Job Summary ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION: Attorneys provide legal advice and representation to ensure that NGA accomplishes its mission in compliance with applicable laws. They ascertain facts, analyze issues, apply legal authorities, render opinions, and advocate Agency positions. Attorneys work cooperatively with others within the office, the Agency, the Intelligence Community, the DoD, and the US Government. Attorneys perform legal research and writing, counsel clients, and represent the Agency before legal forums. They oversee and direct Agency programs. Additional Job Information ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Office of General Counsel (OGC) seeks highly qualified attorneys who have just received their JD degrees, or recent law school graduates completing clerkships, into three-year-term positions to build the foundation of an outstanding career in national security law. Honors Attorneys work under the close supervision of experienced attorneys rotating through several OGC divisions, where they will gain intensive training and experience in critical skills for national security lawyers, including litigation, intelligence oversight/operational law, international law, and administrative law. Honors Attorneys will also gain deep exposure to NGA's geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) mission and cutting-edge legal issues associated with the changing intelligence environment. At the conclusion of the three-year-term, Honors Attorneys will have the opportunity to continue their career at NGA as permanent members of our team, or be highly competitive for attorney positions at other agencies in the IC/DoD community. Current OGC attorneys provide timely, accurate, and practical legal advice and representation to ensure NGA accomplishes its mission in compliance with applicable laws. All NGA attorney practice areas are assigned at the discretion of the NGA General Counsel, and are subject to change based on the needs of the office and the agency. At NGA, our attorneys counsel clients, perform legal research and writing, render legal opinions, conduct litigation, and advocate Agency positions before legal fora. Attorneys work cooperatively with others within the office, the Agency, the Intelligence Community, the Department of Defense, and the US Government. To be successful, the attorney must possess a service-oriented attitude towards clients; maintain a proactive perspective toward the practice of law; have the highest standards of professionalism; and thrive in a collegial work environment where everyone's views are respected and valued. NGA is a member of the Intelligence Community and a Department of Defense combat support agency whose mission is to provide geospatial intelligence to military forces and support national policy decision makers. It is a fast-paced, mission-oriented, technologically advanced work environment that is essential to the security of the nation. Candidates must be able to start employment in this position in the Fall of 2022. EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Juris Doctorate degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association must be obtained by the date of initial appointment. Candidates must submit their most recent law school transcript. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Positions require Top Secret clearance with SCI access. OTHER REQUIREMENTS: Occasional CONUS and OCONUS Travel may be required. Position will require working standard hours. Ad hoc or Routine Telework permitted with Supervisor approval. The nature of practice in this dynamic intelligence community legal office is such that after hours work may be necessary from time to time. All OGC attorneys must maintain the ability to perform telework via a personal computer and/or Government Furnished Equipment, when necessary. Must be a US citizen. As a newly appointed attorney, you will be expected to remain with the NGA OGC for a period of three years, unless released from your employment commitment. Selected candidates must be admitted to a bar, in any US jurisdiction, within 14 months of their initial appointment, per 5 CFR 13.101, 213.3102. Admission to a bar in a US jurisdiction within 14 months of appointment is a condition of employment. ELIGIBILITY LIMITATION: Eligibility is limited to graduating law students who will graduate from law school between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022 and recent law school graduates who began participating and continue to be employed in eligibility preserving employment within 9 months of law school graduation. Eligibility preserving employment includes full-time activities starting after law school graduation that can preserve a law school graduate's eligibility for the Honors Program such as judicial clerkships or time-limited court staff attorney positions; federal agency or state government Honors Attorney programs; or legal fellowships. Mandatory Qualifications MANDATORY QUALIFICATION CRITERIA: For this particular job, applicants must meet all competencies reflected under the Mandatory Qualification Criteria to include education (if required). Online applications must demonstrate qualification by providing specific examples and associated results, in response to the announcement's mandatory criteria specified in this vacancy announcement: 1. Demonstrated ability to evaluate pertinent facts; research, analyze and apply laws, rules, and regulations; and execute legal strategies; 2. Demonstrated ability to provide timely, accurate, and practical written and oral legal advice to enable an organizational mission consistent with applicable laws; 3. Demonstrated experience collaborating with others (ie clients and colleagues) to enable effective and proactive resolution of legal and policy matters; 4. Understanding of, demonstrated interest in, and/or experience in one of the following: administrative law, intelligence law, national security law, international law, information technology law, litigation, ethics, privacy, civil liberties, intelligence oversight, acquisition law, or intellectual property law. EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: A. Education: Juris Doctorate degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. -AND- LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS: Must be a member in good standing of a bar of a US state or territory, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Highly Desired Qualifications QUALIFICATION CRITERIA: In addition to the mandatory qualifications, experience in the following is desired: 1. Experience applying critical thinking to complex problem identification, analysis and resolution to provide superior legal research and legal writing. 2. Ability to effectively manage multiple work assignments and competing priorities changing circumstances. 3. Special high-level recognition for academic excellence in law school, such as selection to Order of the Coif, CALI Awards, etc. 4. Work or achievement in the law school's law review or other recognized law journal; participation in a moot court or mock trial competition or membership on a moot court or mock trial team. 5. Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, orally and in writing. 6. Adept at dealing with ambiguity by adapting to new demands or information and handling situations with multiple variables and unknowns, especially where there is little judicial precedent or case law. Additional Job Requirements You must be able to obtain and retain a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information. In addition, you are subject to a Counterintelligence Polygraph examination in order to maintain access to Top Secret information. All employees are subject to a periodic examination on a random basis in order to determine continued eligibility. Refusal to take the examination may result in denial of access to Top Secret information, SAP, and/or unescorted access to SCIFs. Employees with SCI access and who are under NGA cognizance are required to submit a Security Financial Disclosure Report, SF-714, on an annual basis in order to determine continued eligibility. Failure to comply may negatively impact continued access to Top Secret information, Information Systems, SAP, and/or unescorted access to SCIFs. Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY: Promotion opportunities allow applicants at all band levels to be considered. Qualifications for NGA positions do not include specific time-in-band requirements. NGA will emphasize quality of experience, rather than duration, and assess how the quality of the experience demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary for successful job performance in the NGA occupational structure. Band 03 $65,597 - $134,798 PERMANENT CHANGE IN STATION: PCS expenses are not authorized. Pay is only part of the compensation you will earn working for the Federal Government. We offer a broad array of benefits programs and family friendly flexibilities to meet the needs of you and your family. For more information on the array of benefits programs, please visit Cover Letter Applicants are not required to submit a cover letter. The entire cover letter cannot exceed the specified limits provided in the Cover Letter field (3,000 characters). Pages exceeding this limit will not be considered. The cover letter is recommended but is not required for employment consideration with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Applicants should place their narrative information in the Cover Letter / Other Professional Details field. Who may apply External Applicants Only How to apply Application submission involves applying using the Intelligence Community's Applicant Gateway on-line application process. ONLY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. How will I be evaluated? APPLICANT EVALUATION PROCESS: Applicants will be evaluated for this job opportunity in three stages: 1) All applicants will be evaluated using the Mandatory Qualification Criteria, 2) Qualified applicants will then be evaluated by an expert or panel of experts using a combination of qualification criteria to determine the best-qualified candidates, 3) Best-qualified applicants may then be further evaluated through an interview process. Military retiree applicants, if selected, may be impacted by the 180-day appointment restrictions of DODI 1402.01. HD personnel will provide additional information if applicable. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the Assignment Description, Additional Information Provided By the Selecting Official, and the Qualification Requirements; and then construct their resumes to highlight their most relevant and significant experience and education for this job opportunity. This description should include examples that detail the level and complexity of the performed work. Applicants are encouraged to provide any education information referenced in the announcement. If education is listed as a mandatory requirement, only degrees obtained from an institution accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the Secretary, US Department of Education will be accepted. In accordance with section 9902(h) of title 5, United States Code, annuitants reemployed in the Department of Defense shall receive full annuity and salary upon appointment. They shall not be eligible for retirement contributions, participation in the Thrift Savings Plan, or a supplemental or redetermined annuity for the reemployment period. Discontinued service retirement annuitants (ie, retired under section 8336(d)(1) or 8414(b)(1)(A) of title 5, United States Code) appointed to the Department of Defense may elect to be subject to retirement provisions of the new appointment as appropriate. (See DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 300, at All candidates will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation. NGA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applications will only be accepted online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us at . The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis. Conditions of Employment As a condition of employment at NGA, persons being considered for employment must meet NGA fitness for employment standards. * US Citizenship Required * Security Clearance (Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information) * Polygraph Test Required * Position Subject to Drug Testing * Two Year Probationary Period * Direct Deposit Required DCIPS Disclaimer NGA utilizes all processes and procedures of the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). Non-executive NGA employees are assigned to five distinct pay bands based on the type and scope of work performed. The employee's base salary is established within their assigned pay band based on their unique qualifications. A performance pay process is conducted each year to determine a potential base pay salary increase and/or bonus. An employee's annual performance evaluation is a key factor in the performance pay process. Employees on term or temporary appointments are not eligible to apply for internal assignment opportunity notices. This position is a DCIPS position in the Excepted Service under 10 USC 1601. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are an external applicant claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, you must self-identify your eligibility in your application.