Attorney-Adviser (Contract)

See below for important information regarding this job. The duty location will be located at Defense Logistics Agency Headquarters, Office of General Counsel, Fort Belvoir, VA. Position may be filled at: GS-13: $120,579 - $156,755 GS-14: $142,488 - $185,234

Duties

This JOA is for the position of Associate General Counsel in the DLA Contracting Services Office (DCSO) Acquisition Division of the DLA Office of General Counsel. DCSO's mission is to plan, organize, direct, and manage procurement and contract administration for the acquisition of highly specialized Electronic and Communication Services, Research and Development, Logistics Management Services, Knowledge-Based Services, Facility Related Services and Financial Management Services, and materials in support of DLA internal operations and to other federal agencies. This position reports to the Chief, Acquisition Law Division at DLA HQ, Ft. Belvoir, VA.

This position performs any or all of the following duties:

• Advises DCSO contracting officers and other Agency personnel on DCSO procurements during all stages of acquisition.
• Provides advice on contract formation matters, to include: acquisition planning, solicitation language, evaluation of offers, source selection, preparation of contract award decisions, debriefings, and award documents.
• Advises on responses to bid protests filed with the Agency or Contracting Officer.
• Acts as Agency attorney of record for bid protests before the Government Accountability Office, to include preparing the Agency Report and all filings.
• Acts as Agency attorney of record for appeals before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, to include all phases of litigation.
• Advises on contract administration matters, including advising on contract modifications, disputes, requests for equitable adjustment, claims, and termination actions.
• Assists the Department of Justice in cases filed in Federal court, including bid protests and contract disputes filed at the Court of Federal Claims.
• Assists DCSO personnel with respect to internal and external reviews and audits, including Red Team reviews.
• Meets with and provides advice to senior leadership on acquisition, contract administration, and litigation matters.
• Works closely and collaborates with HQ DLA Acquisition Law Division and DLA Major Subordinate Command Offices of Counsel on acquisition matters, bid protests, disputes, litigation, and other matters.
• Designs or participates in training on acquisition matters to be presented to DCSO personnel or other attorneys, supporting skills development and enhancement.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Salary

• $120,579 - $185,234/year

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• This is an Excepted Service position.
• Tour of Duty: Flexible (https://www.dla.mil/Careers/Join-Our-Team/Benefits/#Work)
• Security Requirements: Non-Critical Sensitive with Secret Access
• Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
• Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Bargaining Unit Status: No
• Financial Disclosure Requirement: Required
• Selectees are required to have a REAL ID or other acceptable identification documents to access certain federal facilities. See https://www.tsa.gov/real-id for more information.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED for the Attorney-Adviser (Contract), GS-0905-13T14.

1) The first professional law degree (LLB. or J.D.);

2) Proof that you are licensed and a member in good standing with the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Annual bar certification cards issued from your state of licensure are not considered acceptable. Proof is a "certificate of good standing" issued by your state of licensure dated within 6 months of the closing date of this announcement or a screenshot of your bar status taken from your state of licensure website that is dated within 6 months of the closing date of this announcement or sworn statement to that effect. If there is not a date on the screen shot, you must provide a statement signed by you on the date that the screen shot was created. The successful applicant selected for employment must provide a "certificate of good standing" issued by their respective bar showing they are in good status and in active status prior to appointment.

3) In addition to 1 and 2 (listed above), each grade level has the following qualification requirements:

To Qualify at the GS-13 Level:

You must possess professional legal experience in excess of 2 years commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

To Qualify at the GS-14 Level:

You must possess professional legal experience in excess of 3 years commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.


In accordance with DoDI 1442.2 (Personnel Actions Involving Civilian Attorneys), promotion for this position is based on the individual's time, performance, and mastery of skills at the required grade level and only with approval of the designated official (DLA General Counsel) in accordance with the applicable regulation.

The legal experience described in your application package or resume will be evaluated and screened for competencies required to perform the duties of the position as described in the Major Duties section of this announcement. The QUALITY of experience will be evaluated and screened to determine how closely or to what extent your experience, education, and training are relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the announced position. Your application package or resume must demonstrate you have the competencies and quality of experience necessary to successfully perform the work of the position at the appropriate grade level.

PRINCIPAL SELECTION FACTORS:

The following factors will be used to evaluate the suitability of candidates for this position.

a. Federal acquisition law experience. At least one year of relevant experience at the next lower federal grade is mandatory. Equivalent military, state or private law experience may be substituted for Federal service.
b. Demonstrated expert knowledge in the following areas: Department of Defense or other similar Federal agency acquisition processes, preferably including experience with contract formation and administration of complex Federal services acquisitions, e.g. contracts for information technology services, professional services, and research and development contracts/other transaction agreements.
c. Experience defending challenges to acquisition decisions at the Contracting Officer, Agency, Government Accountability Office, Court of Federal Claims, and Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals levels.
d. Excellent analytical ability, including issue identification, legal research, analysis of options, risk analysis, and creative problem solving.
e. Excellent communication skills (oral and written).
f. Excellent legal and business judgment.
g. Excellent interpersonal skills and client relationships, and the ability to interact well with senior officials on controversial and sensitive issues.

Security Clearance: This position is designated Non-Critical Sensitive. If selected, you must obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance. If you are unable to obtain this level of security clearance (as a result of undisclosed or disclosed background issues), within a reasonable period of time (as defined by the agency), the employment offer may be withdrawn. In addition, incumbent is subject to periodic re-investigation to maintain security eligibility in accordance with DoD 5200.2-R.

Education You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at time of application. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Other Information Excepted Service Position: This job is being filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service. Veterans Information: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF-15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov). As of 23 December 2016, Military retirees seeking to enter federal service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they would be appointed within 180 days following their official date of retirement. Reemployed Annuitants: This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol300.PDF Drug-Free Workplace Policy The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is committed to maintaining a safe, drug-free workplace. All DLA employees are required to refrain from illegal drug use on and off duty. DLA conducts pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and random drug testing. Applicants tentatively selected for employment in testing designated positions will undergo a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Refusal to undergo testing or testing positive for illegal drugs will result in withdrawal of the tentative job offer and a six-month denial of employment with DLA from the date of the drug test. Employees in drug testing designated positions are subject to random drug testing. The DLA drug testing panel tests for the following substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, heroin, phencyclidine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, fentanyl, norfentanyl, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and opioids. ADVISORY: Use of cannabidiol (CBD) products may result in a positive drug test for marijuana. DLA employees are subject to Federal law and under Federal law, Marijuana is a Schedule I drug and is illegal. Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on what authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, a current permanent Federal employee, a reinstatement, etc). Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your application eligibility. If you fail to provide these documents, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be further considered.

APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED:

1. Resume: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. We recommend using a font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.

2. TRANSCRIPTS: Transcripts must contain the applicant's name, the name of the school, the degree awarded, date conferred, and all required courses as required by the position. [IF SELECTED, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE ALL OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS INCLUDING FIRST PROFESSIONAL LAW DEGREE (LL. B OR J.D.T]

3. If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50).

4. A copy of your most recent performance appraisal (if current Federal employee).

5. If you are applying under Veterans' Preference, you should submit documents verifying your eligibility with your application package. These documents may include but are not limited to: DD214 (which indicates character of service), SF-15, VA Letter and/or Activation/Deactivation orders.
If you are currently on active duty, you must submit an official statement of service from your command or other official documentation that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. **The "certification" is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.

6. If applicable, supporting documentation for military spouse preference.

APPLICANTS MAY SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING WITH APPLICATION (OPTIONAL):

7. Cover Letter. Applicants may submit an additional cover letter if desired. Cover letters may include a brief narrative statement outlining the applicant's experience relevant to the principal selection factors listed under Qualifications in the Requirements section above.

IF SELECTED, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:

8. Proof you are licensed and a member in good standing with the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Proof is a "certificate of good standing" issued by your state of licensure within 6 months of the date of application or a screenshot of your bar status taken from your state of licensure website dated within 6 months. If there is no date on the screen shot, you must provide a statement signed by you on the date that the screen shot was created.

9. A sworn statement signed by you as to whether or not you have ever been found by any tribunal to have committed any crime or other act reflecting upon your suitability to practice law.

Applications will NOT be accepted or considered if sent by mail or facsimile. Only on-line applications will be considered.

Please review the following to see if there are any other documents you need to provide:
https://www.dla.mil/portals/104/documents/Careers/supportingdocumentation.pdf


GENERAL COUNSEL CONTACT INFORMATION:
Bre Parra
Breanna.Parra@dla.mil

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted ON-LINE via USAJobs by 11:59 pm EST on the closing date of the announcement.

Only complete application packages will be considered. APPLICATIONS THAT FAIL TO MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

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

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

1. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
2. You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. NOTE: Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement.
3. You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
4. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.