Skip to main content

This job has expired

Attorney Advisor (Contract)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Fort Lee, Virginia
Closing date
May 18, 2021
Duties

Summary

This is a Defense Legal Services Agency (DLSA) position with duty in the Office of General Counsel, Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). The General Counsel of the Department of Defense is dual hatted as the DLSA Director; DLSA provides a full range of legal advice and services to officials of the Defense Agencies and the DoD Field Activities. DeCA is a Defense Agency responsible for operating military commissaries worldwide.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Office of General Counsel, DeCA, has a robust and varied legal practice in support of DeCA and its mission. Our attorneys provide legal advice, counsel and representation in substantive areas including federal labor and employment law, commercial law, fiscal law, procurement law, construction law, environmental law, government standards of conduct and ethics, administrative law, and issues arising under the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act. Our attorneys represent DeCA before, and provide litigation support to U.S. Attorney Offices, in fora including U.S. Federal District Courts, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, Federal Bankruptcy Court, Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, Government Accountability Office, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Federal Labor Relations Authority.

The incumbent serves as an attorney-advisor and legal expert performing a wide range of legal services in connection with the statutes and regulations that address all aspects of commercial law, including but not limited to government contracting & other agreements (including construction, IT, enterprise, resale, commercial activity, and equipment contracting, as well as MOU/MOA with other federal agencies and entities), fiscal law & statutory construction, federal installation law, administrative & civil law, federal ethics law & regulation/standards of conduct, investigations, FOIA/Privacy Act, and environmental law. Additionally, the incumbent represents the Agency before the Government Accountability Office and the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, and provides advice and assistance to the Department of Justice or

This position is in the Excepted Service

The Defense Commissary Agency is an Equal Employment Opportunity Agency.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service System or exempt from registration. See http://www.sss.gov/ for more information.
  • By the announcement closing date, you must meet the citizenship, age, Selective Service registration, and any physical requirements.
  • 1) Must be a U.S. Citizen
  • 2) Must apply by 11:59 EST on closing date of the announcement.
  • 3) Work Schedule: Full Time Monday through Friday, AWS2 (gliding).
  • 4) PCS may be authorized upon budget approval.
  • 6) Position Sensitivity: Noncritical Sensitive.
  • 8) Position may be subject to occasional overtime.
  • 9) Business travel is required less than 20% of the time.
  • 10) Position is Exempt from Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
  • 11) Position is Not Eligible for inclusion in a bargaining unit.
  • 12) Drug Testing is not required.
  • 13) Physical Requirement is not applicable.
  • 14) Position is not obligated.
  • 15) Direct Deposit of pay is required.
  • 16) Subject to successful E-Verify check. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, at https://www.e-verify-gov/.
  • 17) Financial Statement Required. Employment and Financial Interest
  • 18) License/Certification: Bar Certificate of Good Standing reflecting Active Status


Qualifications

Qualification requirements for Attorney positions can be found in DoD Instruction 1442.02, "Personnel Actions Involving Civilian Attorneys."
  • The minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration.
  • Applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD) from that institution.
  • Bar Membership: An applicant must currently 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.
  • Applicant must have professional legal experience in excess of 3 years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.
  • Basis for Rating: Applicants will be evaluated to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the position.

SELECTIVE FACTORS: Selection will be based on the judgment of the selecting official as to which applicant is best qualified to perform the duties of the position. The breadth and depth of relevant experience and knowledge, and the quality of past performance, will be the primary considerations used for selection. Important selection factors are: demonstrated legal analytical ability, excellence in oral and written communication skills, strong client relations/customer support and interpersonal skills; substantial knowledge and experience pertaining to government contracting & fiscal law; significant litigation experience before boards and courts, including the Government Accountability Office, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, and Federal Court; and experience in FOIA, Privacy Act, and administrative & civil law. A selection panel may be used and oral interviews may be conducted with all, with some, or with none of the applicants, solely at the option of the selecting official.

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 documents (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit an SF 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov .) If two of more applicants for an attorney position are determined to be equally "best qualified" for the position, but one of the applicants is a preference eligible veteran, the preference eligible veteran has preference over the non-preference eligible applicant.
  • Time after competitive appointment: Candidates applying under merit promotion must have completed three months of civilian service after a competitive appointment by the closing date of the announcement. (5 CFR 330.501)
  • All current DeCA employees regardless of your location or human resources service provider must submit a copy of a recent SF50 showing your current position title, pay plan-series-grade, tenure and position occupied.
  • All current Department of Defense (DoD) employees can access MyBiz and/or eOPF to obtain copies of their SF 50s.
  • Overseas Employees: DeCA employees working overseas MUST submit copies of your current SF-50, showing your current tenure, grade and salary.


Education

To qualify for this position, applicants must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD) from that institution. You must provide transcripts to verify you meet this requirement.

Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position. We accept unofficial transcripts for the application process, as long as they contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned. Transcripts must be received by this office no later than 11:59 PM EST on the closing date in order to be considered. If selected an official transcript MUST be received before an Entrance of Duty date is set.

Additional information

REGARDING INTERVIEWS: Interviews may be required for this position. Accommodations may be made to conduct telephonic interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants.

Re-employed Annuitant: A former Federal employee who has retired under either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) is an Annuitant. An annuitant cannot be hired (i.e. re-employed) unless the vacant position meets the criteria in the Department of Defense (DOD) policy on employment of annuitants issued December 10, 2008.
The DoD criteria for hiring Re-employed Annuitants can be found at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/1400.25-V300.pdf .

Re-employed Annuitant: This position Does not meet criteria for re-employed annuitant.

Other Notes:
  • Individual with Financial Difficulty: https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf .
  • Deliberate attempts to falsify your application information, such as copying portions of this job announcement into your resume, may result in you being removed from consideration for this position.
  • Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement upon its closing.
  • Applicants selected from this announcement may be required to serve a Two Year probationary period.
  • The successful applicant will be required to submit an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of assuming the position.
The successful applicant may be required to submit, prior to appointment:

a) an official transcript of the applicant's law school records with a) n official statement of his/her relative standing in his/her class, if obtainable.
b) an official certificate showing s/he is an active member of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia bar.
c) a statement that his/her fitness to practice law or his/her conduct as an attorney have never been challenged. If fitness or conduct has been challenged, a statement explaining the circumstances must be provided.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

REVIEW OF APPLICATION DOCUMENTS (FOR ALL APPLICANTS):

To determine if you meet the qualifications, requirements and quality of experience required for this position, we review your resume, supporting documents and responses to the questionnaire. The score you receive is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the competencies required. Please follow all instructions carefully as errors or omissions may affect your rating.

Applicants must choose ALL APPLICABLE ELIGIBILITIES in order to receive consideration for this announcement. Failure to choose any eligibility or select the wrong eligibility will result in non-consideration for this position. If you are unsure as to your eligibility, please select ALL Eligibilities.

Understanding Eligibilities and Qualifications as Part of the Application Process:

http://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/Eligibilities%20and%20Qualifications-CCP.pdf?ver=2018-10-16-084128-890

Military Spouse Preference: If you are entitled to military spouse preference, in order to receive this preference you must choose the spousal eligibility in your application package referencing MSP Military Spouse Preference. Your preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. If you are claiming military spouse preference and qualified for the position, your name will be placed on a list sent to the hiring manager for employment consideration. See the Required Documents section for information regarding documents you must submit to apply for this position and to claim your Military Spouse Preference (MSP).

A update by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to the USA Staffing system requires you submit an SF50 when you choose certain eligibilities.

During the application process, you select one or more eligibilities. Please read the information within that eligibility carefully as it will tell you if any documents are required to support the eligibility or eligibilities you select. When you choose a reassignment, change to lower grade (CLG), promotion or re-promotion eligibility, you must now submit a SF50. This SF50 is a required document. When you do not submit this SF50, USA Staffing notifies you that your application is incomplete, but it does not prevent you from completing the application process. Should you not submit this required document, the USA Staffing system will screen you out of consideration.

CRITICAL INFORMATION: If you do not submit a SF-50 when Applying, the USA Staffing system will screen you out and you will not be considered for the position.

You can obtain your SF50s through MyBiz ( https://compo.dcpds.cpms.osd.mil/ ) or your eOPF ( https://eopf.opm.gov/dla ). Access is possible via CAC or a login and password.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

The following documents are required:
  • A current resume.
  • A narrative statement that addresses the selection factors.
  • An example of writing skills demonstrated by a legal brief, memorandum, letter, etc. (10 pages or less).
  • A copy of the applicant's most recent performance appraisal (or an explanation of why a performance appraisal cannot be provided), plus the applicant's most recent non-award SF-50 or DD3434 if they are a current Federal employee.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain the following:
    • Applicant's full legal name and contact information
    • Description of your duties
    • Number of hours worked per week
    • Beginning and ending dates (month/year) for each position
    • You must include the announcement number on your application.

    Applicants who fail to provide the required information on their resume will not receive consideration for this position. See https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/ for more information.

    Claiming Veterans' Preference. Additional supporting documents are required. These documents must provide acceptable documentation to verify the type of preference claimed (i.e. 5-point, 10-point, etc.) and the character of the service (i.e. Honorable Discharge). A copy of your DD214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," showing your Character of Service is required when claiming Veterans' Preference. The member 4 copy of your DD214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," is preferable. If unable to verify Character of Service, you will not receive veteran's preference.

    If claiming 10-point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form 15, "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference," http://www.opm.gov/Forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf . If selected, additional documentation may be required prior to appointment.

    If claiming 10 point preference, you will need to submit a Veteran Disability (VA) Letter. If you need assistance in obtaining a VA Letter please visit https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage .

    If you are currently serving on active duty and expected to be released or discharged within the next 120 days, you must submit written documentation from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days from the date the written documentation is signed. If selected, additional documentation may be required prior to appointment.

    Interagency Career Transition Assistance Programs: This program applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; Well qualified is defined as possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds the positions minimum qualifications. and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. For more information please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

    Claiming Military Spouse Preference. In addition to the documents required by the vacancy announcement, you are required to submit documents that provide acceptable information to verify (1) you reside within the commuting area of your sponsor's permanent duty station (PDS);(2) proof of marriage to the active duty sponsor, and (3) proof of military member's active duty status. This required documentation includes the following: Marriage Certificate or License, Signed Self-Certification Checklist ( Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist) , Veterans' Preference documentation (e.g., DD-214, VA Letter, Statement of Service, if applicable).

    If previously held a federal position you must include SF-50s (e.g., LWOP, highest grade held, overseas appointments, etc.), SF-75 Information, and documentation of performance rating of record (dated within the last 12 months). You must also meet pre-employment criteria and be eligible for immediate noncompetitive appointment to a position in the competitive service.

    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.

    Get job alerts

    Create a job alert and receive personalized job recommendations straight to your inbox.

    Create alert