Duties

Summary

The DOJ Office of the Inspector General, named the Best Place to Work in DOJ, is a statutorily created independent entity whose mission is to promote integrity, efficiency, and accountability within DOJ. The Oversight & Review Division (O&R) conducts special reviews of DOJ operations and misconduct investigations involving Department employees. O&R's reviews and investigations are often undertaken at the request of the Attorney General, senior Department managers, or Congress.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Investigative Counsel within O&R are experienced attorneys who have previously served as civil litigators, criminal litigators (prosecution and defense), appellate attorneys, and agency counsel. Investigative Counsel conduct a broad range of investigations and reviews, including misconduct investigations of senior-level Department employees, examinations of high-profile DOJ law enforcement operations, investigations of whistleblower retaliation allegations involving FBI employees and the employees of DOJ contractors, and reviews of DOJ's use of national security authorities.

The day-to-day work of Investigative Counsel consists of designing investigative plans; determining what Department documents and information to obtain; reviewing and analyzing documents and other data; conducting interviews of subjects and witnesses; consulting with prosecutors when criminal allegations arise; analyzing evidence, laws, regulations, and Department policies; and drafting reports and recommendations that promote individual accountability of DOJ employees and tangible improvements in DOJ operations. Investigative Counsel lead multi-disciplinary teams in investigations and reviews that blend the skills of attorneys, special agents, program analysts, and paralegals. These teams work independently with supervisory support, and the work is stimulating, varied, and performed collaboratively, resulting in a positive work environment and significant employee satisfaction and engagement.

Due to the pandemic, the office is teleworking full-time.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You must register with Selective Service, if applicable.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a top secret security clearance.
• You must successfully pass an initial drug test and, if hired, you will be subject to random drug tests.
• You must successfully complete a background investigation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications : To meet the minimum qualifications for this position you must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 5 years of post-J.D. legal experience.

In addition to the above requirements, applicants must also have 1 year of specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level or its equivalent. Examples of specialized experience include working as a lead attorney on complex investigations; drafting and filing complex motions, briefs, or other legal memoranda; and drafting reports of investigation containing in-depth analysis of issues presented.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

A J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

Additional information

Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

DOJ EEO Statement/Policy: http://www.justice.gov/jmd/eeos/08-eeo-policy.pdf

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department. DOJ also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes.

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. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov .

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your resume, supporting documentation, and narrative responses will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. Please provide narrative responses, limited to no more than one page per competency, describing your experience with the defined competencies listed below.

Competency writing clear, accurate, and thorough reports, motions, or memoranda containing in-depth analysis of complex issues.

Competency planning, directing, and leading complex investigations.

Competency conducting and directing complex legal research, accurately analyzing the applicability of standards to facts, and presenting the results in a clear, accurate, and thorough manner.

Competency understanding, interpreting, and applying substantive law and the ability to assimilate technical subject matters, define issues, and analyze and evaluate evidence.

Competency expressing oneself orally in a manner that is clear, concise, and understandable, eliciting facts during interviews of subjects and witnesses, and representing the OIG to other agencies in a professional manner.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

A current resume showing relevant experience and education.

Narrative responses that address the stated competencies.

Documentation showing you are currently an active member in good standing of the bar of any state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.

Veterans' preference documentation (if applicable). Schedule A documentation (if applicable).

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.