Duties

Summary

The office of the Assistant General Counsel for Ethics and Personnel Law provides legal support and services for DOE on personnel matters and represents DOE in formal administrative litigation proceedings before the EEO, MSPB, FLRA, PFCRA and OSC. The office also administers DOE's ethics program for Federal employees including requirements pertaining to financial disclosure, conflicts of interest and other standards of employee conduct matters.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

DOE is seeking an attorney with interest in the general areas of law applicable to Federal agencies, especially in the areas of standards of conduct. The duties will include advising Department officials on complex questions applicable to a wide variety of situations and problems relating to the Ethics in Government Act, Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, conflict of interests under Title 18, the Hatch Act, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Combined Federal Campaign, and general Departmental organization authorities. The duties will also include the review and certification of Public and Confidential Financial Disclosure Reports. The successful applicant will prepare memorandums and reports outlining and analyzing the facts and legal issues, explaining the application of legal principles and precedents, and justifying recommendations and conclusions.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Less than 10 days per year.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Relocation expenses will not be provided.
• See "Other Information" section regarding Selective Service requirements.
• Background and/or Security Investigation is required.
• THIS POSITION IS NOT IN THE BARGAINING UNIT COVERED UNDER NTEU.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

All candidates must meet the minimum education requirements of successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) with a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and must be a current, active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THIS VACANCY:

A preliminary background investigation must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background investigation. If selected for this vacancy, you will be required to file the OGE Form 450 (Confidential Financial Disclosure Statement).

If selected, you must self-identify if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a Schedule A, Schedule C, or non-career SES political appointee as OPM approval is required prior to finalizing your selection.

Qualifications

GS-13: Must have a professional law degree (LL.B or J.D.) and active membership in a state or District of Columbia bar and one year of professional (attorney) legal experience and advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform complex legal work and one additional year of professional (attorney) experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled.

GS-14: Must have a professional law degree (LL.B or J.D.) and active membership in a state or District of Columbia bar and three years of professional (attorney) legal experience and advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform complex legal work, plus one additional year of professional (attorney) experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled.

GS-15: Must have a professional law degree (LL.B or J.D.) and active membership in a state or District of Columbia bar and four years of professional (attorney) legal experience and advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform complex legal work, plus one additional year of professional (attorney) experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled.

Education

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

Specific experience is defined as professional legal experience, which enabled the candidate to acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the work relevant to a specific legal component.

Additional information

This is an excepted service position where appointees must serve a one-year trial period. Male applicants born after 12/31/1959, who are required to register with the Selective Service under section 3 of the Military Selective Service Act, must be registered (or must have registered at the time they were required to do so) in order to be eligible for appointment. For more information, visit the SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM web site.

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 to determine the relevance and quality of your education and experience and whether you meet the minimum qualifications required and/or specialized experience requirements as outlined in this announcement. When describing your experience, please provide examples that demonstrate your ability to do the work of the office described above, including a description of the complexity of the knowledge you possess, the level of the people you interacted with in your current or most recent position, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, and the degree of supervision in any current or most recent position. Your answers will be validated against information provided in your resume, including your paid or volunteer experience, education, training, or certifications.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

You must have a professional law degree and be an active member of the bar in good standing in a state or territory of the United States. You do not need to provide official documentation at the time of application; official proof of bar membership and law degree will be requested if selected.

• 1. SUBMIT YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION WHICH INCLUDES YOUR RESUME and all required supplemental documents in order to be considered.
• 2. Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Energy considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their online application. If applicant is eligible to claim a 10-point preference, the applicant must also submit an SF-15 and any other proof that the applicant is eligible for a 10-point preference. If you are currently on active duty, you must submit an official statement of service from your command or other official documentation that proves that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. You can find additional information on veterans' preference at VET GUIDE

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.