Duties

We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

As a General Attorney in the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Program Legal Group (PLG), the incumbent serves on a PLG Team that provides policy and legal guidance and information to the Team Leader, PLG Director, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Policy and the civil rights compliance and enforcement program. Duties are not limited to:

Performs or participates in a variety of activities related to providing legal services and policy guidance for OCR under the various legal authorities.

Reviews the Department's and other agencies' proposed regulations and proposed legislation that may affect OCR's regulatory and enforcement activities to ensure conformance with the laws under OCR's jurisdiction.

Assist PLG's managers and the DAS for Policy, as well as the Enforcement Division staff, in interpreting legal standards and regulations and in applying OCR policy in the conduct of complaint investigation compliance reviews, proactive compliance activities, monitoring, and other compliance related activities.

Develops and presents training to team members and others on issues of moderate complexity, statutory and regulatory standards, changes in case law, new policy decisions, investigatory techniques, negotiation skills, and other case development issues.

Researches a wide range of legal problems of moderate complexity concerning civil rights compliance; researches and analyzes state statutes and state agency regulations, policies and guidelines where conflicts may exist between state and Federal law.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must complete a background investigation and fingerprint check
• Relocation expenses will not be paid.
• This position will be subject to a one year probationary period.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.

Qualifications

This is an open continuous announcement with cutoff dates. Applications will be referred based on receipt of application and established cutoff dates as follows:

1 st cutoff: July 30, 2021

2 nd cutoff: August 30, 2021

3 rd cutoff: September 30, 2021

4 th cutoff: October 30, 2021

5 th cutoff: November 30, 2021

6 th cutoff: December 30, 2021

7 th cutoff: January 30, 2022

8 th cutoff: February 28, 2022

9 th cutoff: March 30, 2022

10 th cutoff: April 30, 2022

11 th cutoff: May 30, 2022

12 th cutoff: June 15, 2022

END DATE: June 29, 2022

Minimum Qualification Requirements

A. Has obtained the first professional law degree or training which is permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at the law school AND

B. Is an active member in good standing in the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

AND

Specialized Experience for the GS-13

One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 performing two of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience evaluating the legal adequacy of case resolution documents and reports on civil rights compliance with the laws OCR enforces, particularly Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).

2. Experience developing recommendations on program management and legal policy issues relating to the laws OCR enforces, particularly Title VI and Title IX.

3. Experience conducting extensive research to solve complex problems relating to the laws OCR enforces, particularly Title VI and Title IX.

Specialized Experience for the GS-14

One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 performing two of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience providing legal and policy advice that reflect extensive knowledge of the civil rights laws enforced by OCR, particularly Title VI and Title IX.

2. Experience serving as an authority on civil rights issues, particularly Title VI and Title IX.

3. Experience coordinating and communicating on complex legal and policy issues relating to the civil rights laws enforced by OCR, particularly Title VI and Title IX.

Additional information

Veterans' Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email Iwork@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor ("Veterans Counseling Session" should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.

Financial Disclosure: This position does not require financial disclosure.

Telework: During the current period of mandatory telework required by the Agency's COVID-19 response, telework will be mandatory. When it is determined the Agency will be moving to the reopening phase, employees will be expected to physically return to the office of their official duty locations. Telework days and any required waiting period for eligibility will be determined at that time.

Bargaining Unit: This position is included in the bargaining unit.

Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.