training within 3 months of your appointment.

If this position is subject to financial disclosure requirements (either public or confidential depending upon your position), you will be required to complete a new entrant financial disclosure report within 30 days of your appointment.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

You will be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education and training relevant to the duties of the position. All candidates who meet the basic requirements listed above will be considered best qualified applicants and may be sent forward to the selecting official. All application materials and interviews, if conducted, will be used in the final evaluation and selection process.

Application of Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Office of General Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing the dates of service and type of discharge.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) ) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

Your application package should include the following documents:

• Your Resume (applicants are required to submit a resume with job title, series/grade (if federal employee), duties and accomplishments, employer's name, starting and ending dates of employment, number of hours worked per week, and annual salary). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.
• Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD-214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF)15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter, if applicable. If a DD-214 (Member Copy 4) is not available, other documentation listing the beginning and ending dates of active service and the type of discharge must be submitted to verify eligibility.
• Unofficial Transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
• Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
• Special Priority Selection rights under CTAP or ICTAP: Submit a copy of your agency notice, copy of your most recent performance appraisal (with at least a satisfactory rating), and your most current SF-50 position title, grade level, and duty location, if applicable.
• Submission of any required documents listed in vacancy announcement, if applicable.

Please note that if you do not provide all required information/documents, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).