Duties

Summary

This is a temporary position not-to-exceed three years. The incumbent of this position may be non-competitively appointed to a permanent position prior to the expiration of the appointment at management's discretion and availability of funds.

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Responsibilities

The Judicial Services Office (JSO) provides support, services, and programs to address the needs and concerns of federal judges-Article III (court of appeals, district, and Court of International Trade), territorial district court, Court of Federal Claims, bankruptcy, and magistrate-and their staffs. JSO serves as a liaison, consultant, advocate, and resource on matters that affect judges within the Administrative Office (AO) and with the Federal Judicial Center (FJC), the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), executive and legislative branches of the federal government, the public, and others.

The incumbent will serve as an attorney advisor in the Judicial Programs Division and will perform complex legal and policy research and analyses for the bankruptcy judge community and JSO management on matters related to bankruptcy judges and judgeships and bankruptcy court procedures, operations, and administration. The incumbent is required to have subject matter expertise in bankruptcy proceedings, including knowledge of the relevant federal law, procedural rules and regulations related to bankruptcy and U.S. trustee matters. The incumbent will also provide support and assistance as needed on a variety of legal, policy, and administrative matters affecting all categories of federal judges. Additionally, the candidate must possess outstanding diplomacy, interpersonal, organizational, analytical, and communication skills. The candidate must have experience working independently with minimal supervision as well as working collaboratively with supervisors, colleagues, and external stakeholders. Duties include but are not limited to:

Providing expert legal and policy advice to JSO management, AO senior level staff, bankruptcy judges, and the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System.

Participating in judgeship surveys and drafting survey reports with proposed recommendations for judge positions for consideration by the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System.

Presenting on issues impacting the bankruptcy system and the services provided by JSO to the bankruptcy judge community at new chief judge orientation programs, association events, circuit conferences, and advisory group meetings.

Providing information, advice, and assistance to federal judges, court personnel, and the public on a variety of legal, policy, and administrative matters impacting all federal judges.

Providing attorney support for judge programs supported by the Judicial Programs Division to include New Chief Circuit, District, and Bankruptcy Judge Orientation Programs, Chief Judge Follow Up Programs, and Judicial Nominee Orientation Programs.

Developing and updating publications and resources on www.uscourts.gov , the judiciary's internet site, and the JNET, the judiciary's intranet site.

Working on other substantive and administrative activities related to the duties listed above.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
00

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the Administrative Office of the US Courts. In instances where non-citizens are considered for hire into temporary or any other position with non competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO's Human Resources Office that there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the United States and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at http://ww.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens . For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification .

All new AO employees will be required to complete a FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.

All new AO employees must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.

You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.

If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Relocation expenses may be provided, but only if authorized by the Director of the AO.

Qualifications

Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Bar Membership : Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a federal court of general jurisdiction. Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute an incomplete application. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Post J.D. Experience : Applicants must also possess at least three years of post J.D. experience.

Specialized Experience : Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience ( preferably four or more ) which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience for this position is demonstrated experience with bankruptcy proceedings, applying relevant federal law, procedural rules and regulations related to bankruptcy and U.S. trustee matters.

Education

Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/ .

Additional information

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement.

You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required:

• Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
• Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status.
• Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.

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.