Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) of the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) an independent Federal Agency of the U.S. Government. The attorney incumbent serves as an Assistant General Counsel for Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, and Ethics. The incumbent serves as the day-to-day lead for the Ethics program, and FOIA/PA compliance throughout the Agency.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Day-to-day lead for Ethics program and FOIA/PA program compliance throughout the Agency.

Provide expert advice to USAGM board members, management, and employees at all levels on the interpretation and application of all federal ethics laws and rules, the Agency's standards of ethical conduct, conflict of interest statutes, and Hatch Act.

Oversee and ensure the quality and success of the Public and Confidential Financial Disclosure Report program, including identifying reporting individuals, providing notice of, reviewing, and certifying financial disclosure forms for agency officials, and conducting timely and thorough review of the financial interests of each reporting individual.

Develops policies and establishes procedures concerning the implementation of the FOIA/PA within the Agency, including continually evaluating the effectiveness of the FOIA / PA program and providing training and guidance to USAGM component offices on the provisions and requirements of the FOIA / PA programs.

Directly involve in all FOIA litigation against USAGM, including preparing affidavits and other materials in support of litigation defense.

Develop and maintain critical relationships with USAGM and external government stakeholders to further the Agency's ethics / FOIA/ PA programs to facilitate their partnership and understanding.

Provide advice and develop guidance on the use and development of electronic discovery tools and protocols.

Serve as Agency lead for inspector general investigations.

Manage matters with minimal or no supervision.

Serve as lead lawyer on matters.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

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 Critical Sensitive position. If selected, this position requires the completion of the SF-86 form.
• 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
• The full performance grade level for this position is GS-15.
• Top secret security clearance or the ability to obtain such clearance.
• New appointees to the Excepted Service must serve a two-year trial period.

Qualifications

Applicant 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 (LL.B or J.D.), Bar Certification, and also be a current member in good standing of the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

To qualify for the GS-15, applicants must have four (4) or more years of post-J.D. legal experience, at least one of which were specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level or higher.

To qualify for the GS-14, you should have three (3) or more years of post-J.D. legal experience, at least one (1) of which were specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-13 grade level or higher.

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skill, and ability to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include the following experience and/or knowledge, skills, and/or abilities:

• managing a team of professionals;
• legal experience with/providing definitive expert legal counsel in
• the statutory requirements and guidelines governing Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act programs.
• the requirements and guidelines concerning government ethics, conflict of interest rules, and the Hatch Act.
• the disclosure rules and protocols relating to transmission of electronic material, particularly as they relate to FOIA and litigation generally.
• electronic discovery tools, protocols, and processes in civil litigation.
• managing a large number of ongoing, complex legal tasks;
• thinking strategically and communicating clearly about legal and other operational risk (in light of a client's/Agency's legal posture/position in the instant matter and overall/in future cases);
• relating well to clients and co-workers, and work collaboratively in a fast paced legal environment;
• maintaining a customer-service oriented approach to legal practice;
• thinking outside of the box on legal questions;
• carrying out significant negotiations on behalf of clients;
• drafting or revising organizational policies, based upon continuing review of case law, appropriate legislation, and regulatory, implementation, to minimize organizational legal risk;
• working with a legal office's leadership to help agency management officials think strategically about practices and postures to improve litigation outcomes;
• demonstrating the ability and willingness to lead legal tasks and take on new tasks and responsibilities.

Desirable Experience or Expertise : These are examples of the types of experience or expertise that while not necessarily required may indicate the requisite knowledge and ability for the position. These include:

• Experience in managing and/or serving as lead attorney for an Agency Ethics Program.
• Experience in managing and/or serving as lead attorney for an Agency FOIA Program.
• Experience in drafting or revising organizational policies, based upon continuing review of case law, appropriate legislation, and regulatory implementation, to minimize organizational legal risk.
• Experience conducting federal court and administrative litigation.
• Familiarity with the Administrative Procedures Act.
• Demonstrated experience with administrative law generally.

(Note: The list is instructive; it is not exhaustive, and the successful candidate need not necessarily have all of these experiences. We encourage all interested candidates to apply).

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.

Status applicants who wish to be considered under merit promotion procedures, including those eligible to apply under Interchange Agreements with other Merit Systems and Veterans Employment Opportunity Act of 1998 , should apply under announcement # >.

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 a cover letter and/or 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. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your qualifications. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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
Suitability/Fitness

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:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• 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.