Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Associate General Counsel for Litigation, will serve as head of the Agency's litigation division. Position will provide expert legal guidance related to litigation and other legal risks for USAGM, which oversees international news organizations. Oversees the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and Radio/TV Marti.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Manage and oversee the Litigation Unit of the General Counsel. Supervise two or three Assistant General Counsels for litigation issues, and any additional paralegal or contractor support. Directly handle cases and litigation, as well. Supervisory and related managerial duties will occupy less than 25 percent of the incumbent's time.

Creatively leverage new authorities granted to the agency (under the 2017 NDAA), some of which may come into force in calendar year 2020 (upon appointment of a senate- confirmed CEO). Research and resolve unprecedented legal questions pertaining to pay, benefits, and status within a federal executive agency, requiring experience and technical analysis of agency authorities and other relevant statutory and regulatory requirements.

Address litigation issues related to a transition to a digital first strategy, including issues related to workforce restructuring. Develop practices that balance employees' free speech rights, while avoiding journalists taking positions in their social media or other outside activities, which undermine the agency's credibility and reputation and bring to bear media law experience with incorporating the best practices of professional journalism to enforce the "highest professional standards".

Leverage expertise and knowledge of the legal rules and requirements in litigation, legal risk management, and employment and labor law, to advise on courses of action which may be subject to challenge (or have been challenged) under Title 5 of the United States Code, including the Merit Systems Protection Board; the Equal Employment Opportunity Act; the Federal Labor Relations Act; Title 22 of the United States Code; and protections relating to media and freedom of press.

Assess and advise on litigation and employment law risks in developing a refining framework to accommodate a cadre of five hundred or so personal service contractors (this in in concert with Assistance General Counsel for Operations who handles contracting law aspects of PSCs).

Advise (along with Associate General Counsel for Operations) on developing a nuanced legal regime to accommodate our unique operations.

Coordinate with internal senior executives and technical experts on behalf of the GC and Deputy GC on highly complex and sensitive crosscutting issues, including with the Chief Risk Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Security, Human Resources Director, Chief Strategy Officer, and agency component executives, ensuring that joint efforts are informed by advanced legal analysis and principles.

Represent the agency's proposals for addressing its challenges to White House officials, congressional staff, and other external stakeholders, synthesizing highly technical information, and communicate, verbally and in writing, in a manner that is compelling and clear to diverse audiences.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
00

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by closing date of the announcement to be considered.
• Applicants must complete online questionnaire.
• If you are a male applicant, born after 12/31/59, you are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act. The Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
• This is a national security position. If selected, this position requires the completion of the SF-86.
• Suitability Determination: If selected, you will be subject to a security investigation to establish your suitability for federal employment. The security investigation will include, among other aspects, a review of your credit and legal history.
• This position is not covered by a Union Agreement
• If selected for this vacancy, you will be required to file the OGE Form 450 (Confidential Financial Disclosure Report).
• The full performance grade level for this position is 00.
• Transcripts or proof of bar membership may be required before an offer is extended.
• New appointee to the Excepted Service must serve a two-year trial period.
• Top secret security clearance or the ability to obtain such clearance.
• This position has been designated supervisory requiring that the selectee serve on an initial appointment as a supervisor or manager serve a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicant must be a graduate from a full course of study in a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association and be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

In addition to the Basic Requirement for this position, your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position addition to the Basic Requirement for this position, your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience.

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the GS-15 or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector.

Specialized Experience for this position includes: 1) Experience providing legal counsel on matters relating to litigation and litigation risk, including employment litigation and labor law 2) Experience establishing policies related litigation and employment law; 3) Knowledge of federal laws and regulations related to litigation, labor, and employment law; (4) Experience demonstrating the ability to:

• • Engage in creative and flexible legal thinking, including the ability t leverage existing and new authorities in a manner which allows the agency to engage in the type of novel operations requisite to carrying out a large news-media organization.
  • Carry out top notch legal thinking, including an innate sense of the law and how it may apply to agency-specific fact scenarios.
  • Convey concepts in terms of legal risk, so as to properly advise clients as to the risks associated with a course of action (in contrast to a binary thinker); and not try to give advice that substitutes one's personal risk preference for that of the client.
  • Work well with others, including the ability to put oneself in others shoes, especially one's clients.
  • Demonstrate an innate enjoyment of law; this is critical to legal leadership to lead a team of attorneys with various levels of ability, skills and experience to accomplish the litigation division and thus agency goals.
  • Demonstrate mastery of or master the concepts, principles, practices, laws, and regulations, governing all areas of Agency operations.
  • Provide material experience with the majority of legal areas that the office addresses.
  • Provide expert judgment and critical thinking skills, demonstrated through leadership of complex projects and management of competing priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
  • Engage in expert collaboration and consensus building skills to work across multiple organizations and with personnel at all organizational levels.
  • Provide expert interpersonal, leadership and managerial capabilities, including the ability to effectively direct tasking, assess and manage performance, and support personal and professional development of all levels of personnel.
  • Serve as a partner the General Counsel and as an alter-ego of the GC as called upon.

Education

Applicant cannot substitute education for experience.

Additional information

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis with Cutoff dates of every two weeks until position(s) are filled.

Qualifying applications submitted for this position or other identical current or future open position in the Agency OGC may also be considered for this position;

Qualifying application submitted for this position or other identical positions may be considered for currently open or future positions in OGC.

If you are an eligible Inter agency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant, you may apply for special selection over other candidates for this position. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 80 or above on the rating criteria for this position. ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.

Applicants claiming veteran's preference must submit a DD-214 (copy # 2 or 4 - member copy); veterans who are claiming disabled veteran preference must also submit a VA disability letter and a SF-15; AND, applicants seeking widow or other special veterans preference must submit a SF-15 and all documents indicated for their specific form of preference.

If you are still on active duty, you may submit a statement of service from your Personnel Command which states the date you entered active duty, the date you are separating, and the campaign medals you have received.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once your resume or application is submitted, a review of your qualifications will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements and competencies required for this position.

Competencies:

• Legal, Government and Jurisprudence

Possession of competencies may be addressed in your resume. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
National security

Required Documents

All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):

• Resume

At a later date, applicants may also be required to submit:

• Proof of Bar Certification (Copy is acceptable)
• Writing Sample
• Transcript

Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s), which may not be required for all applicants:

• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Professional Certification
• Reasonable Accommodation Documentation
• Resume
• SF-15
• Transcript

Although the required documents listed in this announcement only indicates that a resume is required, other documents may be required in specific circumstances, as indicated in application requirements in Other Information above.

If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must attach the member copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also attach an Application of 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF-15) plus the proof required by that form

If you are still on active duty, you may submit a statement of service from your Personnel Command which states the date you entered active duty, the date you are separating, and the campaign medals you have received.

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.