Attorney-Adviser (General)

This position is located within the Defense Legal Services Agency, Office of the Military Commissions, Trial Judiciary (hereinafter "the Office"). The Office is headed by the Chief Trial Judge, a designee of the Secretary of War, for the supervision and administration of the Military Commissions Trial Judiciary.

Duties

Incumbent typical work assignments may include the following:

• Serves as an interface for the Trial Judiciary with high-ranking military and civilian managers across WHS/OSW internal and external agencies.
• Negotiates and resolves complex administrative logistical, and case-specific requirements while strictly protecting the deliberative process and adhering to the Code of Judicial Conduct.
• Conducts comprehensive reviews and evaluations of highly classified documents (up to TS/SCI/SAP) filed during military
  commission proceedings.
• Works under the broad guidance of the Trial Team Leader and specific guidance of the presiding military judge in preparing draft
  rulings and orders and directly support the presiding military judge.
• Conducts legal research of case precedent, legal documents, periodicals and textbooks; studies legal precedents and professional literature.
• Formulates independent legal strategies and recommends cogent courses of action to presiding military judges on matters of national and international significance.

Salary

• $143,913 - $187,093/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration)
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment
• Required to participate in the direct deposit program
• This position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing
• This position is subject to the DoD Priority Placement Program
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
• The incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and SAP components.
• The incumbent may be required to work other than normal duty hours, which may include evenings, weekends, and/or holidays and/or overtime
• This position may require up to 25% occasional travel away from your normal duty station for official business on military or commercial aircraft

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the requirements described below.

Basic Requirement: Professional law degree, i.e. Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctorate (J.D.), from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. Transcripts are required at the time of application.

Certificate of Good Standing

You may qualify at the GS-14 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your ability to:

1. Implement criminal litigation in either the military or civilian justice system, or both; and
2. Research and analyze a wide variety of legal and/or historical materials related to issues in military commissions and/or criminal litigation generally.

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume. Your resume may not exceed two (2) pages. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the duration of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Read more about what should I include in my federal resume at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Federal agencies treat active duty service members as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, as part of their application package, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, indicating the service member is otherwise eligible and will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of submission. A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. This "certification" must include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable), and date any terminal leave will begin. It must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible". Members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if they are on terminal leave.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

Education Education cannot be substituted for experience. Other Information Probationary Periods: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing an online application, you may request an alternative application. Please send an email to the following address for information on how to obtain an alternative application: whs.job.application.assistance@mail.mil Reemployed Annuitants: Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants (DODI 1400.25, volume 300). http://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/ Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement. Required Documents

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DOCUMENT IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATION CLAIMS. You MUST upload the applicable documents with your application package. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages showing all relevant experience. Your resume must address your technical qualifications for the position, hours worked per week and the dates of employment for each position (hours per week and month/year to month/year to present) listed on the resume and it may not exceed two (2) pages. Your 2-page (or less) resume must be in PDF format, with no smaller than a 0.5" margin and no smaller than a 10-point font. If you submit a resume that exceeds the two-page limit and/or does not meet the margin or font limitations stated herein, you will immediately be deemed ineligible for this position and will receive no further consideration.

If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent."

If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade held. It is recommended you provide a SF-50 within the last 52 weeks before the closing date of this JOA for current federal employees. We will use the employment date and grade on your resume in conjunction with the provided SF-50 to help determine initial eligibility, but may require additional information to confirm at the job offer stage if needed.
• College Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education. Official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
• DD-214, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities
• DoD Priority Placement Program applicant supporting documentation - See the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section of this announcement
• Other Noncompetitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable

DOES THIS POSITION REQUIRE A LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE?
A copy of a Certificate of Good Standing from the applicant's licensing authority indicating the applicant is in an active status and authorized to practice law in the relevant jurisdiction. The applicant must also provide a copy of their law school transcript showing graduation from an American Bar Association accredited law school.

ARE YOU A VETERAN CLAIMING SOLE SURVIVORSHIP PREFERENCE OR 5-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE?
1. You must provide legible copy/copies of the following: DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," showing all dates of service, type of discharge as well as character of service (Honorable, General, etc.) or Statement of Service/Proof of Service (in lieu of a DD-214) from your command or local Personnel Support Detachment (PSD). The Statement of Service/Proof of Service must provide all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.). Veterans should upload their DD-214 once they receive it upon separation.
2. You should also document your complete military service information in the Veterans Preference and Military Service Section of the assessment questionnaire (type of preference, dates of service, date of VA letter, character of service, disability claim and rank and date of retirement if retired).

ARE YOU A DISABLED VETERAN or CLAIMING 10-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE?
1. Disabled veterans, veterans, widows, spouses or the mother of a veteran, who are eligible for 10-point veterans' preference, you must provide legible copies of the following: Applicable supporting documents as noted on Standard Form-15 (SF-15). To obtain a copy of SF-15, go to: https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans

ARE YOU A CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL SCHEDULE A, SCHEDULE C, NON-CAREER SES OR PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEE EMPLOYEE?
Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee)
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

• To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. Your resume cannot exceed two pages. See the Required Documents section above for more information.
• You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process, and it is your responsibility to ensure that they do so successfully.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
• You will be taken to the online application and questionnaire which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
• Read the Eligibility questions carefully. Your responses will affect your consideration for the position. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. You will only be considered under the options you have selected. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility questions, you will not be considered for this position.
• To view the questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13059840

Failure to submit a complete application package will result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration.

Do not email or send hard copy resumes/applications to the Contact Information or Agency Information listed in this vacancy announcement. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will be destroyed and will not be considered for this vacancy announcement.

It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all information in their resume and documents are legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers/documents submitted by an applicant.