Duties

Summary

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT IS ONLY OPEN TO CURRENT UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL, UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE AND UNITED STATES POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE EMPLOYEES. OTHER APPLICANTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The USPS OIG is seeking a highly qualified Attorney for the Office of General Counsel in Arlington, Virginia. Among the largest Offices of Inspector General in the federal government, we are charged with detecting and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in the U.S. Postal Service's nationwide operations. The Office of General Counsel provides legal and policy advice to the OIG's nearly 1,000 employees as they work to implement that mission, providing mission critical advice on issues of first impression.

Often acting independently, the successful candidate will provide quality, timely, and responsive legal advice and services related to a diverse range of statutes that apply to the OIG, employment and labor issues, contracting and procurement, federal appropriations law, audits, and other legal issues related to OIG's oversight of U.S. Postal Service programs.

The successful candidate will advise on significant and complex issues involving the sometimes conflicting responsibilities and priorities of the USPS OIG.

This position is being advertised at the Journey Band/Attorney level, equivalent to a GS-13 - GS-14. The salary range for this position is $103,690.00 - $159,286.00. The salary figures include locality pay.

Please note that the duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary based upon the agency's needs at the time of hire. The following description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations.

• Represents the interests of the OIG in cases before judicial or administrative bodies: e.g., the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and federal courts.
• Advises key management officials and staff, identifying and addressing all aspects of laws applicable to the OIG.
• Formulates legal opinions that recommend or establish new legal or policy positions for the OIG concerning complex and unprecedented questions.
• Develops guidance and advice to ensure the proper implementation of judicial or administrative decisions and legislative pronouncements involving the OIG.
• Conducts research in connection with cases to analyze factual and legal issues, and to determine what facts are needed and what legal sources are applicable for successful outcomes.
• Interprets statutes, regulations, policy, and guidance and advises on their applicability to the U.S. Postal Service and the OIG.
• Advises on audits relating to all aspects of Postal Service commercial, contracting, regulatory, and operational activities.
• Keeps abreast of legal developments and best practices within the OIG and legal community to effectively represent the OIG's interest.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be able to pass a drug screening and medical assessment questionnaire.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain Background Investigation security clearance
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a government-issued credit card
• May be required to successfully complete a 12-month probationary period

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

You must meet ALL of the minimum qualifications listed below.

• Graduation from an ABA accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree;
• Membership in good standing with a State Bar or the Bar of the District of Columbia; and
• At least three (3) years of post-J.D. legal experience, completed by the time of hire, which may include a judicial clerkship.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior law firm or federal sector employment litigation experience.
• Experience interpreting a range of complex statutory and regulatory language and providing advice concerning its implementation.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Knowledge of OIG authorities or the U.S. Postal Service's legal and labor relations policies and practices.
• Experience in training and development of legal and labor relations best practices for stakeholders.

EVALUATION FACTORS

You must have the experience and/or skills as listed in at least two (2) of the seven (7) areas of practice in evaluation factor A (below), plus demonstrated experience as described in evaluation factors B, C, and D. Failure to demonstrate that you meet all the evaluation factor requirements as listed below, in addition to the minimum qualifications, will result in a score of zero (0), an ineligible status, and you will not be referred for further consideration.

Your resume, cover letter and/or writing sample must address all four Evaluation Factors (A, B, C, and D).

A. Experience in two (2) or more of the following areas of practice:

public sector employment litigation and advice

other civil litigation

Inspector General authorities

contracting or procurement in the context of federal government entities

federal appropriations

labor law

federal administrative law with demonstrated experience in statutory and regulatory construction

Applicants will be evaluated based on their experience in these areas, as well as the number of areas in which they have experience.

B. Demonstrated experience with pre-trial and trial advocacy, including discovery, motions, briefs, and witness preparation.
C. Demonstrated experience writing legal and policy analysis, providing sound guidance to clients, and recommending appropriate action, particularly when the law is not directly on point. (A writing sample is required. Please submit one writing sample between 5-10 pages that demonstrates analytical capabilities in one of the areas of practice in evaluation factor A above.)
D. Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills, including experience providing legal counsel to management officials, executives, and/or agency leadership.

IMPORTANT: Include your major accomplishments relevant to the position requirements in your resume.

You will no longer be considered for this position if you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor.

Failure to demonstrate that you meet all evaluation factor requirements will result in a score of zero (0). Upon receipt of a zero score, you will be deemed "not minimally qualified," and you will not be referred for further consideration.

Education

Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation here: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred. Special Instructions for Candidates with Foreign Education: Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in U.S. education programs. You must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. credential evaluation service to interpret equivalency of your education against courses given in U.S. accredited colleges and universities. For further information visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Pay is only part of the compensation you will earn working for the USPS OIG. We offer a broad array of benefits programs:

Health, Dental, Vision, Life and Long Term Care Insurances with Flexible Spending options.

For more information about these programs visit www.opm.gov/insure.

Retirement and Thrift Savings. For more information about these programs see www.opm.gov/retire and http://www.tsp.gov/.

Flexible Work Schedules. USPS OIG offers a range of family friendly flexibilities including flexible work schedules, telework and employee assistance programs.

Leave and Holidays. In addition to 10 paid holidays each year, you will earn 13 days of paid sick leave and 13 to 26 paid vacation days each year depending on your years of service.

For further information, please refer to our website at:
https://www.uspsoig.gov/frequently-asked-questions

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Status: Exempt (Nonexempt employees are entitled to overtime pay; Exempt employees are not).

This agency provides Reasonable Accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodations for any part of the application and/or hiring process, please send an email to jobs@uspsoig.gov. The decision on granting an accommodation request will be made on a case by case basis.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

The Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications required for this position. You will no longer be considered for this position if you: receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor; fail to attach all required documentation; if your application materials indicate that you are not minimally-qualified for this position; or if you fail to qualify on the interview. Only the top-rated candidates will be referred to a review official or the selecting official for further consideration. Top-rated applicants may be required to participate in an interview. Your rating may be further adjusted or rated as ineligible by the review official or the selecting official based on your interview performance. Once all applicant scores are finalized, the selecting official will make a final decision. NOTE: If you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor or on the interview, you will be considered NOT MINIMALLY QUALIFIED for the position and rated ineligible.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

You must submit all required documents by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date of this announcement, Vacancy Announcement 11246628, by closing date 10/15/2021.

1. RESUME. When completing your online application or uploading your resume, you must categorize it as a "Resume" document).

2. WRITING SAMPLE. Required. One writing sample between 5-10 pages that demonstrates analytical capabilities in one of the areas of practice in evaluation factor A above.). Upload and save as "WRITING SAMPLE" document.

3. COVER LETTER. Required. Upload and save as "COVER LETTER" document.

4. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL dated within the last 15 months. This is required from all applicants including Federal, USPS, OIG, and private sector employees. If a PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL is not available, you must submit a separate statement with the reason a performance appraisal is not available. (Required: Upload and save as "Performance Appraisal" document.) NOTE: An SF-50 IS NOT acceptable as a performance appraisal.

5. SF-50. You can access your Form 50 by logging into LiteBlue.usps.gov and accessing your eOPF.

6. UPLOAD SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS which may include:

Certificates or Licenses, if applicable. Upload and save as "Other" document.

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.