Duties

Summary

This position is in the Office of Grants Management. The primary purpose of this position is to provide legal advice for grants/cooperative agreements governed by the Help America Vote Act and associated appropriation laws and federal grant rules and regulations. This position reports to the Grants Manager.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Attorney Advisor is responsible for providing legal support to the Office of Grants Management in all its Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and discretionary program funding on a broad range of legal matters in a collaborative and fast-paced environment.

This position will provide legal advice, opinions, and related training to EAC's Office of Grants Management (OGM) and staff, grant recipients, grant applicants and members of the public on matters of contract and procurement law, appropriations law, federal grant law, the DATA Act, administrative law, and other issues related to federal agency operations. This position will also research and prepare legal opinions, memoranda and correspondence and will represent the Grants Office in meetings, training programs, and conferences with OGM staff, grant recipients, Congressional staff, other EAC offices and members of the public.

Major Duties

The incumbent serves as an Attorney-Advisor, responsible for providing legal support and advice on a broad range of legal matters involving the programs, functions, and activities of HAVA grant funds.

As an Attorney-Advisor (Grants) GS 13/14, your typical work assignments may include the following:

• Counsel EAC leadership, managers, and staff at all levels across the agency regarding a broad range of matters involving federal grants, including application of 2CFR200, Uniform Guidance, Cost Principles and funding to State recipients.
• Provide legal advice and services on EAC and federal grant requirements and resolve complex questions of law related to the agency's grant-making functions, including novel and complex legal issues related to grants where no prior precedence exists, including cost allocation, allowability, allocability, and other related areas which arise in furtherance of and in connection with the mission of EAC.
• Assist or advise directly on day-to-day time-sensitive legal issues as assigned, including but not limited to grants, cooperative agreements and government contracts, regulatory matters, transactions and/or litigation, appropriations/fiscal law, administrative law, and appropriations.
• Independently planning and carrying out legal research, and preparing written memoranda, advisory opinions, correspondence, litigation reports, and pleadings, memoranda of facts and law, and briefs;
• Research, render, and generate authoritative written and oral legal opinions, memoranda and correspondence. Opinions involve complex and difficult questions of law and policy resulting from the administration of Government grants and comprehensive guidance related to the intersection of the range of laws that must apply, and the EAC's authorizing statute and legislation.
• Reviewing policies concerning program activities, decisions, and/or actions to ensure they are legally sufficient and do not exceed EAC parameters.
• The portfolio includes assisting in the development of and reviewing of grantee inquiries on grant activities, expenditures and guidance produced by the agency for technical assistance and oversight with consideration of legality, soundness, and advisability and programmatic implications.
• Providing drafting and other technical support to support the department's policy-making related to all grant programs.
• Work collaboratively and coordinate within the agency, including other counsel, as well as with counsel from sister Federal agencies, as appropriate.
• Represent the Grants Office in meetings, training programs, and conferences with OGM staff, grant recipients, Congressional staff, other EAC offices and members of the public.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - There is minimal travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13 - (GS-13 equivalent with promotion potential).

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U. S. Citizenship Required.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must submit an OGE 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Form.
• This is an excepted Service appointment. Employees hired under an Excepted Service appointment are required to serve a two (2) year trial period.
• Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Qualifications

Education: You must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree (i.e. JD). (You must supply a transcript to document how you meet this requirement, or you will be rated ineligible). Applicants with a record of excellence in academic achievement, superior legal research and writing skills, strong analytical skills, and exceptional communication abilities are encouraged to apply.

Bar Membership: You must be a member in good standing with the Bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (You must submit a copy of your bar membership, or you will be rated ineligible).

Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the education and Bar membership requirements above, in order to qualify for this position, you must also have at least 3 years of professional legal experience acquired after being admitted to the Bar, at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in Federal service.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is related to the work of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience includes demonstrating the following:

• Knowledge of laws and administrative policies in the areas of appropriations, federal grants and state recipients.
• Experience providing legal guidance on the full range of legal issues that arise at a Federal grant-making agency, in an environment where there is no precedence.
• Experience providing legal advice and services on federal grant requirements and resolving complex questions of law related to grant-making functions.
• Experience working with leadership and providing clear legal advice to executives or senior officials to help agency leadership think strategically about our practices and policies to minimize organizational risk.
• Experience in drafting or revising organizational policies, based upon continuing review of case law, appropriate legislation, and regulatory implementation, to minimize organizational legal risk.

You must provide clear documentation in your resume how you meet this experience requirement, or you will be rated ineligible.

Education

Please read the "Qualifications" section.

Additional information

You must submit all required information by the closing date. If materials are not received, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. The materials you send with your application will not be returned.

Send only those materials needed to evaluate your application.

If you use public transportation, part of your transportation costs may be subsidized.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Additionally, will assess qualified applicants by comparing each candidate's qualifications to those pertinent to the position. OGM will consider relevant skills and experience, education and training, performance, and awards. The skills and experience listed immediately below are of particular importance to the position, and applicants should provide specific detailed information in these areas within their resume or cover letter, where applicable, as part of their application.

• Knowledge of the areas of law and policy as detailed above.
• Applicants must be able to work well with a team, but also must be able to work independently with minimal guidance and oversight.
• Applicants must be comfortable working under short deadlines and providing sound advice under time limitations.
• Applicants must possess sound legal and professional judgment.
• Applicants must be comfortable addressing a substantial volume of work within required deadlines, use creative problem-solving to address client needs, and maintain organizational and planning skills.
• Applicants must quickly conduct and direct complex legal research, engage in sound legal analysis, and present the results in a clear, precise, and persuasive manner, both in writing and verbally to senior officials of EAC, and officials of other Federal agencies while keeping supervisors fully informed.
• Applicants should demonstrate knowledge of the areas of law and policy in matters related to Government grants and appropriation law.

If you are considered among the Best Qualified, you will be contacted by the hiring manager for an interview.

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

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

Required documents include a resume and the supporting documents as described in the "How to Apply Instructions" section of this announcement.

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.